Name: _______________________ 1/6/2020

Holy Redeemer Middle School Science Fair 2019-2020

8th Grade

This year, each HR middle school student will be participating in a science fair which
will be taking place Wednesday, March 25 in the Herb Young Auditorium. The object of
the science fair is to allow students to work independently on their own project, create a
display board as a presentation, write a full lab report, and present their project to the
judges. Each student will be working alone on a specific experiment.

 Experiment: a student choosing to answer a question such as, “which material

makes a better electrical conductor, a lemon or a potato?” would be performing an
experiment for their science fair project. He/She would make a hypothesis,
construct an electrical conductor, test his/her hypothesis, collect data on the lemon
and the potato’s performance, and draw a conclusion.

The overall theme of the science fair is STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Math! I have provided a list of broad topics as well as a list of specific questions students
can use to determine their science fair question. I do not expect anyone to have the same
topic. If there are students who have the same topic, I will work with them to come up
with a way to make their project different. All topics MUST be approved by me.
Because this is to be done on the student’s own time, I have provided a timeline of events
that will prevent the student from falling behind. I have included dates that certain parts
will be collected, along with the amount of points that each part is worth. Although this
will not be done in class and under my supervision, I will always be available for
questions or extra help that students might need for their project.

The science fair projects will be judged by parties that have no direct affiliation with a
participant. Although the projects will be judged, the judging will have no impact on the
grade that I will give each final project.

The overall requirements of this project are:

 Come up with and perform a science fair experiment based on the overall
theme
 Create a display board (tri-fold) to exhibit results and/or findings
 Write a full lab report, keeping it neatly in a folder
 Present the projects to judges

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 Timeline of events for 2019-2020 Middle School Science Fair.

Due Date Points Points Item

Possible Earned
01/09/2020 10 General topic-type a paragraph stating the question to be
answered. Basically, what is your topic and why do you
want to do it. Make sure you have a folder for your lab
report.
01/15/2020 20 Research questions and hypothesis. Type your hypothesis
(remember proper hypothesis format). Come up with a list
of 10 well-developed research questions about your project
that need to be answered before you can complete your
project.
1/21/2020 10 Materials list. List what materials you will need in order to
do your project (be as specific as possible). This must be in
list form. *It would be helpful to use the research guide
as you do your research!
1/21/2020 10 Procedure. State exactly how you will be doing your
experiment. Give very detailed step-by-step instructions.
This should be in step-by-step form (NOT paragraphs).
*You MUST tell me your independent/dependent and
manipulated variables.
1/25/2020- N/A N/A Carry out your experiment. Remember to keep track of
2/25/2020 ALL results in a notebook. Most of your results should
be in numbers (make sure that you are using the correct
units!).
2/24/2020 20 Bibliography due. Type out your bibliography in proper
format! Begin working on your display board.
3/02/2020 40 Results paragraph, results chart (typed), results graph
(typed), and conclusion section.
3/19/2020 150 Entire science fair project DUE! (Grade divided into 2 parts
50 points=display and 100 points=lab report)
3/24/2020 N/A N/A Interview with judges (during school)
3/25/2020 5 Evening presentation of science fair in HYA.

*Note: some of the typed papers you hand in to me will be considered a rough draft. I will look
over them; however it is your responsibility to make the appropriate corrections for your final
project. Some of these will be displayed on your board.

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 Sample Lab Report
Learning Objective:
I can create a valid scientific experiment.
I can write a proper lab report.
I can carry out my own experiment by following my procedure.
Directions:
Below is an example of a lab report that resulted from students designing and performing an
experiment based on the information above. Use this sample to develop your own lab report.
Note: The conclusion should be written in paragraph form.

TITLE: Should be interesting and tell what your experiment is about.

The Effect of Water Temperature on the Dissolving Time of Effervescent Tablets

INTRODUCTION:
This should all be included all three parts:

RATIONALE:
Why did you conduct the experiment? (In a broad sense, why is this experiment needed? Why
should people care that you’re doing this?)
Some over-the-counter drugs are effervescent tablets that must be dissolved in water before
ingestion. Directions do not include specific water temperatures.

PURPOSE:
What did you hope to learn? (This is your PURPOSE.)
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of water temperature on the time
required for effervescent tablets to dissolve.

HYPOTHESIS:
What did you think would happen? (This is your HYPOTHESIS—written in if, then format.)
The researcher hypothesized that if the temperature of the water is increased, then effervescent
tablets will dissolve faster.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
List IV, DV, Control, Constants

Independent Variable (What you’re testing):

Temperature of Water
Dependent Variable (What changes/what you measure as a result of your IV):
Time to Dissolve (seconds)
Control (not exposed to IV):
Room temperature water
Constants (what remains the same—you should list as many as you can think of):
Brand of tablet (Alka-Seltzer)
Amount of water (75 mL)
No Stirring
Type of Cup
Etc...

MATERIALS: (Be SPECIFIC!!!)

Include amounts, brands, etc.
 5 500mL glass beaker
 3 Thermometers (Celsius)
 Etc…

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SAFETY CONCERNS: Think outside of the box. If there was a lawyer in the room during your
experiment, what precautions should you exercise to avoid a lawsuit?
 Goggles should be worn when using glassware or hot liquids.
 Wear gloves when handling hot liquids to avoid burns.
 If glassware breaks or a spill happens, notify an adult immediately. Do not touch broken glass.

PROCEDURE:
A list of EVERY step necessary to carry out the investigation. Someone should be able to carry out the
investigation from reading your procedure.

1. Place one Alka-Seltzer brand tablet in a plastic cup containing 75 ml of cold (4°C) water.
2. Record the amount of time, in seconds, it takes the tablet to completely dissolve.
3. Repeat steps 1 & 2 five times. Record on table 1.
4. Repeat steps 1 – 3 with room temperature (21°C) water. Record on table 1.
5. Repeat steps 1 – 3 with hot (90°) water. Record on table 1.
6. Calculate the mean (average) dissolving at each temperature. Record on table 1.

RESULTS: (Include graphs and data tables. PROPERLY LABEL EACH!): You may also include
pictures, with captions.
Figure 1. Water Temperature and Dissolving Time of Alka-Seltzer

Temperature of Time to dissolve (sec) Average time to

Water (°C) Trials dissolve (sec)
1 2 3 4 5
4°C 98 104 107 96 105 102
21°C 43 35 46 46 30 40
90°C 24 27 19 19 27 23
Figure
Figure 2. Water 2. Bar Graph
Temperature and Dissolving Time of Alka-
Seltzer

) 125
c
e
s
( 100
e
v
l
o
s 75
s
i
d
t 50
o
e
im 25
T
0
Ice
4°C
Room
21°C
Hot
90°C

W ater Temperature

CONCLUSION(Written in this same order and in paragraph form):

The conclusion requires a thinking process that involves both the analysis of data and the discovery of
relationships. Below you will find an organization framework for guiding this though process.
 What is the purpose of the experiment?
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of water temperature on the dissolving
time of Alka-Seltzer tablets.
 What were the major findings? NOTE: Please notice that the researcher DID NOT just restate the
data. He found the general relationship between the temperature of the water and the dissolving time.
 How does your data from the experiment support your findings? Data was referenced during
interpretation (support with evidence!)
At higher temperatures, Alka-Seltzer tablets dissolved faster. In the ice, dissolve time averaged
102 seconds and as the water heated up, the dissolve time decreased to 40 seconds at room
temperature and 20 seconds in hot water.

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 For each rise in temperature, dissolving time was reduced. …(you would continue your
explanation here)
 Was the research hypothesis supported by the data? Refer to your research! NOTE: A hypothesis is
not proved or disproved by a single experiment. The data either supports or fails to support the
hypothesis.
The data supported the research hypothesis that Alka-Seltzer tablets would dissolve faster in
warm water than in cold water.
 What possible explanations can you offer for the findings/results? Why did they happen? Refer to your
research!!
Because molecules move faster in warm water, they would strike the tablet more frequently and
tear it apart more quickly.
 Did you encounter any problems or anything that could have skewed your results?
 What recommendations do you have for further study and for improving the experiment?
Additional experiments could be conducted to determine the dissolving rate of other brands of
tablets. The experiment could be improved by insulating the cups to reduce heat exchange with
the room.
REFERENCES: (typically, APA is the preferred format, however, you may use MLA since that is what
you are learning)
 Minimum 3 online and 2 print sources

Some helpful hints for your display board:

 Sketch out your board before your begin the final presentation
 Make sure your board is neat and legible
 Make sure you have a good, eye-catching title

Below is a checklist for your display board, along with a sample picture.

____ Is the display a tri-fold display board?

____ Do all models, equipment, notebooks, or other necessary materials fit into the display space?
____ Are the project title, hypothesis, and statement of the problem on the display board?
____ Are the procedures, materials, results, graphs, charts, and conclusion clearly on the board?
____ Do your graphs and charts have titles? Are they properly labeled?
____ Have you included some photographs of you performing your experiment or pictures of your research?
____ Do your photographs/pictures have captions?
____ Are your pictures properly cited (if you did not photograph them yourself)?
____ Is the spelling/grammar correct?
____ Have you avoided expensive, fragile, or harmful items near your display board?
____ Did you include your folder containing your lab report (to be displayed in front of your board)

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How to pick your experiment?

 Choose a topic that you would be interested in, after all, you will be working with it for a
few months
 Do not pick something too broad or too specific

Here is a list of some broad topics that you can use to formulate a project idea that you enjoy and
are happy with.

 Oil spills  Electronic Pollution

 Tsunamis  Air Pollution
 Hurricanes  Acid Rain
 Volcanoes  Solar Power
 Earthquakes  Water Power
 Recycling  Wind Power
 Landfills  Alternate Energy
 Habitat Destruction  Solar Storms

Here is a list of more general questions that you can use to do your science fair project. Please
keep in mind that I do not want more than one person doing the same project, so feel free to
modify these questions to be more of an interest of you. Of course, you do not even have to pick
from my list; in fact, I would encourage you to come up with your own question for your science
fair project!

 Does the amount of water affect the  Is it possible to use recycled

size of the wave? newspaper to fertilize plants?
 How does the volume of a stream  Demonstrate the erosion effect of
affect its flow rate? water on soil.
 Is there a relationship between  Explain the vortex of a tornado.
phases of the moon and our  How do volcanoes give off gas?
weather?  Why does Earth have different
 Will antacids help soils polluted by climates in different areas?
acid rain?  Is there anything we can do to
 Does the type of water affect the predict how and when volcanoes
growth of plants? will erupt?
 Is soil necessary for plant growth?  How are snowflakes formed?
(hydroponics)  How can dirty water be filtered to
 Can plants deprived of sunlight produce clean and health drinking
recover? water?
 What is in our drinking water?  How does a rain gauge work?
 Are our local waters acidic?  Design, build, and test a solar
 How polluted is our water? cooker.
 How can we prevent the weathering  Why does the sky change color in
of our sidewalks and driveways? different hours of the day?
 Which substance is the best in
blocking floodwaters?
 Build/test a lawn moisture sensor.

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Parent Tips!

1. You should make sure that your child picks a “do-able” project. Make sure that they pick
one that they will be able to do in the given time period (example: while it might be a
great topic, it would be difficult for students to observe the changes in the local
environment from the winter to the spring).
2. You should help your child stick to the timeline. Make sure that they do not wait to the
last minute to do everything. This will lead to a poorly done project, and above all, a
very stressed out and unhappy child. The goal of this science fair is to encourage
students to do experiments/activities on their own and more importantly have fun while
learning!!
3. You should make sure that they adhere to the guidelines of the science fair.
4. You can help your child “dig deeper” in their research. Encourage them to go the extra
step with their research questions. Ask them questions like, “how does that impact the
environment?” etc.
5. You can help with technical work, such as construction and photography.
6. Above all, remember this is ultimately your child’s work. Make sure they take pride in
what they do!

The science fair is here! What do I do now?

On March 19, 2020, you will bring your project to school and, during science class we will set it
up in the auditorium.

During the day, on March 24, you will be called down to the auditorium to present your project to
the judges.

In the evening, on March 25 (beginning at 7:00pm), your families and friends will come to see
your projects! This is part of your grade. Dress code will be discussed at a later date.

Please don’t ever hesitate to ask me any questions.