HN Future Scientist: Science Night

2012-1013

Be testable Be able to be completed in the time allowed Materials can be obtained and will not cost

too much Meet safety requirements Be something that you can understand and

can be completed with little help

Approved Topics/Questions

Fifth Graders must do an individual Science fair project!

This is what your experiment will be answering. It must be testable, meaning it can be answered

through hands-on investigation A good testable questions is always about changing

one thing and keeps everything else the same. Example:

Question

Broad Question Testable Question

How do plants grow? In which type of soil do tomato plants grow best?

How does detergent work?

Which detergent will remove grass stains from cotton?

How do batteries work? Which brand of battery will power a toy car longer?

Find out all the information you need to complete the experiment. This will help you with your hypothesis.

Research

Question Research

In which type of soil do tomato plants grow best?

How much water and sunlight do tomato plants need?How long does it take tomato plants to grow?

Which detergent will remove grass stains from cotton?

What is the detergent to water ratio?What is the best way to remove stains from cotton? (brush, sponge, etc)

Which brand of battery will power a toy car longer?

What is the average life of each type of battery?

Independent- the one thing you changed in the experiment

Controlled- the things that will stay the same throughout the experiment

Dependent- the things that will change due to the independent variable

Question What changes? What stays the same?

How will you collect data?

In which type of soil do tomato plants grow best?

Soil- sand, clay, and loam

Tomato plant, location, treatment

Measuring growth, number of tomatoes grown, number of leaves

Which detergent will remove grass stains from cotton?

Detergent- Tide, Gain, and Sun

Grass stain and cotton fabric

Pictures of the stain before and after cleaning

Which brand of battery will power a toy car longer?

Batteries- Energizer, Eveready, and Duracell

Toy Car Time used prior to battery dying

Creating Variables From your Question

What do you think the outcome will be based on your research.

Remember a hypothesis is not always correct. Use the words “if” and “then” and “based on the

research”.

Hypothesis

Question Hypothesis

In which type of soil do tomato plants grow best?

If the tomato plant is planted in loam soil then it will produce more green leaves and ripe tomatoes. This is based on the research that says tomato plants need more nutrients in the soil to grow the best plant.

Which detergent will remove grass stains from cotton?

If grass stains are treated with Tide detergent then the grass stain will be removed completely from the cotton. This is based on the research that there is a better concentration of detergent with Tide than the other two.

1. Clarify variables2. List materials needed and how much of each3. List detailed steps 4. Estimate the time it will take to complete

each step5. Check Your Work- Who will read and check

your writing?

Design Experiment

Stain Removal Investigation Materials 3- 100% cotton cloth samples Grass Commercial detergent #1 - Tide Commercial detergent #2 – Gain Commercial detergent #3- Sun Wash basin Timer/stopwatch Rubber gloves

Materials List

Stain Remover Investigation Procedure1. Place a grass stain approximately 4 inches in diameterrr on

100% on the cotton fabric. Prepare other identical stain samples in addition to the first sample.

2. Place 10mL of detergent on the grass stain sample. Wait 3 minutes. Scrub for 1 minute. Label this sample. Repeat this using the other 2 stain removers.

3. On the last sample, do not put on any stain remover. Leave the grass stain as is. Scrub for 1 minute. Use permanent marker to write the word grass on each sample.

4. Wash each sample using detergent and water in a basin. 5. Compare the samples to see which stain remover worked the

best.

Procedures

Detailed notes of what is happening with your experiment.

Can be shown in a chart, graph, or table. You can create a key to help organize your

data.

Data Collection

Detergent

Stain trial #

1

Stain trial # 2 Explanation

Tide 5 5 Successful!

Gain 3 4

Sun 1 2

KEY5- Stain is gone

4- Slightly visible 3- Faded

2- No change 1- worse

Write a descriptive caption for each picture or set pictures in a table.

Pictures can be used to backup your data finding.

Take Pictures

Before After

Tide

Gain

Sun

The conclusion should include the research, hypothesis, and outcome of your experiment.

Questions to ask yourself:◦What can be learned from looking at the

data? ◦How does the data relate to the original

hypothesis? ◦Did what you changed (independent

variable) cause changes in the results (dependent variable)?

Write Your Conclusion

Sketch a rough layout on paper before pasting up your display. Leave yourself plenty of time. If you forgot to photograph each step of your procedure,

consider re-staging it now for documentation. (Some are better than none!)

Come up with a catchy title and display it prominently. Include all required categories and content on your display. Arrange items from left to right, from top to bottom. Mount black & white text blocks on construction paper for

contrast. Make type large enough to read from four feet away: As a

general rule, use 24 pt type for headings, 16 pt type for text blocks.

Use subheads and bullet points rather than long paragraphs of dense text.

Make sure to label the X and Y axes on all graphs, charts, & tables

Write descriptive captions for photos.

Display Board …DO:

Display Board cont…DON`T:* Leave your display until the last minute!

* Forget to spell-check/proofread

* Write or draw directly on the board

* Use too many fonts or fancy fonts that are hard to read

* Display photos without captions

* Go crazy with colors. A few bright colors are good to accentuate

key elements and add pizzazz, but keep it professional

* Cover every inch of your display; remember to leave some breathing

room (in graphic design called “white space”) between blocks of text or graphics

* Glue any 3-D objects to the display board at home. Wait until you

transport the board to school, and do it there

Did you remember to… Meet requirements for the Scientific Method? Label every chart, graph, illustration, etc…? Have captions for every photograph? Proofread every word on your display?

Ask yourself… Is the type large enough to read from far away? Are the lines straight? Does the display look overly crowded? Did you add too

much? Are there any empty spaces? (Move things to balance it out.) Did you follow all rules and guidelines? Do you have everything you need to display your

experiment?

Final Check List