North Hills Preparatory

Science Fair 2024-2025

Dear Parents,

An emphasis on higher level thinking throughout the curriculum is a key

aspect of North Hills Preparatory. Your child will be participating in a Science Fair at
Uplift North Hills Preparatory to be held on Friday,
Friday, December 6,2024.
6,2024.

This event encourages students to think like young scientists. In the next
month or two your child will be designing a science project using the scientific
method to solve a problem. We hope you agree that the educational benefits are
numerous, as students develop skills for creative thinking and problem solving.

Each student will be given instructions and handouts during the various steps
of his or her project. Most of the work will be done at home, however we will provide
some help by talking to the students about expectations etc.

We ask that you encourage your child and monitor his or her progress along
the way. Your support is the key to a successful project, but please do not allow your
involvement to extend further other than equity and promote student learning! It is
important that you allow your child to wrestle with problems and try to solve them.
Guide your child through the process wherever you can, but let the final project
reflect your child’s individual effort and design.
Students participating in this event will be applying the attributes of IB learner
Profile, Design Cycle, Areas of Interactions, Approaches to Learning, as well as,
displaying personal projects and exhibitions.

Selected winners will get an opportunity to submit their project in the Annual Uplift
Education District Fair to be held in January, 2025.( more info will be shared)
 All Secondary School students are required to submit a project.
project.

Thank you for your cooperation,

Upper School Science Teacher

North Hills Preparatory

Timeline:

7/8 October  Students are told about the Science Fair & Handout goes home.
9/10 October  Topic Sheet Due
28/29 Oct  Planning sheet
4/5 Nov  Progress Check (questions,journal and forms)
11-15 Nov  Final grading for winner, Trifold board presentation.
7th December
December Science Fair and Prize Distribution, afterwards the projects
go home in the afternoon.

Consider the following when choosing a project:

project:
• Is this project testable? Can this problem be solved by doing an experiment?
• Do I have the necessary equipment required to complete this experiment?
• Does this project have value? How can this project be applied to real world
experiences?
• Is this project grade appropriate? Could a third grader do this? Has this project
been done again and again and again?
• Is this an experiment or a demonstration? A demonstration is not an
experiment. Models and inventions are not experiments. They will not be accepted.
• Groups may not exceed two members. Members must be in the same grade.
Whichever project you choose, make sure it is one that is interesting to you. You will
have more fun if your project is exciting to you. Boring does not equal fun and it will
be difficult to complete your project.

The Scientific Method (ICSTARS)

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM:

PROBLEM: It is one scientific question that will be answered in the
conclusion. You should be able to solve this problem experimentally.

COLLECT INFORMATION:
INFORMATION: Research the problem by collecting information that will
help you to understand and design the experiment to test the hypothesis. Use
books, magazines, prior knowledge and your own experiences, gather information
from professionals and experts such as physicians, professors, scientists, businesses,
etc.

STATE THE HYPOTHESIS:

HYPOTHESIS: The hypothesis shows cause and effect. You will need to
identify the variables. Variables are things that have an effect on an experiment.
The three types of variables that you will need to identify in the experiment are the
independent, dependent, and controlled variables. The independent variable is the
variable that you change on purpose. The dependent variable is the variable that
you observe because it changes in response to the independent variable. The
variables that are not changed are called controlled variables. The hypothesis is
written in the If…then… format. “If” is the “cause” and can be changed (called the
independent variable aka manipulated variable). “Then” is the “effect” and is the
result of the cause (called the dependent variable aka responding variable). Don’t
change your hypothesis if the experiment does not support it.
TEST THE HYPOTHESIS:
HYPOTHESIS:
• This is where you actually conduct the experiment.
• Materials: list the materials used. Include how much, what kind, and only use
metric units. Be specific.
• Procedure: line up and number the steps used to complete the experiment.
Anyone should be able to follow the procedure and expect to get the same results.

ANALYZE THE RESULTS:

RESULTS: Having 5 trials is important. Keep a science log/journal
(spiral notebook or a 3-ring binder) to record your progress. Record your
observations immediately while you are looking at it and details are fresh. Every
entry should be dated and include the time.

REPORT THE RESULTS:

RESULTS: Before you can state the conclusion you need to organize
all the data collected. Use graphs, charts, tables, drawings, and photographs. Use
only metric units. Graphs, charts, and tables should be computer generated. Label
the graph(s) with title, x axis, y axis, or key.

STATE THE CONCLUSION:

CONCLUSION: This is where you answer the question, accept/reject
the hypothesis, and explain why it was important to do this experiment.
• Begin the conclusion by stating “The data showed …” and answer the problem in
a complete sentence.
• Accept or reject the hypothesis. Be honest if the hypothesis is rejected. What
you expected and what actually happened might not be the same thing. That’s
okay. You can explain what you think are the reasons why the results did not support
the hypothesis.
• Discuss why this project is important. What did you discover based on your
results? What might you do differently to improve your techniques and/or the data
results? How could you improve your project? Were the results what you had
expected? Report everything, especially the truth.

Preparing your display board

A typical board is divided into three sections. This design allows your display to fold
flat, making it easier to transport and store. The illustration on the next page is one
example of how information can be laid out on the display. Remember to place the
information from left to right in the general order that you performed each step.

While you want your display to be as interesting as possible, the design should not
distract from the content. You want the judges to be able to recognize quickly that
you performed a successful science fair project. Be creative with boarders, font, and
layout, but make sure that a judge would find it easy to read the information
contained in the display. You want to impress the judges with the project’s
seriousness, show what you have learned, yet be unique and fun. Color is good, but
do limit the number of colors used.

• Plan ahead to be sure that all lettering and segments will fit and will be straight.
Arrange the letters on the backboard by first laying the letters out on the board
without attaching them. Use a meter stick and pencil to draw a straight, light
guideline where the bottom of each letter should line up. Before adhering anything,
ask your family members if it looks straight.
• Do not write the information for your display by hand. It should be typed. Place
typed material on a colored backing. Leave a boarder of ¼ to ½ inch around the
edges of the typed material. Use scissors or a paper cutter to make straight edges.
• Your title and subtitles should be readable from a distance and any other
information can be smaller. Remember: if you use stencils or plastic lettering, use a
ruler to apply them in a straight line. Check your spelling.
• Use photos or drawings to show what was done. Photos must not contain any
faces. Illustrations should be informative, not just decorative. Don’t forget to include
graphs, charts, or tables.
• Adhere papers using double-sided tape or white school glue. Do not use staples.

On the back, upper right hand corner of the display board, print the student’s name,
homeroom teacher, and grade level. The name should not been seen on the front of
the board.

Helpful hints for the judging and oral presentation:

You will discuss your project and explain the problem, procedure, results, and
conclusion to the judges. Use the display board during the oral presentation. Be
enthusiastic and proud of your project. Your ability to discuss your project and
answer any questions shows the judges that you did the work and that you
understand what you have done. You will receive more points if you accomplish the
following:
• Present an original idea.
• State the problem clearly.
• Define variables and controls.
• Be knowledgeable about the equipment used.
• Safely perform the experiment.
• Repeat the experiment to verify the results.
• Have measurable results.
• Use tables, graphs, charts, illustrations, photographs, etc. Collect enough data to
make a conclusion.
• Use only data collected to make a conclusion.
• Summarize what you learned.

Informative Links:

http://www.sciencenews.org/
www.sciencebuddies.org/
http://www.discovery.com/
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/index.html
This is just a sample however based on the amount of information the
placing of different stages may look different for different Science Fair
projects.

Topic Sheet
Due date: 2 October
I have read the above and understand the timeline and commit to participate in the
Science Fair on Thursday, December 5, 2019

Student Signature __________________________________

Date _____________________

Parent Signature ___________________________________

Date _____________________

Participants Name(s) ________________________________

__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

Fill out this project entry form and turn in to your Science teacher. Include at least 3
possible project ideas. Before you come up with your project ideas ask yourself if
your project applies to the real world.
This form will be returned to you showing that your project is approved and that it is
registered for the science fair. Idea #1 should be your first choice.

1) ________________________________________________________________

2) ________________________________________________________________

3) ________________________________________________________________

Planning Sheet
Due date: 7 October

Name(s) _______________________________

EXPERIMENT ORGANIZATION SHEET

1. State your problem in the form of a question.
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2. Hypothesis (complete sentence).

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3. List all materials you will need.

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4. What is your independent variable?

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5. What is your dependent variable?

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6. What other variables will you control or keep the same (controlled variables) in
order to get reliable results. List all of them.
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7. Write a title for your project, it can be changed later.

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