Science Fair

3^rd & 4^th Grade Science Fair Guidelines 2009

Friday, April 24^th : In school sharing.

Students will show their projects to other classes on the day before they are formally judged. This gives the students a chance to show others their great work and helps the younger kids to learn from the older ones. Parents should make arrangements to bring in the projects on this morning.

Saturday, April 25^th : Projects will be formally judged.

Students will be scheduled to present their projects to the judges during one of three sessions, beginning at 9:00 a.m., 10:15 a.m., or 11:30 a.m.

The science fair is a mandatory project for grades 3 and 4. The primary purpose of the fair is to educate the children on how to do a science project as well as generate enthusiasm in them for further study of science. To that end the judges will warmly encourage the children and not intimidate them or stress competition.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR CALENDAR NOW...

We recognize that some families have commitments (dance lessons, Little League, etc.) that would make an earlier or later presentation time necessary. If you anticipate any conflicts on April 25^th , please contact Karen Pinson at 424-2155 or karenpinson@verizon.net as soon as possible. Otherwise, in mid March, students will be assigned to one of the three scheduled sessions. Parents seeking to change times after they are assigned will need to find another student from the same class willing to swap times with them.

THE BASICS:

There are two categories of work. Students may either complete an activity or an experiment. For a successful project in either category, the student must do some hands-on work in addition to the library research and reporting. This hands-on project should be brought in for both the sharing & judging.

Students are to complete all four of the following steps:

1. Library work; selection of a project and background reading. The teachers and judges would like you to informally name your reference(s).

2. Performance of some hands-on work. This may be an actual experiment, the construction of some device or model, or the demonstration of a scientific phenomenon. The thought and time put into this category is the most important part of the project.

3. Preparation of a poster describing the activity or experiment; according to the outline on the second page of this handout.

4. A brief show-and-tell explanation of the project and answers to judge’s questions.

Note: A high score cannot be assigned to a poster on library work alone, no matter how elegant the poster.

For the purposes of this science fair, there are two distinct categories of work that will be judged according to different criteria.

ACTIVITY: (Category I)

The work does not necessarily set out to answer a question. Many books of so-called science experiments are actually activities. For example, building a scientific model, or collecting and identifying shell specimens, or constructing a small electromagnet can be done without posing a question to answer experimentally. Most student projects at these grade levels will be activities.

Students must come up with a simple question to answer experimentally (or find one in a book or other resource). They must propose a hypothesis, and test it appropriately for their grade level according to the scientific method. (If a student misidentifies an activity as an experiment, the judges will score it in the more appropriate category.)

¨ TITLE

(Indicate the technique, phenomenon, or concept being demonstrated.)

¨ MATERIALS

(A list of things used to prepare the demonstration)

¨ METHODS

(The steps used to build the device, model, etc.)

¨ DISCUSSION *

(An explanation of the scientific principles you have learned to better understand through this activity? Do you have any ideas for further developing such a project?)

¨ REFERENCES

(List any books or articles that helped give you ideas or explanations for your project)

q TITLE

q PROBLEM OR QUESTION

q HYPOTHESIS

(An educated guess for the solution to the problem)

q MATERIALS

(A list of things you use to do an experiment to test your hypothesis)

q METHODS

(The steps you perform to complete your experiment)

q OBSERVATIONS AND/OR MEASUREMENTS

(The things you notice or compare while doing the experiment which are relevant to your problem. If your observations are numerical in nature, it is best to put them in table form. Additionally, the older children can put their numbers in the form of a graph.)

q DISCUSSION *

(An explanation of your observations and/or graph as they relate to your hypothesis. Do they support your hypothesis? If not, why or why not? Judges do not deduct for an incorrect hypothesis as long as student learns from it. Great scientists are used to many failures before they discover a truth. Failure is frustrating but it teaches patience.)

q CONCLUSION

(What did you learn from this experiment? Do you have any suggestions for future experiments?)

q REFERENCES

(List any books or articles that helped give you ideas or explanations for your project)

Example: A Simple Experiment for Elementary Students

TITLE: APPLES WITH APPEAL

PROBLEM:

Finding a way to keep cut apples from turning brown when exposed to air

HYPOTHESIS:

Pouring lemon juice on apple surfaces will slow down the rate of brown forming on cut apple slices

MATERIALS:

Paper towels, a sheet of paper, 3 apple pieces, lemon juice, water

METHODS:

1. Spread out paper towels

2. Make a chart with three column headings : nothing, lemon juice, and water

3. Place an apple piece under each column heading on the chart

4. Do nothing to the first piece. Squeeze lemon juice on the second. Put water on the third.

5. Wait one hour. Compare the apple pieces for the amount of brown color forming on the white surfaces. Write down your observations in the correct column.

6. Repeat Step 5 for each of two more hours.

OBSERVATIONS:

The apple with the lemon juice had no brown coloring after one hour while the other two apples had nearly equal amounts of brown coloring. The same pattern of observations was repeated for the next two hours. (This information should be put in chart form. The student could draw or photograph characteristic pictures, or perhaps repeat the experiment and display sample apple slices with the project.)

DISCUSSION:

The results shown in the chart support my hypothesis that lemon juice helps apples from turning brown so fast. I know this because the apple piece with lemon juice showed much less brown coloring every hour for three hours than either the piece in water or the piece with nothing on it.

CONCLUSION:

I learned from this experiment that lemon juice slows the formation of brown coloring on apple slices better than water. Maybe this is because it stops the air from turning it brown. This could be helpful when you want to cut an apple but eat it later. In future experiments I might try this with other types of fruit slices or other acidic liquids (sour liquids like grapefruit juice or vinegar) instead of lemon juice. I wonder what would happen if we put the apple slices in the refrigerator. Would the brown color come as quickly?

REFERENCE: Apples, Bubbles, and Crystals: Your Science ABC’s (Bennet & Kessler)

Do you ever hear yourself asking, "I wonder what would happen if I...?" If you ask such a question about physical things around you, or their behavior or changes, this may be a good starting point for devising an experiment. Ideas may come up in your play, conversation with friends, web-browsing, from programs you see on television or any magazine.

Of course, books in your home, the libraries, bookstores, or science museums are full of ideas. Besides the obvious books on science activities in general (Mr. Wizard, Magic School Bus etc), consider special subjects of interest. Perhaps there are books on magnetism, or seeds and plants, or weather... What interests you? If you have a book with lots of really great project ideas, share it with a friend. Contact Kristine Hartmann at the number below if you are having difficulty. It is acceptable to use a kit purchased from a store as long as the student can do the work, do background reading and be able to understand and explain it.

A CHILD MAY NOT CHOOSE TO REPEAT AN EXPERIMENT OR ACTIVITY THAT THEIR TEACHER DID WITH THEM IN CLASS OR A PROJECT THEIR SIBLINGS DID IN A PREVIOUS YEAR TO USE AS THEIR PROJECT FOR THE SCIENCE FAIR.

If you choose an EXPERIMENT, judging will emphasize how well the work answers your experimental question. The thinking behind the project matters more for an experiment than for an activity. However, students in this age group are not typically able to design sophisticated experiments. SIMPLE experiments that test simple comparisons help students grow more than elegant projects that are over their heads. Which of two things will move faster? What does too much flour do to a favorite cookie recipe? A good experiment will channel your child's natural curiosity. When you or your child say, "I wonder...", try to think of a way to test the answer.

Although students are encouraged to consult parents and other adults, they should make major decisions themselves as much as possible. Except where safety issues arise, students should do the hands-on work, not parents. They learn more this way, even if the projects are not as neat and clean. Remember the primary purpose of the science fair is not to compete with others but to learn how to do a science project and build some enthusiasm for the study of science. As a parent I know it is often hard to get your child focused on a school project so I thank you ahead of time for your positive attitude when you guide your child. If you act enthusiastically, the whole process will be easier and much more enjoyable for all.

An experiment as simple as the apple example, taken directly from a science activity book, could be performed by children of all grades. Children in upper grades may be capable of more thoughtful scientific work. Do repeat trials show the same result? Are there clearly distinguishable "experimental" and "control" treatments? Can the student develop methods to test related questions not provided in the book? Can counting or measuring add anything to the project?

Judges will assume the ideas for many projects come directly from an activity book with no changes made by the child. This is fine for most kids. Yet judges love to reward the students' creativity. If the student deserves credit for creative ideas that go beyond what is in a book, he or she should write this directly on the poster and tell the judges.

Good science takes time. Begin to look for an idea now. If you do not get an idea immediately, think about it together during the first week or two after you get this booklet. Talk with parents, classmates, and friends.

Contact Karen Pinson 570-424-2155 or karenpinson@verizon.net. If you are feeling overwhelmed or confused about anything please do not hesitate to call, especially if this is your first year in the science fair.

Do you have a scientific (including medical) profession or hobby? Some of last year’s volunteers in the cafeteria shows are no longer available. If you want to help with science fair we could REALLY use some parents and their interested children to bring models, animals, or science toys or demos to the cafeteria on the judging Saturdays (since parents and siblings must wait there during the judging times.) If you have an older child who graduated from the elementary school and loves science, maybe he or she would like to bring his or her old project to show those waiting in the cafeteria. This counts as service hours for the children. Please call me at the number above. The children love this kind of family participation.