Northport-East Northport Science Fair 2018 Presentation

Supporting Your Child and Having Fun Through the Process!

... and tips for creating a winning project! David Storch - District Chairperson of Science & Technology Education

Chris Spiros - Pulaski Road School Science Fair Coordinator Matt Comiskey - Dickinson Avenue School Science Fair Coordinator

Andrea Ferrari - Fifth Avenue School Science Fair Coordinator Sue Cucchiara - Bellerose Avenue School Science Fair Coordinator

Amy Laverty - Ocean Avenue School Science Fair Coordinator Lindsey Andersen - Norwood Avenue School Science Fair Coordinator

Science is a verb; the ongoing pursuit of questions, hypotheses, and investigations to better understand the natural world

What do Science Teachers Do? Guide and facilitate learners to model the skills of inquiry to explore and understand scientific phenomena and practices in the physical, life, and Earth & space sciences

What do Young Scientists Do? • Make observations and pose questions • Examine & research sources of information • Plan investigations in light of experimental evidence • Use tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data • Propose answers, explanations, and predictions • Communicate the results

Congratulations on your decision to participate in the Science Fair!

Follow these tips to help your child along the way. Have fun

and enjoy this special time learning with your child!

Getting Started

What if I'm not sure what kind of experiment my child should do? How can I help him or her with

project ideas? One place to help you get started:

www.sciencebuddies.org www.stevespanglerscience.com

Your school website has many good resources (including this powerpoint!)

Google’s Science Journal app

brings STEM measuring capabilities to smart phones, tablets, and

Chromebooks. Use light, sound,

movement, and other sensors to conduct

experiments and gather data!

Winning Tip #1 Project ideas that come from

your child's natural sense of wonder

GET NOTICED!

Conducting an Investigation

A Science vs. a Science

...there's an important difference!

Winning Tip #2 The best projects are investigations, not

models or displays.

Experiments and Investigations * An experiment is a test or trial done for the purpose of discovering something unknown or validating a theoretical principle. * Experiments follow a pattern of discovery...based on the idea of the scientific method. * Experiments are much more interesting because your child will gain meaningful insights and make important connections along the way. * Experiments use the steps of the Scientific Method as a framework to guide your child through the process.

Winning Tip #3 Judges look for projects that

are based on the

The process of thinking scientifically is key!

Use the Scientific Method as a Guide

Develop a Good Question! Now that you have your project idea, it's time to think about a good question. Take a look at the handout to take a step-by-step approach

to doing your project!

Find experiments that can be

tested!

Winning Tip #4 Consider experiments that

can be tested and measured! Keep it simple.

Develop a Hypothesis! A hypothesis is an educated guess. It's what you think will happen even before you start your project. It should be an if/then statement.

For example: If I add more mentos to a soda bottle, then the stream of

the soda will rise higher.

Winning Tip #5 It is VERY important to display your QUESTION and your HYPOTHESIS on your project board. Don't forget your Project Title! Labeling all

parts of your project is important!

Be sure you have the right tools on hand to take careful measurements, such as rulers, tape measure, thermometer, graduated cylinder, etc. Keep good records of everything you do in your !

Scientists generally use the metric system, so if you keep your measurements in Liters, Centimeters, Celsius, Grams, etc, you are on your way to a great job!

Begin Your Experiment:

Plant Amount of H2O

per day

Size in two

weeks

Control Independent Dependent

Plant A None 0.5 cm

Plant B 5 ml 2.0 cm

Plant C 10ml 5.0 cm

Plant D 20 ml 7.5 cm

Winning Tip #6

Use a Science Journal to record your data. You can show your work and record important

information. A composition notebook works just fine! Remember to bring it on the day of the science fair!

Use the metric system to express data.

Gather and Record Data Your child is on his or her way! Guide them as they collect and record data along the way. In real life applications, science experiments

are always repeated more than once in order for them to be valid.

Help your child to !

Use graphs (pie charts, line graphs, histograms, etc.)

to help readers visualize what happened during the investigation and use Excel or

other graphing software!

Winning Tip #7

The best projects are tested several times. The results of testing is shown through tables & graphs.

This helps build a stronger case for your conclusion.

Gather Information Doing a science fair project is a great way to encourage your child to read, gather information, and develop scientific literacy. Take a trip to the library and guide them to use the Internet for sites that help them learn more about their topic. Use the opportunity to speak with people

who are experts to find out even more!

Winning Tip #8

Doing research about your topic can greatly enhance a child's understanding and add to the project!

Add Pictures & Schematics!

Photographs not only add interest to your project, but are a helpful way for anyone who learns from

your project to understand your experiment. Include pictures as you progress along the way!

Winning Tip #9

Help your child by taking photographs as they progress through their project.

Keep faces out of the pictures!

Develop a Conclusion. Don't forget to include a conclusion.

What did you learn? Was your hypothesis correct or incorrect?

Tell how you know! Where there any errors?

Consider including a section called "For Next Time."

Winning Tip #10

Enjoy the experience of scientific investigation with your child!

Bonus Winning Tip

Have fun with your child ! The benefits of doing a science project

will last a lifetime!

In summary... * Get started!

* Conduct an Investigation/Do an Experiment * Use the Scientific Method

* Develop a Good Question that can be Tested * Develop a Hypothesis * Begin the Experiment

* Gather and Record Data Along the Way * Gather Information from Outside Sources

* Add Pictures for Interest * Develop a Conclusion

* ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR CHILD!

Video