Science Fair Packet

For 5 Grade
th

How Does a Student Do a Meaningful Science

Fair Project Using the Scientific Method
Process?
In this packet there is information for students showing the
steps on how to complete a meaningful science fair project
using the Scientific Method process.
This packet tells what is recommended and required when
students do a science fair project for the school science fair.

Choosing a Topic of Interest Using the Scientific

Method for Your Science Fair Project

Choosing an area of interest is the hardest part of the science fair project.
For ideas as where to start, look at these elementary science fair
categories below and what they entail. All of these science fair
categories fit under the Scientific Method process.
Earth Science
Earth science is the study of volcanoes, earthquakes, weathering, erosion, and
deposition; soils, rocks, minerals, crystals; ocean water, fresh water, and the water
cycle; weather, weather instruments, air, water, wind, clouds, humidity, cold, and
heat. The solar system, moon, seasons, a space are also a part of earth science.

Life Science
Life science is the study of human, animal, plant, insect, and microorganism
behavior; forest, desert, tropical, grassland, wetland and other environments; and
food chains, plant cycles, life cycles, and ecosystems.

Chemical Science
Chemical science is the study of solids, liquids, gases, and the mixture and uses of
chemicals.

Physical Science
Physical science is the study of simple machines, gravity, forces (push and pull),
and weight, magnets, electricity, speed, flight (lift), motion, heat, light, and sound.

Consumer Science
Consumer science is the study of testing new invented products, testing products
we use and eat everyday--shampoo, detergents, soaps, diapers, stain removers,
popcorn, cereals, gum, soda pop, potato chips, paper towels, bandages, etc. This
makes the public aware of products that might not perform the way companies say
they will perform.

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR SCIENCE FAIR

INVESTIGATIONS:
1. What is the effect of wind on the amount of water that a plant needs? (Life
Science)
2. How can you get kidney beans to grow fastest? (Life Science)
3. How can you affect the shape of a magnetic field? (Physical Science)

4. How high do you have to raise a smooth board to get a block to slide down it?
How does covering the block with felt or sandpaper or other materials affect that
height? How does changing the weight of the block affect height? (Physical
Science)
5. What affects how fast an ice cube melts in air? How many ways can you get it to
melt faster than it does in air at room temperature? (Physical Science)
6. What are the effects of detergent on water? (Physical Science)
7. Which magnifies newsprint more clear water drop or a soapy water drop?
(Physical Science)
8. What is the biggest shadow you can make with a piece of paper 8 inches by
11 inches? What is the smallest shadow you can make with the same piece of
paper? (Physical Science)
9. What is the effect of turning young plants upside down as they grow? (Life
Science)
10. How can you get seeds to germinate fastest? (Life Science)
11. Which seeds germinate fastest? Do little seeds germinate faster than big seeds?
(Life Science)
12. What species of seedling can survive longest in just damp cotton wool in the
dark? (Life Science)
13. Does a water-pick clean your teeth better than a standard toothbrush? (Life
Science)
14. How do different deodorants affect skin and clothes? (Life Science or Physical
Science)
15. What is the fastest way to cool a cup of hot water? (Physical Science)
16. How can you grow the biggest crystals of alum? (Physical Science)
17. How does light affect plants?
18. Do sweet, salt, and bitter substances taste the same to everyone?
19. How can you affect the time it takes for bread to rise?
20. What happens when you soak eggshells in vinegar? What about when you soak
them in lemon juice or other kitchen chemicals? (Physical Science)

21. What kind of fruit rots fastest?

22. Do plants grow faster if you talk (or sing) to them regularly? (Life Science)
23. Do people who play sports regularly have the same heart rate as people who
dont? Do sports people recover from exercise more quickly than less active
people? (Life Science)
24. Will seeds sprout faster in soil or in a plastic bag with damp cotton wool? (Life
Science)
25. What is the fastest way to get food to rot? Warm or cool places? Damp or dry?
Light or dark? In the presence of other moldy things? (Life Science)
26. Do preservatives in manufactured foods really work? Try different ways to get
Twinkies to rot!
27. Which gum keeps its flavor the longest? Which blows the best bubbles? What
is most stretchy?
Which loses the most weight after you chew it? (The weight lost is the sugar your
saliva dissolved away.)
28. How can you make suds last longest? Compare shampoo to dishwashing
detergent. Compare different brands of shampoo to each other and different brands
of dishwashing detergent to each other. (Physical Science)
29. Investigate all the different effects of static electricity. What is the effect of
static electricity on paper, plastic, different kinds of breakfast cereal? (Physical
Science)
30. Which brand of paper towel stays strongest when wet? (Physical Science)
31. Which freezes fastest - Coke, Kool-Aid, strong salt water, or weak salt water?
(Physical Science)
32. How can you stop cut apples from going brown? (Life Science)
33. What mixtures will a filter separate? (Physical Science)
34. How can you make the best cup phones? (Physical Science)
35. How do lenses and pieces of glass bend light? What else can bend light?
(Physical Science)
36. What is the best way to keep steel from rusting? (Physical Science)

37. Which filtering systems work best to clean dirty water? (Physical Science)
38. How does the color of light affect plant growth? (Life Science)
39. What conditions affect the growth of mold? (Life Science)
40. How does temperature influence yeast cell reproduction? (Life Science)
41. How does the angle of an inclined plane affect the work to lift an object?
(Physical Science)
42. Which surfaces provide the least amount of friction? (Physical Science)
43. Which fruit and vegetable juices make good indicators for acids and bases?
(Physical Science)
44. How does water depth affect water pressure? (Physical Science)
45. Which materials insulate best against the cold? (Physical Science)
46. Which mouthwashes retard the growth of bacteria? (Life Science)
47. Do bacteria grow better in the light or dark? (Life Science)
48. Compare two parts of your body to see which normally harbors more bacteria.
(Life Science)
49. Find the best way to wash a finger and remove the most bacteria. You could try
paper towel drying compared to air drying. You could try the effect of soap
compared to air drying. You could try the effect of soap compared to no soap. (Life
Science)
50. Compare the amount of bacteria in soil samples from two different places.
51. Does toilet paper stop bacteria getting through? Try touching agar with a naked
finger and then with a finger wrapped in one layer of toilet paper. (Life Science)
52. Which materials conduct electricity? Try different kinds of liquids too.
(Physical Science)
53. How does the shape of a reflective surface affect the reflection of light?
(Physical Science)
54. What is the relationship between magnification and the focal point of a lens?
(Physical Science)

55. Does the color of a container affect the amount of light energy absorbed?
(Physical Science)
56. How do offspring reflect parents traits? (Life Science)
57. What part(s) of a plant can be used to propagate a plant? (Life Science)
58. Which design of paper plane will fly the furthest? (Physical Science)
59. Who can react faster to a bell - children or adults? (Life Science)
60. Can people identify different kinds of Kool-Aid by taste alone? (Life Science)
61. What is the effect of detergent on the life in pond water? (Use containers of
pond water dont pollute a pond. (Life Science)
62. What effect does salt have on the properties of water? (Example: Acidity
lathering ability with soap, dissolving ability of sugar, freezing and boiling points.)
(Physical Science)
63. What affects the success of making sponge cake? (Physical Science

Coming up with a Good Question

Now that you have picked out a topic that you like and that you
are interested in, its time to write a question or identify a
problem within that topic. To give you an idea of what we mean
you can start off by filling in the question blanks with the
following list of words:
The Effect Question:
What is the effect of _______________ on ____________________?
sunlight
on the growth of plants
eye color
pupil dilation
brands of soda
a piece of meat
temperature
the size of a balloon
oil
a ramp
The How Does Affect Question:
How does the ___________________ affect ___________________?
color of light
the growth of plants

humidity
color of a material

the growth of fungi

its absorption of heat

The Which/What and Verb Question:

Which/What _____________________(verb)______________________?
paper towel
is
most absorbent
foods
do
meal worms prefer
detergent
makes
the most bubbles
paper towel
is
strongest
peanut butter
tastes
the best
Now its your turn:
Create your Science Fair question using either the Effect Question, the
How does Affect Question or the Which/What and Verb Question:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

The Scientific Method

The Written Report
All students must have a journal, for the science fair. The journal is the literacy area that connects
the writing, thinking, research, planning, analysis and conclusion to science fair project.
*The written report can be typed or handwritten neatly at the end to be turned in with
your display board. *
The interviewer can ask you about anything that is written in the report!
The report will consist of four main parts:
Title page
Table of Contents page
The Scientific Method pages
The Bibliography page

1. Title Page
Make a title page that consists of the project title, student name, school, and date.

2. Table of Contents
Make a table of contents that shows where the pages of the Scientific Method process steps are
found with page numbers so these steps can be easily found.
Purpose (question)
Research
Hypothesis (prediction)
Experiment
List of materials
Step by step Procedure
Variablescontrolled and experimental
Recorded data (raw and organized in a table or chart)
Analysis (graph and explanation)

 Conclusion

3. The Scientific Method

In this section you will write what you did or discovered by following each part of
The Scientific Method process. See the Scientific Method process pages (4a and
4b) to know what should be written on each page.
Purpose page
Research pages
Hypothesis page
List of Materials page
Procedural page
Variables page
Data pages
Analysis page
Conclusion page

4. Bibliography
Write a list of the three or more sources you used for research by telling the type of source, title,
and page numbers.

The Scientific Method

The Display Board
Create a display board so your findings can be shown at the science fair. It is a
summary of your project and reflects your written report. This is your showcase.
Make it creative and colorful.
Below are ideas for a great display board.
Physically sound and durably constructed, and able to stand by itself.
Title of your project at the top.
Show all the steps of the Scientific Method process (except the research) with
a brief explanation of each: question, hypothesis, experiment (materials,
procedure, variables, and data gathered that is organized in a chart or table),
analysis (graph and graph explanation), and conclusion. The research will be
in the journal.
Well-organized and easy to follow from one idea to the next.
Neat, edited, and without scribbles and misspelled words.
Creative, pleasing to look at, colorful, with different font sizes to show
emphasis.
Photos of the developing experiment. (Only the student doing the experiment
and family members can be displayed on the board. Other children under 18
on the board need parent permission if under 18 years of age.)
Drawn pictures, artwork, and icons that bring out the ideas of the
experiment.
The journal should be in front of the display. Students like to display items
they used when doing their experiments.

The Scientific Method

The Procedure and Outline
You will follow the steps outlined below. As you perform each step, you will write
what you do and write the results you discover. Finally, you will analyze the results
and come up with a conclusion.
All of your writing is to be written down in your report.
1. Purpose:
Begin by writing a specific question about a science concept that can be answered by following
the Scientific Method process. It is a question where the results can be obtained by using your
five senses and can be measured using math skills. Be sure to write it so it is clearly understood
what you desire to find out. Example: Does the amount of air in a ball affect its bounce?
Remember, it should be in the form of a question.

2. Research:
You need to research your topic using library materials, Internet sites, magazines, textbooks,
encyclopedias, experts, and other available and reliable sources. At least three sources must be
used for the research. A fairly lengthy paragraph should be written telling what you learned
from your three research sources. Be sure the paragraph goes deep into the content learned and
you are not just telling knowledge that is already known. Copying a page from a book or Internet
and placing it in the journal is not research. The research needs to be hand or type written in
your own words. The interviewer can ask you anything that that is written in the journal.

3. Hypothesis:
This is your prediction of what you think the results of the experiment will be, based on your
research. Write the hypothesis in a way that will help answer the purpose (question). If I
fill up a playground ball with more air each time before I bounce it, then it will bounce
higher each time. After you write the hypothesis, you need to write a sentence or two telling
why you think this could be the result of the experiment using the knowledge received from
your research.

4. Experiment:
The experiment tests the hypothesis. The experiment is broken down into four parts as listed
below. The experiment needs to be done at least twice to verify the information. Three or
more times are better.
List of materials
Make a list of all the materials and equipment you will need for the experiment. Using
descriptive words to describe the materials and equipment is important. All liquid and dry
measurements and their quantities need to show.
Step-by-step procedure
Write a step-by-step procedure you will follow to perform the experiment. Write it in the order
you want to follow. Be very descriptive in your writing.
VariablesControlled and Experimental
You need to identify your controlled variables (the things being kept the same) and your
experimental variable (the thing being changed) by writing them down in your journal. The
experimental variable is what is being tested. It is important to keep the test fair by changing
only one variable at a time (experimental variable) and keeping all the other variables the same
(controlled variables).
Observing, measuring, and recording data
1. ObservingObserving is what you notice happening during an experiment. It is done by
using your five senses to notice changes in an experiment.
2. MeasuringMeasuring is counting, tallying, and/or using math equipment and skills to see
how much something has changed during an experiment.
3. RecordingRecording is writing down these observations and measurements that gives you
data to look at. You need to write down the data (information) of what is actually happening
during the experiment from beginning to end using the skills of observation and measurement.
Organize the dataOrganizing is putting the data into a chart or table so it can be looked at
and studied easily.

5. Analysis:
To analyze is to try to understand what happened during the experiment and what the data means.
The easiest way to answer these questions is to graph the data. Graphs show patterns of growth
and/or patterns of change. They can also be used to compare one set of data to another set of
data.
1. Draw a graph in your journal.
From your table or chart make a graph in your journal. It should include a title, labeling of the
axes, plotted data information, and a drawn graph.
2. Write a paragraph about your graph.
Write a paragraph in your journal explaining what the graph is telling you. Be very detailed in
your writing of what the graph is telling you.

The graph and the explanation of what the graph means, need to be written in
the journal.
6. Conclusion:
The conclusion shows evidences of what you learned. It summarizes your learning by answering
some of these questions: Did the results confirm or conflict with the hypothesis? What was

learned from the experiment? Are there any suggestions or new questions to investigate? Were
there any surprises in the results? Why was this investigation important? What does this
experiment tell about the real world? How can this information be applied to real life? What new
insights were discovered that werent known before?

Science Fair Oral Presentation

A lot of kids are scared of speaking in public or to a teacher/judge. Just imagine
they are a fellow scientist who just wants you to share what you learned. Relax,
smile, and have fun. Remember, you are the expert and you had fun doing the
project. But if you are a little nervous, here are some things that you need to do
during the presentation.

Helpful Hints:
o Look sharp, feel sharp, and you will be sharp. Dress nice that day, be polite, and speak clearly.
You will show that you have confidence. Dont forget to look at your audience.
o Introduce yourself. Point to the title of your display. Tell your audience why you chose to study
this.
o State your problem that you studied (your question.) Tell them about your hypothesis (what
you thought might happen.)
o Talk about what you learned while researching your topic.
o Talk about the sources (books, websites, and interviews) that helped you understand your topic.
o Tell about your project and explain the steps you took to conduct your experiment. Be sure to
mention all the materials involved and point out the pictures that you may have taken.
o If it applies, be sure to show them that you tested your experiment at least 3 times.
o Show them all of the cool graphic organizers that you made, like your tables and charts.
Remember to point out the labeled parts of your graph or table to show that you know what it
represents.
o Be sure to explain what your data means. Make sure you can read your graphs and tables. Let
them know if you were surprised by the results, or if you know what would happen because you
studied about it.
o Make sure you sound like an expert on your topic. Always use the appropriate vocabulary
especially by using words from the Scientific Method, like: Problem, Hypothesis, Procedure,
Results, and Conclusions.

SCIENCE FAIR RUBRIC

Name ____________________________________________
Homeroom Teacher ________________________________
Project Title_______________________________________
I.

Written Report
Categories
Title Page/Table of
Contents: Title, name,
homeroom, date, and the table of
contents

Purpose: Problem stated clearly

and as a question

Comments

Scores
/5
/5

Research: Three different

sources cited with well-written
notes

/5

Hypothesis: Well thought out,

educated guess with
explanation of why

/5

Experiment:
o List of materials and step-bystep instructions clearly

/5

written

/5
o Controlled and Experimental
Variables clearly identified

o Sufficient data gathered and

organized

Analysis: Graph accurately made

/5

showing the data and

/5

comparisons with a written

explanation

Conclusion: Reveals evidence

of learning

II.

/5

Display
Neat, edited, and physically sound

/5

Scientific method displayed, easy to

follow, and self-explanatory

/10

Written Report and display showed

a close relationship

/10

Creative Board Design

/5

III. Oral Presentation

Student shows a basic knowledge
of field studied and

/10

able to elaborate
Student is able to explain how the
scientific method was

/10

used
Student shows interest, enthusiasm,
and a passion

/5

toward the project and could tell

how it was personalized
Project shows in-depth thought and
work to solve the

/10

problem
Overall great follow through from

/10

the purpose to the

conclusion

TOTAL
/120