Don t forget to have fun! Science fair judging will take place January 19, Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

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1 Dear Parents, This year s STEM (science) fair is Friday, January 19, All sixth grade students are required to participate in the science fair. This is a chance for students to think like young scientists. Students need to design a science/engineering project that uses the scientific method to solve a problem. The educational benefits are numerous, as students develop skills in writing, oral presentation, creative thinking, and problem solving. Sixth grade winners from our school science fair will have the opportunity to compete at the Davis School District Science Fair. Included in this packet: STEM Fair Project Requirements STEM Fair Project Definitions STEM Project Idea List STEM Fair Project Board Instructions and Restrictions Tips on Being Judged STEM Fair Project Grading Sheet STEM Fair Judging Sheet STEM Fair Project Outline **due by Friday, December 15th** Please encourage your child and monitor his or her progress along the way. Your support is key to a successful project, but please do not allow your involvement to take away from your student s ownership. STEM fair displays should look like they have been created by an elementary student. Guide your child whenever and wherever you can, but let the final project reflect your child s individual effort and design. Don t forget to have fun! Science fair judging will take place January 19, Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Mrs. Robinson

2 STEM Fair Project Requirements Due December 15h Science Fair Project Outline Due January 19th STEM Fair Project Display Board Should include the following components clearly labeled: Title Problem or Question Hypothesis Procedure Materials Used Pictures and/or Drawings Data/Results Conclusions The display board should show good workmanship and be neat, orderly, readable, understandable, have a sequential flow, and all writing should be spelled correctly. **Read carefully the STEM Fair Board Rules & Regulations included in this packet to be sure you are following all the rules. ** Due January 19th Be Prepared for Judging Interview See STEM Fair Judging Sheet and Tips for Being Judged both included in this packet.

3 STEM Fair Project Definitions Title: The overall title of the science fair project What do you want to name your project, experiment, and research? Problem/Questions: A statement explaining or a question asking the expected outcome of your work What do you want to find out? Hypothesis: Procedure: Materials: An educated guess presuming the outcome of an experiment. Written in an if --- then format, the hypothesis follows the definition and research of the problem. Basically, what you thought would happen. Step-by-step instructions describing the entire project. Steps should be explained with enough specifics that another person could repeat your work. A complete list of everything used during the experiment Pictures and Drawings: Any pictures you may have taken or drawings that you made showing the process or results of the project Data/Results: Conclusions: What did you find out while you were doing the experiment? What is the final outcome of your experiment? Did it work? What happened? A written summary of your findings What did you learn by doing this project/experiment?

4 STEM Fair Categories Botany: Study of plant life: Agriculture, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant pathology, plant genetics, hydroponics, algae, etc. Chemistry: Study of the composition of matter and laws governing it. Physical chemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, materials, plastics, fuels, metallurgy, soil chemistry, etc. Earth/Space Sciences: Study of the universe. Geology, mineralogy, physiography, oceanography, meteorology, astronomy, seismology, geography, geophysics, etc. Engineering: Technology projects that directly apply scientific principles practical uses. Civil, mechanical, manufacturing, aeronautical, chemical, electrical, sound, automotive, heating and refrigerating, transportation, environmental engineering, etc. Environmental: Study of pollution sources and their control. Ecology, recycling, reclamation, restoration, composting, acid rain, affects of pollution, etc. Energy and Transportation: The study of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, clean transport, and alternative fuels. The design of aircraft and space vehicles and the direction of the technical phases of their manufacture and operation, Any method of powering an engine that does not involve petroleum (oil). Some alternative fuels are electricity, hythane, hydrogen, natural gas, and wood, Energy from a hydrocarbon deposit, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived from living matter of a previous geologic time and used for fuel, Renewable energy sources capture their energy from existing flows of energy, from on-going natural processes such as sunshine, wind, flowing water, biological processes, and geothermal heat flows. Math/Computer Science: Development and application of numerical computations\ theories, principles and laws governing energy also includes computer sciences. Calculus, geometry, abstract algebra, number theories, statistics, complex analysis and probability, computer programming, computers in general etc. Physics: This includes the study of solid state physics, optics, acoustics, superconductivity, fluid and gas dynamics, thermodynamics, magnetism, quantum mechanics, biophysics, kinematics, forces, and states of matter. Medical: Study of disease and health of humans and animals. Dentistry, pharmacology, pathology, ophthalmology, nutrition, sanitation, dermatology, allergies, speech and hearing, etc. Microbiology: Biology of microorganisms. Bacteriology, virology, protozoology, fungi, bacteria, yeast, etc. Social/Behavioral: Study of human & animal behavior and relationships. Psychology, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, learning, perception, public opinion surveys, effects of stress, conditioned responses, etc. Zoology: Study of animals. Animal genetics, ornithology, entomology, animal ecology, paleontology, cytology, histology, animal physiology, invertebrates, etc.

5 STEM Fair Project Ideas These are not STEM fair projects: A collection of related or unrelated objects A list of things A report not supported by data or an experiment A model, illustration, or piece of equipment that is unrelated to any experiment. Projects that compare consumer items will not be eligible to move on to the District Level What are some ideas for easy STEM fair projects? Do plants grow toward light? Does salt water effect the growth of plants? What causes milk to spoil? What is the effect of sugar water on a plant s growth? What color light is best for a plant s growth? What dishwashing liquid creates the best bubbles? What battery lasts longer? Do detergents work better in hot or cold water? What materials provide the best insulation? Do sugar crystals grow faster in tap water or distilled water? What type of soil filters work best? Which grows mold faster moist bread or dry bread? Is our heartbeat affected by music? What paper towel can absorb the most water? What happens to a tooth when soaked in various kinds of pop? How does density affect the layering of liquids? How does the density of different liquids affect objects placement in the fluid? What are different methods of growing crystals? What factors are necessary for plant growth? What are some traits that are common in families? How do cells react to different chemicals or other things? How does temperature affect the density of a liquid?

6 How do additives change the boiling points or freezing points of liquids? What changes the amount of dry ice bubbles? How can the rate of melting/freezing be changed? How does light affect an animal s responses? How are different types of bubbles caused/created? Investigate the diffusion of particles in different solutions. Experiment on the natural sorting methods of various earth materials. How do different liquids diffuse across a membrane? Formulate and test a hypothesis on the relationship between temperature and motion. How does pressure affect the boiling points of liquids? Is there a relationship between density and viscosity? How is diffusion affected by energy? What affects the rate of diffusion? How are specific organisms affected by changes in energy? How well are plants preserved in different solutions? These are just a few ideas to get you started. Remember, your project needs to start with a question! You can find lots of great ideas on the internet. Just Google STEM fair project ideas.

7 STEM Fair Project Board Rules & Restrictions What it Looks Like Most science fair project fold out into three sections and are made of a light but sturdy material so they can stand up on their own when being presented. EXHIBIT SIZE Your board must not be any larger than the following dimensions: Height 108 inches (from floor to top of project) Width 48 inches Depth 30 inches Your title should be the largest text (by far) on the display. It should be bold and attention getting. Lay out your project information on your science fair project display board in a logical and easy to read manner. Most people like to read information from left to right and from top to bottom. The center of your science fair project display board should contain all the relevant information about the actual Experiment descriptions of the materials you used, pictures of your setup experiment at the start, middle and finish of your experimentation, a description of how the experiment was conducted and any graphs and figures you made. When make the pages for your display board, make sure that the text is readable at a glance try not to use overly fancy graphics or fonts with your text this will irritate the judges because those trappings make the text hard to read. RESTRICTIONS The following items may not be displayed at the fair: Animals, bacterial cultures and/or pathogens, all hazardous chemicals, controlled substances, no living organisms, plants, or animals, taxidermy specimens or parts, human or animal food, human/animal parts or body fluids, plant materials, chemicals including water, dry ice, flames or highly flammable materials, batteries with open-top cells, photographs depicting animals in surgical techniques, dissections, or lab procedures.

8 STEM Fair Project Grading Sheet Student Name Science Project Title Display Board Title (5 pts.) Problem or Question (5 pts.) Hypothesis (5 pts.) Procedure (10 pts.) Materials Used (5 pts.) Pictures and/or Drawings (5 pts.) Data/Results (5 pts.) Conclusions (5 pts.) Overall Workmanship (10 pts.) Neatness (5 pts.) Correct spelling/punctuation (5 pts.) Originality/Creativity (5 pts.) Oral Presentation (30 pts.) Total: / 100 pts.

9 Science Fair Project Outline (Due Dec. 15 th ) Problem/Question: Research: (list 3 sites/books/articles and a write a paragraph about what they said about your project) Hypothesis:

10 Variable Identification: Independent Variable (this doesn t change) Dependent Variable (This is the thing that you change.) Controlled Variables/Constants: Control Group:(describe what it will look like if your experiment requires one). Project Approved by: Parent Signature Teacher s Signature