Science Fair
This year’s Science Fair will take place on June 12, 2020. You will be working ALONE, so make sure you choose a topic that you can handle by yourself. You will be graded under Criterion B, C and D.
I do not recommend plant projects unless you are willing to devote eight weeks and purchase 60 plants to experiment with. (We don't have time for this, just FYI). Go online and find three potential topics you can investigate. After spring break, I will meet with you one on one to help you decide which is the best project for you.
When you submit your topics to me, they should be broken down in the following manner: RQ, Hypothesis, IV/DV & Controls. I will not approve any topic that isn't submitted like this.
You need to have a solid research question, a good background, and a strong hypothesis. Follow this format.
Data: Describe QUALITATIVE data first. Remember: Most of your data MUST be QUANTITATIVE, which means numeric. Your IV must be a number and your DV must be a number. You need to have five changes of the IV and run five trials of each change. This means you will have twenty-five data points for your DV. Below is a sample table.
I do not recommend plant projects unless you are willing to devote eight weeks and purchase 60 plants to experiment with. (We don't have time for this, just FYI). Go online and find three potential topics you can investigate. After spring break, I will meet with you one on one to help you decide which is the best project for you.
When you submit your topics to me, they should be broken down in the following manner: RQ, Hypothesis, IV/DV & Controls. I will not approve any topic that isn't submitted like this.
You need to have a solid research question, a good background, and a strong hypothesis. Follow this format.
Data: Describe QUALITATIVE data first. Remember: Most of your data MUST be QUANTITATIVE, which means numeric. Your IV must be a number and your DV must be a number. You need to have five changes of the IV and run five trials of each change. This means you will have twenty-five data points for your DV. Below is a sample table.
You must generate a LINE GRAPH of the average of your data. The X-axis is the IV and the Y-axis is the DV. In your analysis, describe the trend and/or pattern you notice.
Conclusion: Summarize your experiment. Restate the hypothesis and answer it. Restate the RQ and answer it. Did your results agree with previously published research or no? Why or why not?
Evaluation: Evaluate your method. Was it a valid method? This means, “Did the method you use make sense to answer your RQ?” Describe the strengths and weaknesses of your method. Describe how you would improve the method to make the experiment more efficient.
You need five sources (documented using full APA style) and at least ONE should be a BOOK. You will submit to me before experimentation: 1. A short summary paragraph for each source. 2. Background information outline.
Because the school will be furnishing most of your supplies, materials and equipment, you need to begin making a list of EVERYTHING you will need to carry out your procedure. We have to purchase the materials beforehand, so I will expect from you no later than April 9, 2020 a full list of materials and equipment. A failure to do this means that you will have to purchase your own supplies and equipment.
You will NOT be writing a research paper. You will create a presentation to go along with your display and this is how you'll be graded. Refer to the "Research Paper" and "Presentation" rubrics I gave you a while back. Your Powerpoint will be structured in this order. No deviations.
Below is the timeline you will follow.
Conclusion: Summarize your experiment. Restate the hypothesis and answer it. Restate the RQ and answer it. Did your results agree with previously published research or no? Why or why not?
Evaluation: Evaluate your method. Was it a valid method? This means, “Did the method you use make sense to answer your RQ?” Describe the strengths and weaknesses of your method. Describe how you would improve the method to make the experiment more efficient.
You need five sources (documented using full APA style) and at least ONE should be a BOOK. You will submit to me before experimentation: 1. A short summary paragraph for each source. 2. Background information outline.
Because the school will be furnishing most of your supplies, materials and equipment, you need to begin making a list of EVERYTHING you will need to carry out your procedure. We have to purchase the materials beforehand, so I will expect from you no later than April 9, 2020 a full list of materials and equipment. A failure to do this means that you will have to purchase your own supplies and equipment.
You will NOT be writing a research paper. You will create a presentation to go along with your display and this is how you'll be graded. Refer to the "Research Paper" and "Presentation" rubrics I gave you a while back. Your Powerpoint will be structured in this order. No deviations.
Below is the timeline you will follow.