Click here to download the science fair packet

Science Fair Corner

wait: at least read the first paragraph!!!

I know that sometimes the science fair can be frustrating.  I hope this site can help alleviate some of that frustration (Also see the academic handbook for school-wide instructions).  Although this looks like a lot of reading I assure you that the time spent here will be well worth your time as it will save you hours of time and tons of frustration in this project.  BUT...this will only work if you start on it right away.  So, take the time - it WILL be worth it!  Don't forget - the Association of Christian Schools International requires that 90% of the work is done by the student.  Here are the topics:

Staying On Top Of It All

*It is SOOOO important to stay on top of due dates (as I'm sure you already know by 5th and 6th grade).  If you're really good, you may be able to throw together a project for the science fair at the last minute, but it will be stressful, you won't have any fun, and your grade will suffer for not turning in the progressive assignment along the way.

SCIENCE FAIR SCORING AND/OR AWARDS WILL NOT AFFECT THE CLASS GRADE FOR THAT PROJECT

How To Pick A Good Project:

*First, pick a project that is new and interesting.  Some projects you may want to stay away from just to be sure you don't pick a project that gets over done are:

"The Effects of '...' on Plant Growth"

"How to Build a Volcano"

"How to Complete a Circuit"

"The Order of The Planets"

"Lighting A Light Bulb with a Potato"

*Pick a creative title that does more than just rename the research.

*Pick a project for which you can build a good display and experiment.

*Pick a project in which you can interest yourself.

Possible Areas Of Problem Solving

Here are the different fields you may want to look into when picking your project:

BIOLOGY/MICROBIOLOGY

ZOOLOGY

MEDICAL SCIENCES

HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY/SOCIAL SCIENCES

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

MARINE SCIENCE

FOSSILS

GENETICS

VITAMINS

ECOLOGY

PESTICIDES

SPEECH AND HEARING

SPACE RELATED PROJECTS

CHEMISTRY

RADIOACTIVITY

EARTH/SPACE SCIENCES

PHYSICS

ENGINEERING/ELECTRONICS

MATHEMATICS/COMPUTERS

INSTRUMENTS

POCKETS

CRYSTALLOGRAPHY

COMPUTERS

At the end of this page is a list of websites you may want to visit after you read the rest of this site

How To Complete Your Project Worksheet

Click Here To Download This Form

As you'll notice in the title of this worksheet, it's for experimental projects (projects which have an experiment with them as opposed to a scientific research project which would have a display, but no experiment).  5th graders get to choose which kind of experiment they want to do, but the 6th graders are required to do an experimental project.  Either way, this form needs to be filled out.

You get to pick your own project title...just pick it carefully - there's more help with project titles further down.  "Problem to be investigated" will be left blank for non-experimental projects.  HOWEVER, "Description of Experiment" still needs to be filled out even for non-experimental projects.  Just fill in what research will be done and where.  "Experimental Hypothesis" is what you think will be proven by your experiment (or research).  "Experimental control" is the part of the experiment which will be held as the standard.  For example, a common experiment, "The Effects Of Music On Plants" would have experimental variables (plants in front of different types of music), but would also have a control plant which was placed in front of no music to be used as a standard of the effects of the other plants' growths.  Plant growths would then be compared to the control plant (the one with no music) to determine whether the effects of the music were positive, negative, or neutral.  The next section "Experimental Variable" would be the plants with the music - in other words, the part(s) of the experiment being tested.  "Control variables" are those parts of the experiment that you are taking into consideration when repeating the experiment.  For example, you would want to take into consideration food and sunlight in the above experiment.  If you're not feeding the plants equally or they're not getting equal sunlight, the experiment will not be very scientific.  The rest is pretty self explanatory.  If you have any questions, feel free to call me (962-3247) or email me by clicking here.

Checklist

Purpose and Explanation of Log Book

Your log book should be a black composition notebook like the above picture.  The log book is where you document everything as it happens!  Include the event and the date it happened.  Did you come up with your project title?  Write that in there.  Did you change your title?  Write it in there.  Did you complete your worksheet?  Write it in there.  Did you spill soda on your experiment?  Write it in there.  There are a minimum of 20 entries in a log book for a passing grade, but if you write everything as it happens, you should easily be able to log 30-50 entries!

Preparing Your Oral Presentation

There are actually two oral presentations: (Check the schedule).  The first one should include information about what your project is going to be about and what you hope to learn.  Include details!  The second one will briefly re-introduce your topic, but will include your procedure and the conclusion of your experiment.  Include details!  Oral presentations which are drastically shorter or longer than required will receive grade point deductions.  For this reason, I highly recommend (and would require it if I could) that you practice (1) many times (2) at home (3) in front of people.  All three aspects of this will be important.  Have someone time you while you do this.  If it's not exactly 2 minutes, that's fine, but often times you'll think you have a lot to say, and you'll only end up taking 45 seconds!  Or when you get in front of people you'll freeze up and forget what you're saying and have to repeat yourself over and over.  Then your presentation could take a LOT longer.  Don't stress about the time.  If you practice several times at home in front of people, you'll do just fine!  Include details!

Preparing Your Bibliography

Your bibliography is the list of sources from which you pulled information.  This must be typed and follow the same format as the book reports (see the writing assignment checklist).  Be sure to follow the guidelines for a proper bibliography in your language reference guide.  At least 4 different sources are required and 2 must be non-internet/email sources.

Note Cards

Note cards are required.  You will be allowed to fill in the note cards after you do the research, but that would be pointless! (...and a whole lot more work!)  Here's how note cards work: keep a stack of index cards with you while you research your topic.  When you run into interesting information you want to include in your project research paper, write it down on a card and include the source.  Only use one card per fact.  When you finish your research and you've read as much as you're going to read, leave your sources behind and take your stack of cards.  You now have a stack of important and usable information on your topic.  (HINT: if you include enough information about the sources, you've also got your bibliography!)  While you're writing your research paper, use all the information on the cards, include the sources in the research paper's bibliography (which should be separate from the project bibliography which is due separately), and...PRESTO!...you're done.  No more flipping through pages or trying to recall your computer's website history to find the source of the information you wanted to use!  Also be sure to keep a copy of all material you want to use, because you MUST submit a copy of all sources you're wanting to include, and highlight all information which is cited in the research paper.

Biblical Application

The Biblical application is arguably the most important part of your science fair project.  It’s important to note that this section is not “Bible Verse”, but “Biblical Application”.  The difference lies in the fact that a Bible verse is exactly that—a passage from the Bible...alone.  A Biblical application will take that lone verse and give practical application of the principle(s) presented in the verse.

Here’s how to give a good Biblical application: Pick verses which have application to your subject.  Imagine that you are Jesus trying to teach a heavenly principle with earthly things (we call this a parable).  Just because you have a light bulb in your "How A Dimmer Switch Works" project, you don't have to use a verse about a light.  Maybe you would take verse like Revelation 3:16 which says that God would prefer you are either really a Christian or not a Christian at all, because Christians who go to church (which they would have had to be going to church in order to hear this letter!) and look "Christian-ish" but who live differently at home make God want to puke!  You could relate that to your project by showing that with a dimmer switch you can have the light on (like asking Jesus into your heart), but without it actually being fully on, people still can't see - they're still really in the dark because the light isn't doing any good.  People who go home and don't show Christ's love at home are only partially on because "anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness." (I John 2:9)  You could conclude with a statement like "Don't be a dimmer switch Christian!"

Coming up with a good Biblical application will take time!  Try reading through Christ’s parables to get in the swing of it.  Here are just a few references:

 Matthew 18:12-14     Matthew 13:24-30     Luke 15:8-10

Luke 15:11-32     Matthew 24:34-51     Mark 13:34-37

Matthew 21:33-34     Luke 13:6-9     Luke 11:5-8

Luke 18:1-8     Luke 10:30-37     Luke 14:16-24

Here are some more good examples: 

PLEASE DO NOT pick a verse based on the kinds of words used in the verse or the popularity of the verse!!!

PLEASE DO NOT pick a verse based on the kinds of words used in the verse or the popularity of the verse!!!

PLEASE DO NOT pick a verse based on the kinds of words used in the verse or the popularity of the verse!!!

PLEASE DO NOT pick a verse based on the kinds of words used in the verse or the popularity of the verse!!!

PLEASE DO NOT pick a verse based on the kinds of words used in the verse or the popularity of the verse!!!

Far too often students pick irrelevant or unrelated verses for their boards just because they contain key words.  Examples of bad verses are:

Research Paper

The research paper will be exactly as torturous as your project is boring:

PROJECT BORINGNESS = RESEARCH PAPER TORTURE

...in other words, pick a topic that excites you.  That's the first and most important rule regarding the research paper.  Other than that rule, just follow report format (see Writing Assignment Checklist) and write a 2 page paper.  When you include a copy of your research paper on your project, don't forget to take your heading off first.  Also, don't forget that the research paper should be research and not opinion.  How much you like or dislike your project is not an appropriate topic for your paper.

In addition, here are some helpful hints to research paper success:

(1) Don't include information about how you performed your experiment.  Remember that this is a research paper.  The purpose is to write a paper of research.  This should be a compilation of the research you've done.  Readers are looking to learn about what you have learned.  If results from your experimentation is helpful in gaining knowledge on the subject, feel free to include it, but information about how you put your board together, the troubles you had with your experiment, etc. are inappropriate for the research paper.  Instead, include that information in the log book. 

(2) Don't forget that you can cite sources at the end of a paragraph if the entire section is a summary of a source.  You don't have to cite every sentence when consecutive sentences come from the same source.

(3) Follow the example for a title page, and be sure to include a blank page behind the title page to be sure the text of the first page of the report cannot be seen from the cover.  In addition, include no FCS four-line heading on the report; your title page will suffice (be sure to remove your name for the copy you will bring to the actual science fair).

(4) You MUST submit a copy of all sources you're wanting to include, and highlight all information which is cited in the research paper.

(5) Include your bibliography at the end of the paper.

(6) Consider including your Biblical application at the end of the paper.  It would count toward your total paper size, and application of data is considered research.

(7) Consider including one or more "appendixes."  An appendix is a great place for graphics, graphs, etc.  It's easy: all you do is write "Appendix A" (or B or C, depending on how many you have) and put anything you want to on the page.  Just be sure to make reference to it in your paper.  It makes your paper look and feel bulkier and also makes it more interesting to read (not to mention it looks very scientific-ish).

(8) Your title page must include a running header, no page number, and the name of the project twelve lines down the page, followed on the next line be your full name (not included on the draft which will be with your project in the actual science fair), followed on the next line by the words “in APA format”, followed on the next line by the full name of the school.

Display

Display is everything in 5th/6th grade.  Okay, that's an exaggeration, but it's a big part!  A great big project that looks crummy is a great big crummy project!  Here's what I recommend you think about when making your project:

1. Use bold colors (Black project boards work very well.  Choose good top colors, too)

2. Type EVERYTHING!  Don't get creative with the handwriting, because even fancy writing looks less prepared than typing.

3.  Use huge, bold titles.  The smaller the writing, the more tired your observers will be before they start.

4. If you glue something, use rubber cement so it doesn't warp your paper and look...crummy.  If that's not available, use a spray adhesive, but don't use Elmer's white glue!

5. Make all cuts very, very precise.  Cut any papers with a paper cutter and not scissors so you have even edges.

6. Use a contrasting color as a matting for any text on your board

7. Don't type in bright colors or a font which is hard to read

8. Don't place a lot of information at the bottom-front of your board if your experiment is big and will block it.

9. Match your colors to your project.  Emphasize use of greens and yellows for nature projects; use reds, blues and black for technical projects, and blue and white for medicine projects.

10. Include something to look at or play with.  The more interactive your project is, the better chance you'll excite the judges!

11.  Don't forget to include your log book and research paper.

12.  Students should do the work.  It is poor training and unethical for the parents to do much to the display since the science fair handbook states that all judges are to assume the work seen is student work.

13. BE CREATIVE!

Prohibitions

Anything potentially dangerous to the public is prohibited in your FCS Science Fair display including but not limited to the following:

1. No living creatures including plants and microbes.  You MAY display sealed insect collections

2. No taxidermy specimens or parts.  No preserved vertebrate or invertebrate animals, including embryos.

3. No photographs or other visual presentations depicting vertebrate animals in other-than-normal conditions (i.e. surgical techniques, dissection, necropsies or other laboratory techniques).  Such depictions may be contained in a notebook for presentation only during judging

4. No organisms, fungi, any type of cultured growth, spoiled food, or molds

5. No soil or waste samples

6. No chemicals including caustics and acids

7. No containers filled with water for display.  Empty chemical containers and nonfunctional apparatus also are discouraged

8. No human and animal parts EXCEPT teeth, hair, nails, animal bones, histological sections and wet-mount slides

9. No human or animal food

10. No sharp items, including syringes, needles, pipettes, and similar devices

11. No poisons, drugs and other controlled substances

12. No dry ice or other sublimating solids

13. No flames or highly flammable display materials

14. No tanks that have contained combustible liquids or gases, unless they have been purged with carbon dioxide

15. No projects with unshielded belts, pulleys, chains and moving parts with tension or pinch points that pose a potential hazard to observers

16. Exhibits producing temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius must be adequately insulated from their surroundings.

17. Class II lasers may be operated under the following conditions: The student must personally operate the laser, a sign must be posted that reads, "Laser Radiation - Do Not Stare Into Beam", the laser must have a protective housing that prevents access to the beam during operation, and the power source must be disconnected when not being operated.

18. Class III and IV lasers may be displayed, but not operated

19. Large vacuum tubes or dangerous ray-generating devices must be shielded

20. No batteries with open top cells are permitted.  For electrical power, you may use other types of batteries

21. Electric circuits for 110-volt AC must have a nine-foot (minimum) cord with proper load-carrying capacity, which is approved by the Underwriters Laboratories

22. Wiring must be properly insulated.  Do not use nails, tacks or uninsulated staples to fasten wiring.

23. Electrical connections in 110-volt circuits must be soldered or fixed under approved connectors, and connecting wires must be properly insulated

24. Bare wire and exposed knife switches may be used only in circuits of 14 volts or less; otherwise, standard enclosed switches are required.

25. Any project which may constitute a hazard to the viewers will be rejected

Examples From The Past

Here are some examples of projects elementary students have completed in the past.  Let me emphasize that these are not all good examples.  However, you will want to take a look at all of them so you can see the difference between the winners and the runners-up.

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