8th Grade - Mr. Silverwood

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SCIENCE FAIR

On Friday, February 19, we will be having the annual school Science Fair. The following information is a brief outline of the general Science Fair process.

What is the purpose of the science fair?
The main goal or purpose of a science fair is to encourage students to become more scientifically minded with the expanded use of the scientific method. It is also a very useful tool to help challenge critical skills that are used throughout the entire science fair process such as note taking, research paper writing, observational skills, data (recording, processing, reporting), and presentation skills.

What kind of project should be completed?

The type of project completed will depend on the student. I do encourage the students to do a project on something they are interested in or want to learn more about. In the past students have asked about doing projects they have seen or read about. This is fine, but when using a project that has been seen or done before I do ask that the project be completed in a new or different way. Remember the Science Fair is not about the complexity of the project, rather it is about the knowledge gained and the process that is used to achieve this knowledge.

There is a great deal of restrictions and paperwork needed when doing projects that deal with humans. For this reason the sixth grade class may not do projects on human subjects. If a seventh or eighth grade student chooses to do a human-subject project, all testing is completed outside of school, so that testing does not disturb the class schedules of the students and teachers.

What scientific process is to be used?

The Science Fair uses this scientific method:

1. Posing a question- When posing a question, you are asking something that you would like to answer or that can be truly investigated through inquiry. 

2. Researching the problem- When researching your problem, you are trying to find out information about your problem and what other people have learned about your problem from their experimentations. You will need to research specific themes for your project.

3. Hypothesize- This is a possible answer to a scientific question. Your hypothesis must be testable.  This means you must be able to experiment to either prove or disprove your hypothesis.  Remember, this is not a statement of fact, only a statement of a possible answer.

4. Experiment/Observe/Model/Measure- For this, you will need to set a specific method to prove or disprove your hypothesis.  The experiment will consist of two identical experiments conducted at the same time, differing only in one variable.  The two similar experimental groups are called:

A. the control group – that part of the experiment to be used as a standard of comparison
B. the experimental group – that part of the experiment where the variable is being tested.

Your experiment will need to have all variables listed, materials needed, a detailed list of procedures followed to perform your experiment, and a list of safety precautions followed for your experiment.

1. Collecting data and interpreting data- This is a log book kept during your experimentation.  A log book is facts, figures, and observations you have kept during your experiment. At the end of the experiment, you will place your data into different types of graphs.  This will help see trends or show trends in the data.

2.  Drawing conclusions- This is a statement of what you have learned from your experiment and why.  You should also be answering: did I prove or disprove my hypothesis? Other things to be discussed include: was there anything which might have influenced my outcome? Did I have enough data to draw conclusions on?

3. Communicating- This is the sharing of your experimental findings through writing, speaking and answering questions.

Where can I find the necessary forms needed for the Science Fair and what paperwork is needed?
All necessary forms and procedures can be found at:
http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/document/index.asp

Please remember that certain forms must be approved and signed before experimentation can begin for all students (forms 1, 1a, and 1b).  Also depending on the project other forms may be necessary for the project. The students will be shown how to navigate the web site closer to the start date.

I hope I have answered some of the questions about our Science Fair and how the projects are to be completed.  As each phase of the science fair begins, you will be receiving additional information specific to that section.

During this process, it is very useful to have a folder devoted to the Science Fair to keep all paperwork and notes. All Science Fair information will also be posted on the St. Brigid school website.