loudonville science fair instructional booklet 2010-2

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Building a Better World

Loudonville School Science Fair Booklet

What exactly is the Loudonville Science Fair?

The science fair is an event where you and the other students can share your

science projects. The Science Fair is held one evening, February 10th, and is open

to all members of the Loudonville Community. The young scientists also display

their projects to fellow students during the following school day. You can solve

problems, make discoveries, report on a scientist’s life, or do an experiment.

How can this booklet help me get ready for the Science Fair?

The Science Fair Booklet is designed to help you find an idea, do the project, and

show your results.

How do I get started?

The first step on your science fair adventure is choosing a project that works for

you.

→ What kind of science interests you?→ What do you want to learn about?

→ What special hobbies or talents do you have that you could use in a project?

→ Do you want to work by yourself or with a friend?

On the next page, we list different types of science projects that might work for

you. At the back of this booklet we have included a list of possible ideas. We

have also included a list of books and web resources that you can use to get your

project started.

1



What Type Of Project Should I Do?

There are many different types of science projects. Below are four types of possible projects you could do.

1) A Descriptive or Demonstration Project. Describe what something is like

or show us how it works. Students might tell how a bike is constructed, or

demonstrate how the gears work.

2) Comparisons. These projects will follow the same basic steps as the

descriptive or demonstration projects, but will push it one step further and

compares two or more things. Explorations might consider how the gears of a bike

differ from the gears of a unicycle, for example.

3) Experiments. These projects will attempt to answer questions about “what

happens when,” and to test students’ guesses about how and why things work. The

goal of the experiment is to generate a testable hypothesis - a guess that one can

then challenge to see if there are instances when it is true or false. For example,

students might make guesses about how well different laundry detergents work to

remove chocolate stains– (for example, Tide works better than All) – then test to

see if these guesses seem correct. It’s okay if your hypothesis is wrong; we still

learn a lot! Finally, students try to explain what they found.

4) Present A Biography of a Scientist. We want to learn about the stories of

scientists that students find interesting. Students can tells us about a scientist or

inventor and what they discovered or created; what they were like growing up;

how their discoveries or inventions came about; how the discovery or invention

changed the way people thought or acted; and timelines that show major events in

the scientist’s life. There are over 100 scientists listed at the end of the booklet.

2



What’s Next?

Once you have decided on the type of project and idea that you want to do, you

should complete the Science Fair Proposal Form on the next page.

The form asks you to tell us your name, grade, and teacher. It also asks you to

circle the type of project you think you will do and to tell us a little bit about your

idea for a science project. Try to be as specific as possible. You might tell us

about…..

→ What you decided to study.

→

What you hope to learn or find out. → How you are going to find these things out.

∀ Will you use books and the Internet?

∀ Are you going to take pictures or keep a journal?

∀ Are you going to build a model?

∀ Will you visit a museum?

∀ Will you do an experiment?

∀ What will your experiment involve?

∀ Will you do your project alone or with a friend?

Please fill out the form either on line or hand in to the school by the date indicated.

The proposal form lets the Science Fair Committee know how many students are

doing projects and the types of Science happening in our school.

Soon after you hand the Proposal Form in, Science Fair mentors will read your

form and email you a “review sheet.” The review sheet might include some

additional suggestions that you can use in your project. It also lists some safety

rules that we need students to follow.

BE ORIGINAL! BE CREATIVE!!

BE SAFE! HAVE FUN!

3




Loudonville School Science Fair Proposal Form

Proposal forms are due by December 20, 2011

Student Name(s): ____________________________________________________

Contact Person: _______________________________________________

E-mail: ______________________________ Phone: __________________

Teacher(s)/Grade(s): __________________________________________

Project Title: _________________________________________________

Parent Signature:______________________________________________

Project type (circle one): description demonstration comparison

experiment biography

Try to list or describe the steps you will take to complete this project.

Return this form to the school office by December 20, 2010 to the attention of

Kathleen McGovern, Science Fair Committee

4



Hands Off…

So far we have talked about all of the different projects that you can do for the

Loudonville Science Fair. As we want everyone to have fun AND Be Safe, there

are also some rules that you need to know about.

The following items are NOT allowed at our science fair:

X dangerous chemicals

X breakable objects

X hypodermic needles

X drugs

X body parts (except for teeth, hair, nails, or animal bones)

X materials that explode or can catch fire

X live animals (including fish)

X sharp objects

X open containers of water or any other liquid

X dry ice

X any food items

Also note that projects should NOT require the use of an electrical outlet.

Electricity for your display will not be available at the Science Fair

The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; she or he studies it becausehe delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful.

– Henri Poincare -

Physics is puzzle solving, too, but of puzzles created by nature,

not by the mind of man.- Maria Goeppert Mayer -

5



Doing The Project

Once you have submitted your proposal, it is time to get to work! The next few

pages describe how you might go about completing your study. Not everythingwill apply to your project, especially if you choose to do a demonstration or

descriptive study. Just skip over the instructions that don’t seem to fit your project.

We recommend that you start by counting the days until the Science Fair and work

out a plan for completing your project.

The next step is to turn your idea into a research question. For example, if you are

interested in studying laundry detergents, your question might be “what

laundry detergent does the best job getting the grass stains out of your

pants?” An example of a descriptive question might by, “what is laundrydetergent made of?”

After you determine your question, you can them make a guess or hypothesis about

what you think will happen. Your guess should be simple enough to test…

“I think Tide is the best the detergent to remove grass stains.”

Next, spring into action….How do scientists investigate a question?

Sometimes scientists make discoveries by accident. Other times, they carefully

develop a plan to test a guess or hypothesis about how something works.

If you are doing a descriptive study or demonstration, you can still make guesses

about how something works, an animal lives, or seasons change, even though you

won’t test them using an experiment. Think about what questions you would like

to answer about your subject.

To test the guesses and ideas, scientists often conduct experiments and use the

results or data to begin answering their questions. As part of your plan, you should

describe what you plan to do during your experiment. List all the materials you

will need. If you are doing a descriptive study or demonstration, list the resources

you will use. Will you create or collect pictures, or make a diagram or model?

Next, write down everything you will do. Other scientists should be able to repeat

your experiment by reading your procedures. You can use the “Tracking Your

Progress” form if you find it helpful. As you perform the steps, you need to keep

track of your observations – what you see. These are the data. You should report

only what you actually see. You may want to organize your data into a table

format.

6



Doing The Project (continued)

If you are doing a descriptive project, you can see if the information you readagrees with your guess. Do you find any of the information surprising?

As you move along through your project, collect, look at, and read some

background materials to learn about what people already think or know.

After thinking a lot about the data and the information you have read, you need to

make a conclusion about what you learned:

→ How does what you learned relate to the world in which you live?

→ What you would do differently next time?

→ What unanswered questions remain?

Many times the data and the conclusion often lead to another question and another

experiment. The scientific method often goes round and round.

5 Tips For Success

1. Perform your test more than once to be sure your results are accurate.

2. Be precise in taking and recording measurements and results.

3. Be sure you don’t gather only those results that say your hypothesis is correct.

4. Finding the real answer is more important than proving your hypothesis is true.Scientists often learn as much from failed experiments as perfect ones!

5. Make your project safe!

7



The Display

The purpose of the display is to give a “project summary” at a glance. It is the first

part of your science project that people will notice, so make it stand out. Thedisplay is made of tall boards, sturdy enough to stand on its own for several days.

Your board must be no larger than 4 feet (trifold) wide by 3 feet high. Many

stationery supply stores carry lightweight, three-sectioned board.

Make your display interesting. You can use snappy visual effects and colors. But

be careful not to make your display so busy that people look only at it and not at

your work!

Your display must include the following things, each typed or lettered neatly onseparate paper to be attached to the display:

1. A descriptive title of ten words or less. The lettering should be easy to read and

your title should be clear from a distance.

2. Your name and class.

3. The purpose of your project. This is a statement of the question which you

were trying to answer. It should be in question form.

4. Your hypothesis. This is your educated guess about the answer to the question.

5. A short summary of your procedures. This is a step by step account of what

you did. It should include the materials and methods used to reach your

conclusion.

6. A short summary of your data and results in the form of tables, charts,

pictures, graphs, etc. Scientists often combine science and math!

7. A short summary of your analysis. How your data supports, or does not

support, your hypothesis. Use the notes in your log book for this.

8. A short summary of your conclusions. A summary of what you learned,

including an answer to your original question.

9. A list of your resources.

8



Use your space wisely. Fill the display board, but don’t crowd things. Your

presentation will be more spectacular if you use graphs, photographs, charts,

drawings, diagrams, or samples. Triple-check your spelling and grammar, and

remember that neatness counts. Be prepared to discuss your project with others.

NOTE: Photos and drawings are encouraged on the poster board. The use of props

will be permitted if they are smaller than 12” x 20”. Glass objects and food are not

permitted in the exhibit at school.

Your project will be on display all evening and for one complete school day.

Please be sure all items are securely attached to your poster board. Please be

aware that other students may handle your exhibit. If you’re worried that

something may be broken, do not use it in your exhibit but display photos or

drawings of it.

9



Tracking Your Progress (optional)

If you want, you can use the sheet below to help track your progress.

Title: ____________________________________________________________

Materials: ________________________________________________________

What I did:

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Date What I changed What I Observed

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What I learned: __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What I Think, Unanswered Questions, and Things I Would Do Differently:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

10



Your Research Resource

While creating your science project and doing your research, be sure to keep track

of the books, web-links, and videos, and magazines that you used to help

complete your science project. You should post this list or “bibliography”

somewhere on your science fair poster or display.

You can find helpful materials at bookstores, libraries, museums, hospitals, and

websites. On the following pages, we listed book sources and websites that

may be useful.

A Permanent RecordLoudonville School would like to have a permanent record of all the projects in the

Science Fair. Please use the form on the next page, or bring in a piece of paper

with the following information:

→ Your name and grade.

→ The title of your project.

→ A short (3-5) sentence explanation of your project and what you

learned.

Loosely tape the form or paper to the back of your project. (Please don’t glue it!)

It will be collected on the evening of the Science Fair. Information about your

project will be bound along with photos of each display. This information is

kept in the library.

11




Loudonville School Science Fair 2011

Name(s):__________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Grade(s): ___________ Teacher(s): ____________________________

Project Title: ______________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

What did you learn doing this project?

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

*Please fill out this form and attach it to the back of your Science Fair display

board. It will be collected at the Science Fair.

12



Book Sources

Loudonville School Library

Ms. Davis has about 500 books in the 500-575 section of the library.Some good books to start with include,

Mr. Wizard’s Supermarket Science, Don Herbet, 1980 507H

The Kid’s Sciencebook, Robert Hirschfeld and Nancy White, 1995, 507.9H

Books by Vicki Cobb about everyday science.

William K. Sanford LibraryMore than 500 books on science in the children’s section.

Call numbers J500-J574.

Check out…Janice Vancleave’s Molecules!, 1993, J540.78V

Awesome Experiments with Electricity and Magnetism, Michael S. Spezio, 1998,

J537.075DIS

The Little Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza Home to thousands of kid’s titles and an enthusiastic staff.

At Borders, Barnes and Noble, orAmazon.Com, check out….

1001 Ideas for Science Projects, Marion Brisk, 1999

100 First-prize Make it Yourself Science Projects, Glen Veccione, 1998.

175 Science Experiments to Amuse & Amaze your Friends, Brenda Walpole, 1988

The Complete Science Fair Handbook: For Teachers and Parents of Students in

Grades 4-8, Anthony Fredericks and Isaac Asimov, 1991

13



Internet Resources

General Hints and Ideas for Science Projects:

http://www.education.com/topic/great-science-fair-project-ideas

http://www.scienceproject.com/projects/index/elementary.asp

http://sciencefairproject.virtualave.net

http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/steps.html

http://www.juliantrubin.com/environmentprojects.html

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas.shtml

Projects:

http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/snackintro.html

http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/ - Howard Hughes Medical Institute

http://www.madsci.org/experiments - Mad Science link

http://www.funsci.com - Fun with Science

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com

http://www.mcrel.org/whelmers - gives instructions for actual projects

http://www.doscience.com/act_archive/index.html

http://school.discovery.com - see link to science fair central

14


http://sciencefairproject.virtualave.net/



http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/

http://www.madsci.org/experiments

http://www.funsci.com/

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/

http://www.mcrel.org/whelmers


http://school.discovery.com/


http://sciencefairproject.virtualave.net/



http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/

http://www.madsci.org/experiments

http://www.funsci.com/

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/

http://www.mcrel.org/whelmers


http://school.discovery.com/



Helping Your Children with Their

Science Fair ProjectShare a story or an example of a science project you did.

Help your child pick a project that is doable and not too frustrating.

Give encouragement, support and guidance. Be positive.

Make sure your child feels it is his or her own project. Science is a process as

much as a product; focus on helping your child rather than doing the project for

your child.

Make safety a priority.

Help child in understanding and using the major research skills, such as:

Locating resources Collecting Demonstrating

Organizing materials Constructing Presenting

Recording findings Reporting findings

Develop a schedule or plan for doing the project and finishing on time.

Help your child proofread his or her work.

Make gentle suggestions about alternative approaches or corrections.

Let your child display his or her project to you before showing it at school.

Avoid the last minute rush!

15



Possible Ideas To Get You Started

Demonstrations and Things you Can Make:

A model of a volcanoA magnet

A bat or bird house

Animal habitats A tundra

A sundial Compass

Salt crystals Sugar Crystals

A model of the solar system Show the parts of a flower

Show the parts of an ear or eye Make a miniature greenhouse

Make a simple electrical circuit Build a small electric motor

A model of a cross section of the earth

Descriptive Projects:

Describe and display an insect collection

Describe how you know how old a tree is

Display a seed, rock or wood collection

Describe how a tooth decays? – pictures would be great

A day in the life of a bee, butterfly, grasshopper, ant, or other insect.

A day in the life of a rat, mouse, hamster, gerbil, or other rodent

A day in the life of a woodchuck, beaver, moose, or other animal

A day in the life of a crab, lobster, or other crustaceanDescribe the history of shells

How are ocean depths measured?

How are distances measured in outer space?

How does a traffic signal work?

Report on the plant and animal life around the schoolyard

Report on the plant and animal life in your backyard

Report on what grows in the winter

Describe what animals, plants, or insects grow in trees

How are video games createdHow are earthquakes measured?

*If you like music you might want to check out the following site:

http://www.blueman.com/app/webroot/instrumentwp/?page_id=2

16



More Ideas To Get You Started

More Descriptive Projects:

How is snow made and the parts of a snowflake.How does a doorbell work?

Was moss really used as a diaper?

How does a telegraph work?

Describe the causes of the seasons

How do canals and locks work? – Lots of local examples!

What causes erosion?

Why are earthworms important to the soil?

Why does a submarine float?

What causes air pollution?

Comparison Project:

How do the insides of different fruits differ?

How are different kinds of tree leaves the same or different?

Compare different insects – which are the good guys, which are the bad guys?

Which is lighter, hot or cold air?

Compare packaging for an egg

Report on the differences between tornadoes, hurricanes, and other storms

Compare different simple machines

Compare the hardness of different types of rocks and mineralsWhat is the best wing shape for an airplane?

Calculate and record length of days and nights over two weeks? Why does the day

length change?

Is the air temperature in house the same at floor level as near the ceiling?

Keep track of the temperature outside – when is it the coldest, when is it the

hottest?

How accurate are the television weather forecasters at predicting the next day’s

weather? Is one channel or station better than another?

17



Other Ideas To Get You Started

Possible Experiments:Do plants grow toward light?

Do detergents work best in cold or hot water?

What causes milk to spoil?

Which freezes faster – plain water, distilled water, salt water or sugar

water?

How does temperature effect plant growth?

What is the effect of salt or sugar water on plant growth?

What is the effect of vinegar on plant growth?

Compare which battery lasts the longestCompare different dish detergents or bubble bath – which one makes

more bubbles?

Use a homemade weather machine to measure rainfall or snowfall.

Explore the uses of the fulcrum and lever

What types of objects does a magnet attract and repel?

What are the effects of air pollution on a plant?

Which popcorn brand pops the fastest or the most?

What paper airplane design flies the farthest? Straightest?How does light make a prism?

What makes static electricity?

What can cause a ball to stop rolling after being set in motion?

What factors affect the speed of a Pinewood Derby car?

Biographies of Scientists:

The remaining pages list the names of scientists that you may want to

make the focus of your science project. Some lived a long time ago andsome are still living. The list includes men and women from a number

of different countries, races, and backgrounds. Some never went to

college and others received their Ph.D.s or are doctors. Several received

the Nobel Prize for their contributions to science. This list is intended as

a starting point. If you know of another scientist that you want to study,

let us know about that person too.

18



Some Scientists Worthy of Study

1. Buzz Aldrin - astronaut 37. John Dalton

2. Armedeo Avogadro 38.Charles Darwin- biologist

3. Andre-Marie Ampere 39. Leonardo DaVinci - inventor

4. Archimedes 40. Charles Drew

5. Aristotle 41. Annie Easley

6. Neil Armstrong – astronaut 42. Thomas Edison - inventor

7. John Audubon - environmentalist 43. Albert Einstein - physicist

8. Charles Babbage 44. Gertrude Elion -

pharmacologist

9. Leo Baekleland – chemist 45. Euclid10. Benjamin Banneker 46. Michael Faraday -

physicist

11. Edward Emerson Barnard 47. Philo Farnsworth -

inventor

12. Alexander Bell – inventor 48. Enrico Fermi - physicist

13. Tim Berners-Lee - computer science49. Carlos Finlay

14. Henry Bessemer - inventor 50. Alexander Fleming -

chemist

15. Charles Herbert Best 51. Henry Ford - inventor

16. Elizabeth Blackwell 52. Dian Fossey - biologist

17. Blaise Pascal 53. Ben Franklin - inventor

18. Niels Bohr – physicist 54. Galileo - astronomer

19. Otis Boykin 55. Yuri Gargarin -

cosmonaut

20. Robert Boyle 56. Bill Gates - computer

science

21. James Bradley 57. John Glenn

22. Tycho Brahe 58. Winifred Goldring – geologist

23. Luther Burbank 59. Robert Goddard – physics

24. Wallace Carothers 60. Kurt Godel

25. France Anne Cordova – astrophysicist 61. Jane Goodall

26. Rachel Carson - environmentalist 62. Stephen J. Gould -

paleontologist

27. George Washington Carver 63. Elisha Gray

28. Anders Celsius 64. Edmund Halley - astronomer 19



29. Noam Chomsky 65. William Harvey - medicine

30. Eugenie Clark 66. Steven Hawking -

astronomer

31. Nicolaus Copernicus - astronomer 67. David Henrik

32. Henry Cort 68. Frederick William

Herschel

33. Jacques Costeau 69. Gustav Ludwig Hertz

34. Francis Crick 70. Hippocrates – medicine35.Marie Curie – chemist 71. Grace Murray Hopper-

computers

36.John Dalton 72. Robert Hooke

20



More Scientists

73. Edwin Hubble – astronomer 110. Ptolemy

74. Mae Jemison – Astronaut 111. Santiago Ramón y Cajal75. Edward Jenner 112. Sally Ride - astronaut

76. Steve Jobs 113. Ernest Rutherford

77. James Joule 114. Carl Sagan - astronomer

78. Ernest Everett Just 115 Jonas Salk – biochemist

79. Lord William Thomas Kelvin 116. Erwin Schrodinger

80. Johann Kepler 117. Earl D. Shaw – Laser technology

81. Edwin Land – inventor 118. Alan Shephard - astronaut

82. Louis Semour Bazett Leakey 119. William Shockley

83. Henrietta Swan Leavitt 120. Eugene Shoemaker

84. Lewis Latimer - inventor 121. Percy Spencer

85 Carolus Linnaeus 122. George Stephenson

86. Ada Byron Lovelace 123. Nikola Tesla

87. Charles Lyell 124. J.J. Thompson

88. Ernst Mach 125. Alan Turing - computer science

89. Guglielmo Marconi -inventor 126. Anton Van Leeuwenhoek

90. Maria Goeppert Mayer – physicist 127. John Von Newman - computers

91. Margaret Mead - anthropologist 128. Allesandro Volta

92. Barbara McClintck - geneticist 129. Sarah Breedlove Walker

93. Gregor Mendel 130. James Watson94. Dmitriy Mendeleev 131. James Watt - inventor

95. César Milstein 132. Eli Whitney - inventor

96. Garrett Morgan 133. Daniel Hale Williams

97. Samuel Morse - inventor 134. Ian Wilmut - biologist

98. Sir Isaac Newton - physicist 135. Chien-Shiung Wu - physicist

99. Robert Noyce – physicist 136. Roger Arliner Young

100. Ellen Ochoa

101. Severo Ochoa 102. George Simon Ohm – physicist

103. Robert J. Oppenheimer

104. Elkin Patarroyo

105. Louis Pasteur – chemist

106. Linus Pauling

107. August Piccard

108. Max Planck - physicist

109. Joseph Priestly

http://coloquio.com/famosos/milstein.html

http://coloquio.com/famosos/milstein.html

loudonville science fair instructional booklet 2010-2

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