DESIGNING THE PERFECT
SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
A WebQuest for
6th Grade (Science/Math)
Designed by:

Diane Guiett
[email protected]




Introduction

You are required to do a science fair project for school. Your teacher has told you that she will not be accepting the "Volcano" or "How much popcorn do you really get from each bag?" projects this year. You have to become creative. Where do you start? What components make up a good science fair project? What resources are out there? Your project is due in six weeks.
 

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The Task
You are doing a science fair project for 6th grade. Your project will consist of a visual display, a written report, and an oral presentation of your findings. You will need to know where you can look for ideas on science fair projects, searching your library and the Internet for resources. Understanding the scientific method is also a key part of the process, as well as doing your research and documenting every part of the process. Setting up your presentation and your written report are two essential parts of your presentation that cannot be overlooked. And knowing how to properly cite your resources is a vital element so others are given the proper credit for their research on your topic. Good luck in this endeavor!
 

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The Process

You will be working independently on your science fair project. You will:

  • examine the scientific method;
  • define the topic for your science fair project;
  • utilize resources: research print materials and search the Internet
  • create your note cards, report, and display;
  • cite your resources; and
  • work on your oral presentation.

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    PARTS OF THE PROJECT
    KEY COMPONENTS
     RESOURCES
    Examine the Scientific Method
    		 Understand the scientific method to discover answers to a specific problem. Science Fair Central: Scientific Method
    Define Your Topic
    		 Determine what your science fair topic will be about. Cyber-Fair Idea Generation

    NASA Science Fair Guidelines

    Science Fair Homepage

    CyberBee

    Internet Public Library-Teens: Science and Math

    Science Fair Central: Topics
    Utilize Your Resources
    		 Know where to get information for your project. Resources
    Create Your Note Cards
    		 Note Taking: Take notes during your research, which will be attached to your report. Use one note card for each resource, with the author, title, copyright date, publishing company, place published, and the page numbers of the materials used. If a source is quoted, please be sure to include what page the quote was taken from. Note-taking
    Create Your Report
    		 Written report: Typed, double-spaced in 12 point regular print, not bold face. Include the following elements: title page, table of contents, problem, hypothesis, procedures, materials, variable and controls, results, conclusions, discussion, and bibliography. Use a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Word, or AppleWorks to type your report.
    Science Fair Central: Project Report
    Create Your Display
    		 Display: May be a one, two, or three-sided presentation. Should be able to stand up on its own, using a strong supportive material as a base for the display such as cardboard, foam board, or pegboard. Size is 36? high and 48? wide. Recommend that display sit on a card table. 

    Include visuals: photographs of your experiment, graph of your results (using Microsoft Works or Microsoft Excel, or AppleWorks). Include actual experiment that you used to tabulate your data.

    		 Science Fair Central: Display

    Science Fair Display

    Display examples
    Cite Your Resources
    		 Cite those resources that you used in your project. Use either APA or MLA. APA: Print

    APA: Electronic

    MLA: Print

    MLA: Electronic

    Create your own Bibliography
    Oral Presentation
    		 Be able explain your project to a judge or your teacher. Science Fair Central: Presentation
     
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    Evaluation
    Students will be evaluated based on the criteria used in the State of Ohio Science Fair Competition.

    Evaluation
     

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    Conclusion

    By completing this WebQuest, you will be on your way to developing a winning science fair project. Good luck in your competition!
     

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    Credits & References

    A BIG thanks to the Big Walnut Middle School teachers that provided me with the science fair information that I needed to develop this site:

    Tom Speece
    Mary Peterson
    Stacie Williams
    Dan Tyler
     

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    If you found other good sites that I could use as links, 
    I'd love to hear about them!
    Email me with comments!

    Email the Webmaster:   [email protected]

    Last updated on March 7, 2000.  Based on a template from The WebQuest Page