Science Presentations Information Packet 2017

Schedule of Important Dates

Friday, September 22, 2017 - Project Ideas form due with signed parent acknowledgment; Set up conference with teacher, if necessary (10 pts) Monday, September 25, 2017 – Begin Research – use research to develop and plan your experiment. Friday, October 13, 2017 – Science Presentation Project Plan Due (20 pts) Wednesday, November 1, 2017 – Abstract due (20 pts) Wednesday, November 22, 2017 – Mini-Report is due using Google Slides. The mini-report will include:

1. A Title Page – name, project title, area of research 2. Abstract 3. Preliminary Research 4. Hypothesis 5. Variables - Independent and Dependent 6. Materials – list include quantities in METRIC ONLY (milliliters, grams, Celcius) 7. Procedure – list and number steps 8. Preliminary Results – Your experiment has begun, discuss any trials that have been

conducted – include data. METRIC ONLY! 9. A summary of remaining research and trials left to be conducted. 10. A Works Cited in the MLA Format

This portion of your project is worth 50 points. Wednesday, November 29, 2017 – All trials must be completed. Begin work on the following:

1. Presentation using Google Slides 2. Prepare data tables and charts. 3. Analysis of your results. Analysis requires you to look at your results and interpret

the data. Analysis is not the same as conclusions. 4. Draw conclusions - your data will either support or reject your hypothesis 5. Real world application of your results 6. Reflection - if you were going to repeat the experiment, what would you do differently

next time? 7. Extension - how could your extend this project?

Wednesday, December 13, 2017 – First draft of presentation due! (100pts) The Google Slides presentation will include::

1. Title Page - Title of your project, your name and the area of science 2. Background Research 3. Hypothesis - if…, then… statement 4. Variables - dependent and independent 5. Materials - listed with quantities 6. Procedures - listed and numbered 7. Results – including all relevant data in tables, chart, or graph format – METRIC

ONLY! 8. Analysis of results supported by research and your data

9. Conclusion – hypothesis supported or not based on your data and research 10. Possible Errors, limitations, and extensions 11. Real World application 12. Works Cited – proper MLA format is required!

Wednesday December 20, 2017 - Final draft due January 3 - January 17, 2017 - Practice oral presentations in class Wednesday, January 17, 2018 – Oral Presentations

Getting Started

Pick your topic. Choose an area of science that interests you. Select a topic that you have been curious about or based on a hobby if possible. Your enthusiasm for your topic is very important. Judges like to see students that have a genuine interest in their topic. The Carnegie Library website has multitude of potential topics in every area of science.

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/ Click on Research from the menu at the top of the webpage Click on Research Resources from the menu on the left hand side of the page In the blue box titled “Find a Resource”, select “Science and Technology” from the subject drop down menu and click Enter Select Science Online from the list of resources Enter your Library Card number Click on the Resources drop down menu at the top of the page Select Experiments You can narrow your search to a particular area of science by using the Filter on the right hand side Also Select Science Reference Center from the list of references Enter your library card number Click on Science Experiments from the Reference Shelf box on the right hand side of the page On the left hand side of the page, click on Science Experiments under the heading Subject Be sure to choose a topic that you can test and that test materials are available to you!

Research your topic. Go to the library and read everything that you can about your topic. You need to be an expert on your topic. Gather as much existing information available on your topic. Look for articles that discuss either unexplained or unexpected information about your topic. If possible, interview experts in the field. Your research must include at least two books. Wikipedia is not acceptable as a source.

Develop a hypothesis. Based on your knowledge of the topic and the preliminary research you have conducted; prepare an educated guess that will answer the question that you have posed for your research.

Draft your Research Project Plan. The purpose of the Research Project Plan is to act as a guide for you to conduct your research. You will make a timeline for yourself including dates that you will conduct research and experimentation. You will also include materials that you will need on the specified date and procedures that you will follow. The plan will give structure to your research and keep your project moving along appropriately so that you are not scrambling at the end. I will review your Research Project Plan with you and then you will finalize your plan with your parent’s signature.

Conduct your experiment. Keep detailed notes on each and every trial. Record how the independent and dependent variables behave during each trial. Make observations, record measurements, and take pictures!!! Conduct as many trials as necessary to provide enough data to either support or reject your hypothesis. COLLECT DATA – preferably QUANTITATIVE DATA!

● Independent Variable: This is the variable you will change in your experiment. For example, if you wanted to know how fertilizer affects plant growth, the amount of fertilizer applied is the only variable that you would change. A good experiment will test more than one amount of fertilizer and compare the growth among all groups.

● Dependent Variable: This is the variable that changes as a result of the changes in the manipulated variable. In our fertilizer example, the responding variable would be the size of the plants.

● Controlled Variables (or Controls): These are all the things that you will keep the same in your experiment. Controls in our example would include: the origin of the seeds (they must all come from the same package and should be randomly selected), the amounts of light and water each plant receives, the type of soil used (same type, brand, etc.), the size of the pot, and the temperature.

Examine your results. When you complete your experiment, examine and organize your data. Did your experiment provide you with the outcome that you expected? Was there anything that surprised you about your data or the experimentation process? Were there other factors that you had not considered? Was your experiment conducted with the exact same steps each time? Why or why not? Analyze your data!

Form your conclusions. Which variables are important? Did you collect enough data? Do you need to do more experimenting? Keep an open mind - never alter results to fit a theory. Remember, if your results do not support your original hypothesis, you can still have accomplished successful scientific research. An experiment is done to prove or disprove a hypothesis. What are the “real world” applications for your research? Why is it relevant?

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________

PROJECT IDEAS Due September 22, 2017

You are conducting a scientific investigation using the scientific method. You must first pose a question that you will answer. You will form a testable hypothesis, design the experiment, perform it, collect data, analyze the data, and form a conclusion. The last step in the scientific method involves communicating your results with others. After completing other steps of the scientific method, you will prepare a science presentation that you will orally present to your classmates, parents and judges. You need to think of areas of science that you are interested in. Using these areas of interest as a guide, state three problems that you are interested in researching and investigating. These problems should be in the form of a question and specific. Most importantly, these questions must be something that you can test in order to gather data to answer your question. Star the one you are most interested in. See examples given below. 1. Do metals rust at different rates? 2. Does magnetism/electricity affect plant growth? How? 3. What detergent is the most biodegradable or effective? Remember: this is the first step of the scientific method that will lead to a hypothesis and ultimately an experiment. PROJECT IDEAS 1. 2. 3. I have read and understand my child’s ideas for his/her science project. I understand that he/she will be performing and documenting the experiment by November 30, 2016.. I understand research may have to be done at other libraries as well as laboratory facilities when necessary. Signature _________________________________________ Date ______________________

SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT PLAN

Due October 13, 2017 1. Write your problem statement in the form of a question. 2. What is your independent variable? (What would you change as you investigate your problem?) 3. What is your dependent variable? (What would you measure as you investigate your problem?) 4. Write a hypothesis in the form: If…….., then…….. 5. How will you test your hypothesis? Write a step by step procedure showing how you will change your independent variable and how you will measure the dependent variable. 6. List any materials, instruments, or people you might need to perform your experiment. 7. Include a timeline with proposed dates for when you will conduct your trials and collect your data

A. Title Slide. Center the project title. Your name, grade, and area of science should be in the lower right corner of the slide. B. Rationale. This sets the scene for your presentation. Use bullet points to explain what prompted your research and what you hoped to achieve (your purpose). Then, from the review of the literature, summarize information essential for understanding your research project. Establish a strong rationale for the study by emphasizing unresolved issues or questions. C. Hypothesis - In the form of an If…,, then… statement. This is a statement about what you think will happen based on your research. D. Variables - Independent, Dependent and Controlled C. Materials and Procedures. Describe in detail the procedure used to derive your data and observations. Your materials and procedures should be detailed enough so someone would be able to repeat your experiment just by reading your presentation. Include precise description of the sample, any apparatus that was constructed or modified for the study, methods of data collection, and brand names for materials. These items should be in LIST form. D. Results. Present the data collected in the experiment in the form of tables and/or graphs AND SUMMARIZE the data using bullet point. This is the place where you ANALYZE your data. Why did your results turn out the way that they did based on your research? E. Conclusion. Your results and conclusions should flow smoothly and logically from your data. BE THOROUGH! Compare your results with published data and commonly held beliefs and/or expected results. Was your hypothesis correct? F. Possible errors, Limitations, and Extensions: 1. How did the data vary between repeated observations of similar events? 2. How were your results affected by uncontrolled events? 3. What would you do differently if you repeated this project? 4. What other experiments should be conducted?) 5. How does you experiment benefit society? (“real world” applications) G. Works Cited. Your works cited should include any material that is not your own (i. e., books, papers, journal articles and communications). Follow the MLA style. www.easybib.com https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Getting Started: Using Your Interests

1. What are your favorite subjects? 2. What are your hobbies? 3. Did you ever think you may have a better way of doing something? 4. Do you like to take things apart or make new things? 5. Who is your role model? Why? 6. What do you like to do in your spare time? 7. What are three questions you would like to answer? 8. What problem are you trying to solve?

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/ Click on Research from the menu at the top of the webpage Click on Research Resources from the menu on the left hand side of the page In the blue box titled “Find a Resource”, select “Science and Technology” from the subject drop down menu and click Enter Select Science Online from the list of resources Enter your Library Card number Click on the Resources drop down menu at the top of the page Select Experiments You can narrow your search to a particular area of science by using the Filter on the right hand side Also Select Science Reference Center from the list of references Enter your library card number Click on Science Experiments from the Reference Shelf box on the right hand side of the page On the left hand side of the page, click on Science Experiments under the heading Subject

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