Science Fair Packet

Ms. Esquibel Science Teacher Upper Grades June 2014

Dear students Please GoTo: project. www.chicagostudentsciencefair.org

here you will find all of the information necessary for conducting your Science Fair On left hand side click on Categories to find out which category title your project falls under. (You will need this information for your Abstract and Title Page). You will also need to choose if your project is design or experimental. On left hand side click on Specifications for information your exhibit design and evaluation. On left hand side click on Documents under documents click on:

Sample of research summary title page. Click on checklist to find the arrangement/ order of your paper

Abstract and Safety Sheets (type this information in a word document, then copy and paste it to the Abstract and Safety sheets and print them out they won’t SAVE) This is the place where you can find Samples of what a good research paper looks like, including citing your work and references you will need as well as all other important information. If you are in 6 th grade going to 7 th you should have 6-7 resources. If you are in 7 th going to 8 th you should have 8-9 resources / ONLY 2 of your resources can be internet based and they must end with one of the following: .edu, .org, or .gov, I will not accept .com .wiki these are not reliable sources. Your other resources should be from encyclopedias, text book, books magazines, journals, newspaper etc. GO to the library and ask for help. The information I am providing for you is a sample research paper as well as various other pieces of how to put your research and all aspects of your paper together. Please put your best effort forward in order to get the best grade possible starting in FIRST QUARTER in September of the new school year! Remember this assignment is part of your grade. Those of you that got your topics approved should already be half way done with your research/project, DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE !!!!

Dear 6 th and 7 th graders, ______________________________ Next year you will be 7 th and 8 th graders. You should already have gotten started on your approved Science Project! You must have 3-6 trials of your experiment!(this means conducting your whole experiment 3-6 times and taking an average of the data you collect to get the most accurate results). Create and use a data table/pie chart for collecting your data. Make sure you have measurable data (quantitative data) and not just visual observations (qualitative data). You will be making a graph with the data you collect this is the reason you need to do it 3-6 times. You will need lots of data (a control, measurements, time frames, amount of light, water, etc.) TAKE PICTURES!!!! The pictures will help to explain your

project. People love to see pictures when you present. You must do all the research starting

now!! You must (TYPE) your paper over the summer. When you come to school in September your type written SCIENCE FAIR paper along with all things listed from 1-13 listed below will be collected, NO EXCUSES, NO EXTENSIONS and NO EXCEPTION!! If you need help look on the Durkin Park web page, go to Science Fair on the left hand side of the page and you will find all of the information that I presented to you. You should have the following in your paper: 1.

2.

3.

Abstract (fill it out - name of exhibitor YOU/Sponsor Ms. Esquibel) Safety sheet (read the instructions and fill it out signed first line your name) Endorsement (if applicable) * Behavioral Science/ Biochemistry/Health Science/and Microbiology – see Science Handbook (on school notes page, I will let you know if you need this). Title Page 4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Table of contents Acknowledgements ( A short thank you in paragraph form to anyone who helped you with the project) Purpose (why are you doing this experiment/what are you trying to find out) Hypothesis (what do you think will be the end result? And why?) Review of Literature/Research Paper ( Factual information about your topic not your opinion, done in APA style give credit if you use the authors words or information). 10.

Materials 11.

Procedure (comes after your Review of Literature) number it appropriately 12.

Results including a written explanation, as well as graphs /charts 13.

Conclusion 14.

Reference List (books you used to find your research) in APA style. DO NOT list search

engines like Google.com, Yahoo.com, etc… in your ref list also No “WIKI “anything.

Paper Layout

The research summary must be typed

5-6 pages for 7

th

grade and 6-8 pages for 8

th

grade

, using double space, on only one side of each sheet of paper, using a standard font and size, such as Times New Roman and 12 point font. ** Remember for your board your font should be larger 20-36 pt. ft. as we discussed. For your board you will need a copy of each of the following sheets: abstract, safety, purpose, hypothesis, procedure, results in words as well as graphed and a conclusion. A 1” inch margin must be maintained on the left and right sides, top, and bottom of each page. All pages must be numbered and referenced in the Table of Contents. The student’s last name and the title of the project must be typed at the top left of the Table of Contents. Each page should have the student’s last name and title of the paper at the top left of each page (Example, Smith: The Effect of Sunlight on Plants). Use the last name of the student listed on the abstract. As for your poster board, on a sheet of paper make a rough draft of what it will look like once you have your information done, they will be due within the first month of school.

DO NOT BRING YOUR POSTER BOARD ON THE FIRST DAY BACK TO SCHOOL, IT IS NOT DUE.

Poster Boards will be DUE late September. (Poster boards are available at Durkin Park for $4.00) PLAGERISM: Plagiarism is when you copy someone else’s words and use them as your own. This is illegal! You will get a ZERO/F on your paper. When you are doing research, be sure to put the information you find into your own words. If you really like the way an author wrote something and you don’t want to change it, put it in “quotes”. Quotes tell the reader that you copied a sentence word for word and that it’s ok, as long as it is in quotes. However don’t do this too often in your paper. Remember to cite your paper.