Bear Tavern School

Science Fair & Invention Convention

BTPTO Web Site

How Do You Develop a Great Science Fair Project?

Here are some step-by-step recommendations and actions that students can take to create a great science fair project. This information is presented from the perspective of a judge and provides information on what a judge expects from a great science project.

1.Obtain a bound notebook. This will become your Science Fair Journal which you document all of your ideas, keep important information and document the processes you used to conduct your experiments. Whenever you do something associated with your science fair project document it in the Journal. All of the recorded information will help in preparing your visual display.

2.Select a Topic for Your Project. What will you investigate? What are you interested in studying? Ideas can come from hobbies or problems that you see need solutions. You can also get ideas from books, Internet websites as well as family and friends. Remember you will have limited time to complete this project so you should pick something that interests you and is limited in scope. Remember to record your activities in your Journal. You can print out web pages you visit and paste them into the journal. You should record the titles and authors of any books you look at and record your conversations with teachers, friends and family as you select your science project.

3.Research Your Topic. Try to find out everything you can about your project. Go to the library. Visit appropriate Internet sites. Talk to professionals in that field of research. Colleges and Universities are a good source to find “experts”. Remember to record your activities in your Journal. Print out any responses you get from the experts and paste them into your journal.

4.State the Purpose of Your Project. Define what you want to do based upon your research into the project. Remember not to make it too complicated. You have limited time to get all of the work done. Now might be a good time to review your activities with your teacher or parent. They might help in making sure you have a defined purpose for your science project. Remember to record your activities in your Journal.

5.State Your Hypothesis. Based on your research write a statement that defines what you think the outcome of your experiment will be. The hypothesis must be stated so that conducting an experiment can test it. Remember to record your activities in your Journal.

6.Develop an Experimental Process to Test Your Hypothesis. Make a step-by-step procedure for an experiment, which will answer your hypothesis. This procedure should define what variables would be controlled and the single variable you will manipulate to test your hypothesis. The procedure should define what data you will collect so you can compare it to the one you changed and determine its effect. Your procedure should also identify all of the equipment and materials you need to carryout the experiment. All of this information should be recorded in your Journal.

Note. Once you have your procedure defined, it is a very good idea to have an adult (teacher or parent) review your procedure for safety. Some experiments will require adult supervision. Many experiments require the use of safety goggles or other protective equipment. Safety is an important component of any scientific experiment. This safety review should be documented in your Journal.

7.Obtain Materials and Equipment. Procure any hardware and equipment you need for your experiment. You may have to buy supplies or borrow equipment to carryout your experiment. All of your equipment and supplies should be arranged in an area designated for your experiment. Once your experiment is set up, it is a good idea to document the hardware and setup by taking a photograph. This should be included in your Journal and extra copies should be available for developing your display.

8.Conduct the Experiment and Record Data. Do your experiment and collect your data. If you are not making measurements, you are probably not conducting an experimental project. Data can be the amount of chemicals, voltage, current, time, distance, height, etc. Your measurement will be determined by your experimental procedure, which you should follow in detail. All of your data should be recorded in your Journal. You should also record any observations you make during the experiment. These can include when you had problems conducting the experiment or if something was not done per your procedure. These observations are valuable when drawing conclusions and also useful for locating experimental errors. Whenever possible photograph results that are visual (broken parts, deformed samples, etc). Judges are also looking for repeatability of an experiment. It is better if you repeat the experiment several times to prove that you can consistently come up with the same results (otherwise you don’t know the extent of any experimental errors).

9.Analyze the Data and Draw Conclusions. Evaluate the data of your experiment. Create graphs or do calculations, which allow you to draw conclusions about your experimental data. Once you have analyzed your data, determine whether or not your hypothesis has been satisfied. If it hasn’t try to determine why it wasn’t satisfied (experimental error, other error, etc.) Do not change your hypothesis. Some of the greatest discoveries were originally experiments that didn’t work (Thomas Edison used thousands of samples before he got a satisfactory material for the light bulb).

10. Create a Visual Display. Your visual display should show the minimum subjects:

• Title
• Hypothesis
• Experimental Procedure
• Test results and data
• Conclusions

When ever possible, data should be presented in appropriate tables and graphs. Pictures of your experimental setup and results help to show your science project. On the table in front of your display, you should present your Journal and any samples or results of your experiment (for example, if you were comparing fertilizers on plants, it would be appropriate to have plants on the table to show the differences. The more information you can provide the judge, the easier it will be to explain your science project. You should have someone else look at your display to check for grammar and spelling errors.

11.Prepare for your Interview. During your presentation, the judges will ask you questions. If you have done the preparation work described above, you will be able to describe your project and its results. Usually the judges have a very limited time. So you should be prepared to answer questions with short quick answers. You can practice answering questions with friends, parents, etc. (try to complete an answer within 30 seconds). Some typical questions are:

• Why did you pick this topic?
• Who helped you with your project?
• What was your hypothesis?
• Was your hypothesis satisfied?
• Does your data support your conclusion?
• What were your variables?
• What would you do differently next time?
• Did you have any experimental errors?

Good luck and have fun!

* Information form courtesy of Timberlane Middle School, Science Fair Committee

Bear Tavern PTO, 2011