How to do a Science Fair Project

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How to do a Science Fair Project

• Prepared by Alice Sanford
• NMGK12 Fellow, The University of Mississippi

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What is a Science Fair Project?

• A Science Fair Project is an experiment that
  answers a question about a topic that you are
  interested in.

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THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

1. Observation You observe a problem that you want
   answered.
2. Question Ask a question about what you observe.
3. Hypothesis You predict what you think the answer
   will be.
4. Experiment Perform an experiment that will
   answer your question.
5. Results Record your results.
6. Conclusion

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Where do you start?Ask and Plan

• FIRST, ASK your parents for permission!
• PLANNING is the key to a great Science Fair
  Project.
• Let your parents or teachers help you plan out
  what you want to do!
• Keep a journal.

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Where do you start?Choose a topic

• First ask yourself, What am I interested in?
• Music, cooking, books, ?

• Check out some of the lists of project ideas from
  the handouts
• Choose a project on a subject that you are
  interested in!!

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Now that I have Chosen a topic

• READ!!! Read all of the information you can find
  on your topic.
• Ask for your parents help!

• Keep a record of where all the information came
  from!!!

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Your Question

• Choose a question that has a one word answer or a
  YES or NO answer.
• CURIOSITY!!! Your question is never too simple
  to investigate!

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Your Hypothesis

• What do you think the answer will be?
• Why?

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Experiment

• Perform an experiment that will answer your
  question and hypothesis.
• Let your parents watch, too!

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Record Results

• Keep records of what is happening in your
  experiment!
• Keeping data is very important for your final
  result!

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Why do I have to do it two or more times?

• If you performed the experiment only once, you
  might have made a mistake.
• ALWAYS do your experiment more than once to be
  sure it is accurate

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Important Things to Remember

• From the very beginning, Keep notes on your
  project. Write down what you do each time you
  work on it. This will help you write your
  report.
• Keep up with where your information came from!!

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CAUTION!!!

• NEVER!! copy someones project! Use the ideas to
  make your own project.
• You can use the same project, just do the work
  yourself!

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Remember

• Your teachers and parents will be happy to help
  you!!!
• But do the work yourself!!!
• Make sure that the results of your experiment
  answers the question you have asked!

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