STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
The scientific method is a step-by-step approach that helps scientists
(AND STUDENTS) to find solutions for problems and explain things that
they do not understand. A scientist uses the same steps each time they want
to find an answer, no matter what type of problem it is.
These steps are as follows:
1. PURPOSE - What do you want to learn?
2. RESURCH/OVER VIEW - Find out as much about your topic as you can.
3. HYPOTHESIS - Predict the answer to the problem.
4. EXPERIMENT/PROCEDURE - Design a test to confirm or disprove your hypothesis.
5. ANALYSIS/RESULT - Record what happened during the experiment.
6. CONCLUSION - Was your hypothesis correct?
These six steps are essential to completing a top-notch science fair project.
Presentation to Judges
This is an important part of your project so take the time to plan and practice the presentation you will make to the judges. Plan in advance what you want to say but don't memorize your presentation. Write key phrases or ideas on index cards and use them as a reference but don't depend on them heavily.
Here is an approach you may wish to use for making your oral presentation.
1. Greet the judges and introduce yourself.
2. Give them a copy of your abstract and research paper.
3. Give the title of your project, your grade, school, and teacher.
4. Tell how you became interested in this topic.
5. Give some background information about the topic.
6. State the purpose of your investigation.
7. Discuss your review of literature.
8. Describe in a step-by step fashion the procedure you followed for conducting your investigation. Point to sections of your display and refer to charts, graphs, and photographs. If you have an experiment on display allow the judges to examine it.
9. Explain the results of your experiment and be sure to discuss controls and variables. Remember to keep all measures in metric units.
10. Identify the conclusions that you could logically draw from the experiment.
11. Discuss any future plans you may have to continue research or experimentation related to your topic. Include a few statements about any changes you made in your scientific approach during your early investigation.
12. Ask the judges if they have any questions. Remember, if you don't know an answer say so and indicate you will look into it. If judges insist on asking questions in unrelated areas, redirect the conversation back to your specific topic.
13. Thank the judges for their time and any suggestions they may have offered to improve your project.
Good manners, nice clothes, and enthusiasm for what you're doing will help to impress the judges.
Here are some tips:
1. Wear nice clothes
2. be polite and practice good manners.
3. Make good eye contact with your judges and be sure to give each judge your
attention. Don't look at just one.
4. Stand up straight and to the side of your exhibit.
5. Speak with enthusiasm, clarity, and assuredness.
6. Don't do anything to distract the judges such as shuffle your feet, chew gum or look at the ground.
7. Relax, smile and have FUN!
Questions You Can Expect the Judge to Ask
1. Why did you decide on this topic?
2. What is the purpose of this project?
3. What was your hypothesis?
4. What variable did you change?
5. for each value of the variable that you changed (the independent/manipulated variable), how many trials did you do?
6. What response did you observe or measure?
7. How did you control the experiment?
8. What procedures did you follow?
9. In your experiment, what was the control? Against what sample did you compare others?
10. Explain your data/table/graph.
11. What conclusion did you draw?
12. How did your results relate to your original hypothesis?
13. If you had a mentor, in what ways did your mentor assist you?
14. In doing your research, what related information did you find that was helpful to you in conducting your project?
15. What would you do differently if you were to do this project again?
16. Did you do a similar project last year? How is this project different from last year's project?
