Science Department

A Science Project is a way for a student to carry out an investigation in much the same way a real researcher might in a real laboratory. It is an investigation, initiated by a student and carried through all the proper steps to answer an original question.

A Science Project is NOT…

A RESEARCH PAPER: A research paper is an important part of a Science Project. The research paper will explain what is currently known on the topic of your investigation. It might be called “Background Information”. The research paper, though, is not enough. Sometimes a student will present a project that is nothing more than a display of research. The title might be, “What makes Volcanoes Form?” All the information they found in their research will be presented along with wonderful illustrations and/or a model. This is NOT a good example of a Science Project.

A MODEL: A model may or may not be part of your Science Project, but like the research paper, it is not enough. There are many wonderful models that are available in stores. You could even make your own model of something natural (the solar system) or man-made (a nuclear power plant) but neither of these would make a good Science Project.

A TECHNOLOGY DISPLAY: Quite a bit might be learned by building a laser or a working computer but again, simply building a piece of technology and writing about what you did is not a good Science Project.

A SCIENTIFIC DEMONSTRATION: Most books of science experiments are very poor resources for Science Projects. These books are full of experiments that can be performed easily in the home with common objects. The experiments are meant to illustrate certain scientific principles and you might learn something by performing these experiments but they are not true scientific investigations and so do not make good Science Projects.

CONSUMER TESTING: While consumer research and scientific research share many of the same process skills it is a good idea to avoid a Science Project with a topic such as “Which Brand of Paper Towel is the Best?”(And, no, it is not any better if you replace the words “Paper Towel” with “Laundry Detergent”, “Dishwashing Soap” or any other product!)

Science Project Checklist

Below is a list of the steps you should follow to complete your science project. Use the link at the bottom of this page to print up the checklist. You can use it to keep track of your progress.

• Begin your Project Log.
• Come up with your Question.
• Complete your Research.
• Generate your Hypothesis.
• Design your experiment.
• Fill out and sign your Protocol Paper.
• Perform your Experiment. Login/Register for Scienteer.
• Prepare your Oral Presentation.
• Complete your Report.
• Prepare your Display Board. Prepare your Powerpoint/Google Slide Presentation.
• Record your Oral Presentation over your Powerpoint/Google Presentation (additional bullet)

Information for Parents

The purpose of a Science Project

A Science Project is a way for a student to carry out an investigation in much the same way a real researcher might in a real laboratory. Each step in the scientific method has the potential of teaching a valuable lesson to a student. Below is a list of the steps in the scientific method and what are the potential benefits for students at each step.

QUESTION: Children have a natural ability to ask probing questions. Unfortunately we don’t put enough emphasis on student questions. The school curriculum has its own set of questions we must concern ourselves with and little time is left for children’s questions. A Science Project is an opportunity to give voice to children’s questions and give kids a sense of power when they are able to answer their own questions.

HYPOTHESIS: We often ask students to predict the outcome of some situation in a classroom laboratory. It is not often, however, that we ask them to form a hypothesis about anything very complex. The situation is different, though, when it comes to a Science Project. Here the complexity of their hypothesis is limited only by how imaginative they were when they asked the question.

PROCEDURE: Experimental design is probably one of the most important skills for a scientist to have and one of the most difficult skills for a scientist to learn. In our classrooms students often perform experiments that were designed for them. In a Science Project, however, they get the opportunity to develop, with guidance, this important science process skill.

DATA: Data collection is probably the skill we practice most in our classrooms. A Science Project is still another matter, though, when it comes to data collection. A good Science Project will have students taking a great quantity of data measurements over a substantial period of time. This kind of data collection more closely resembles the way actual research is carried out.

CONCLUSION: In most experiments you find in books, and in many experiments carried out in the classroom, the results are known ahead of time. The book or the teacher will tell the student what the expected result is. These experiments are used to demonstrate and/or confirm a scientific principle that is already established. In a good Science Project, however, the students will have to draw their own conclusions. Here again is an opportunity for the student to gain experience with higher level thinking skills.

PRESENTATION: Of all the skills gained in doing a Science Project, the skills involved in the presentation are probably the most important to the greatest number of children. Even students who have no interest in science will need presentation skills no matter what their chosen career path. In so many situations it is not so much what we say as how we say it. The ability to speak to another person or a group of people, the ability to explain something you understand clearly enough so that another person can understand it. The ability to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in a way that impresses others, these are all-important skills.

* * *

A Science Project has the potential to be a wonderful learning experience for students. It also has the potential to be an annoying waste of time. We can make it more the former if we keep some things in mind.

STUDENT INPUT: From topic choice to experimental design, from the collection of data to constructing a display board. Whenever the student is deciding what happens he or she is learning important decision-making and problem-solving skills.

TIME: One of the elements that make a Science Project so dreaded is also what makes it so powerful a learning experience. A good Science Project takes a lot of time, but this can be what makes the experience have a greater impact. Little will be gained from a Science Project done over a single weekend.

PROBLEMS: Unlike an experiment taken from a book or designed by a teacher, a student-generated investigation is likely to run into problems along the way. Procedures that you think will work often don’t and have to be redesigned. This process, of seeing problems and fixing them, is another element of a Science Project that can make it a useful learning tool.

A Student Science Project can be a unique opportunity for some in-depth learning of real-life skills. Students, parents and teachers all can make sure that the experience is a good one if we focus, not so much on competition, but rather on what can be gained by the student throughout the entire experience. Working together we can make our Science Projects one of the richest and most memorable experiences of the entire school year.

How much help is helpful?

Parent involvement is a key factor in student success for any science project.

One thing you can do at home is help the child to find an appropriate question for his or her investigation. We have distributed information on the kinds of questions that make better Science Fair questions and you may use this to help you in your search for a question, The main thing is to help the student choose a topic that will keep his or her interest over the lengthy time period that it will take to complete the project.

In the search for a question for investigation research will be necessary. Something else that can be done away from school is a visit to your local library. If your child has an interest in, for example, cars then he or she should find out all they can about cars from books, encyclopedias, periodicals and the internet. This research will probably help to generate or to narrow the scope of their question.

While some students will be able to perform their investigations in school, much may have to be done in the home. Parents and other responsible people in the home can help out by making sure that the children are performing the their experiments in a safe manner, following all safety guidelines.

When all data has been gathered and your young scientist has reached a conclusion, one final step is the preparation of an oral presentation. Students will be asked to explain all phases of their investigation to their teacher, their classmates and eventually to judges. You can help your child to prepare for this part of the Science Fair Project by allowing him or her to make a presentation to you. It is important that the student be able to answer questions about their project so you will want to generate questions for your child also. Make sure that your child is ready for anything a judge might ask about the project.

While parents and other adults in the home can be of the greatest help to a student who is doing a Science Fair Project, they must be very careful not to offer so much assistance that the student begins to lose the learning value of the project. As adults who care about kids we feel uncomfortable seeing them struggle with something, especially when we can easily offer help. Still, struggling with a problem and reaching a solution on their own is one of the very best learning experiences that can result from any school assignment.

First of all, while we want to help a child choose an investigation that is safe, and that they can be successful with, we must try to be sure that we do not guide them overly in their choice of topic. It is the child who will have to do all the work and they will be much more motivated to put forth an effort if the investigation is one of their own choosing.

During the investigation you will want to monitor how the child performs to make sure he or she operates in a safe manner and that the data they collect is accurate. If you find yourself wanting to take over, don’t. If the work is beyond the student’s ability, then they will need to modify their experiment. The child’s investigation should be something they can do with a minimum of supervision and concern about safety.

One way to help a child is through guiding questions. For example, suppose a child is making a measurement with a ruler but is using the ruler incorrectly. They might be starting, instead of at zero, at the one-centimeter mark (a common mistake). Rather than take the ruler from the child to demonstrate the correct method for measuring you might want to simply ask the child, “At what number are you supposed to begin on the ruler when you measure?”

In the end, a project which is the result of the efforts of the child alone, while it may not look as neat as we would like, will be a much greater learning experience for the student than if we, the adults, have too much of a hand in the work.