Science fairs teach about more than students learning more about their favorite science content. Science fair projects allow students to practice scientific thinking and problem-solving, improvise when a procedure doesn’t work out as predicted, present science findings to others, and constructively critique each other’s work. If the presentation is being judged, it sharpens their skills in communicating science process and content. You never know, your project may make a difference in the world! |
Thinking Scientifically...
- The scientific method or process has been around for a long time. It is usually thoughts as a series of steps to solve a problem. But, science can be messy, and may not follow a straight linear pattern from beginning to conclusion.
- It is better to use "scientific thinking" or think like a scientist. Formulating questions, making observations, thinking of possible hypotheses, testing the hypotheses, and coming up with a conclusion are part of this thinking. But, as stated before, science can be messy, and you may come up with a hypothesis in the middle of another experiment. The order is not as important as the process.
- Here are the major parts of your science fair project and of good science practices:
- Stating a question or problem (This is your topic idea)
- Making observations ("How can I use my senses to learn about this topic?")
- Creating a hypothesis to test ("What do I think is going to occur based on my research and observations?")
- Conducting an experiment ("What is the independent variable? What is the dependent variable? Is there a control group?")
- Materials to use ("What do I need to use in order to conduct the experiment?")
- Experimental design or procedure (List the steps of the experiment)
- Recording data and results from the experiment (usually in graphs, charts, data tables or with pictures)
- Analyzing the data ("What does the it all mean ?")
- Forming a conclusion ("Does this support or reject my hypothesis?", "How can I answer my original problem and explain how the results interact with my hypothesis? )
- Summarize in an abstract ("How could I sum up my whole project in a couple of paragraphs?")
- Communicating results (Present what you've learned with your class and teacher)
- In science, documentation is key! In order to replicate a process, the steps taken must be recorded. Scientists write down each step, each item they used, each piece of observation and research they discovered and every piece of data they collected. They usually use a journal or a diary of the experiment. From the moment your topic is approved until the very last minute of the results and conclusion, be sure to write every aspect of your project in your data notebook. It's great practice and who knows? Your notes may be proof of a fantastic scientific discovery!