Science Project Checklist
O 1. Ask a QUESTION that you can investigate
yourself. Make sure you have a control and
variables that you can test and measure.
O 2. Begin a JOURNAL to write down everything
you do, observe, and think during your
investigation.
You will need to have at least 5 journal
entries. Journal entries should be dated for
each time recorded and at least a paragraph
long for each entry.
O 3. Form a HYPOTHESIS about what you think
the answer to your question will be.
O 4. Plan a PROCEDURE to TEST your hypothesis.
Decide what MATERIALS you will need and
write STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS for what you
will do and how you will do it. Make sure you
follow the rules for SCIENCE SAFETY and
1
WORKING WITH ANIMALS. **Please check
SARSEF rules for use of people/animals in
experiments. These experiments must be pre-
approved by the organization to be judged**
www.sarsef.org
O 5. Fill out your SCIENCE PROJECT PROPOSAL
and sign it. Then, have your teacher and your
parents sign it too! This should be completed
before you actually do the steps of your
procedure.
O 6. Follow the step-by-step directions of your
procedure and RECORD your data onto your
chart/graph.
O 7. COLLECT and ORGANIZE your DATA. Then
make a GRAPH of the results, so others can see
at a glance what you’ve learned.
2
O 8. Write a CONCLUSION statement which either
restates your hypothesis (if it is supported) or
revises it (if it is not supported).
O 9. Type a SCIENCE PROJECT REPORT that
summarizes your investigation. The information
for your report has been recorded on your
project proposal on page 7. Improve your
proposal and type it up. An example of a
completed report is on pages 11&12.
O 10. Be prepared to give an ORAL
PRESENTATION. There is an example on page
9 to help you get started.
O 11. Construct your SCIENCE PROJECT
DISPLAY. All displays should contain the
fundamental information including the Question,
Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Data, Results,
and Conclusion. Feel free to include an abstract
which is required for SARSEF.
SARSEF board regulations: Projects in Grades K-
8 must be no more than:30 in. deep (front to back),
36 in. wide (side-side), 42 in. high (only for table-
display)
3
An abstract is a brief (250 words or less), written
discussion/summary of your Science Project. It includes: The
Project Title, The purpose of your project / experiment: An
introductory statement explaining the reason for the research, or
a statement of the problem, hypothesis or question A
summary/description of the procedures, emphasizing the key
points or steps The results and observations made Conclusions of
your investigation and it may also include any possible research
applications or goals. If there is space, you may also include
where this will take you next.
Science Project
Completion Schedule
For _________________________
Keep this schedule in a place where it is easily
seen.
4
Assignmen Date Due Date Point
t Comple s
ted award
ed
Question /10
Hypothesis /10
Completed /20
Project
Proposal
Parent /10
Signature
pg. 8
5 Journal /50
Entries
Report /100
Oral /100
Presentatio
n
Project /45
Display
Total /345
points 5
possible
Rubric for Oral Presentation:
Question: ___/10 Comments:
Hypothesis: ___/10 _______________________________________
Materials: ___/10 _______________________________________
Directions: ___/10 _______________________________________
Results: ___/10 _______________________________________
Conclusion: ___/20 _______________________________________
Application: ___/20 _______________________________________
Clarity: ___/10 ________________________________________
Total: ____ /100
Rubric for Project Report:
Question: ___/10 Comments:
Hypothesis: ___/10 _______________________________________
Materials: ___/10 _______________________________________
Directions: __/20 _______________________________________
Results: ___/10 _______________________________________
Conclusion: ___/20 _______________________________________
Application: ___/20 _______________________________________
Total: ____ /100
Rubric for Journal:
Dated Entries: _____/10 Comments:
(2 points per day) _________________________________
Detailed Entries: ____/40 _________________________________
Includes detailed information about _______________________________________
what is happening during the project, _______________________________________
data/results, changes or ideas
6
Science Fair Project Board Rubric
Project Title: ________________________
Rubric Items
Part I Scientific
Procedure: Impressive Adequate
Minimal
Clear & specific question 5 4 3 2
1
Clear & specific hypothesis 5 4 3 2
1
Complete & thorough 5 4 3 2 1
Method (Step by Step)
Complete & thorough 5 4 3 2 1
Data (logs, graphs, tables...)
Conclusion supported by Data 5 4 3 2
1
Conclusion relevant to 5 4 3 2 1
Hypothesis
Part II Originality:
Original topic or approach 5 4 3 2
1
Part III Simplicity:
7
Appropriate Materials & 5 4 3 2
1
Construction
Clarity of overall project 5 4 3 2
1
Total Possible: 45
Your Score: ____
Comments:
Selecting a Science Topic
After you have selected an area of science that interests you, think
about a question that you are curious about and would like to solve. The
question you try to solve will be the topic of your science fair project. You
need to choose a question that can be answered by the experiment and that
you can do. Do not choose a question that does not interest you or one that is
too hard to solve.
This sample of research questions are from four areas of science:
behavioral, life, physical and earth science. They may help you think of your
own research question.
How does electricity travel through wires?
How is electricity generated from solar energy?
How can rusting be prevented?
How can gasoline make a car move?
How can a tomato plant be grafted to a potato plant?
How does overcrowding affect life in a terrarium?
How does gravity affect the growth of a plant?
How is a bridge built so it does not collapse?
How do soft drinks affect teeth?
How does exercise affect the heart?
How accurately are weather and natural disasters forecasted?
How do pesticides affect plants?
What effects do freezing and thawing have on rocks?
What pollutes our water?
8
An investigation of bacteria and fingernails
Why do rocks sink and supertankers float?
The effects of a classroom seating arrangement on student
performance
The effects of eye dominance on task performance
Project Proposal
Project Title: _________________________
Question:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Hypothesis:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Materials:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
9
Step-by-Step Directions:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
__________________
Results
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
________________________________
Conclusion
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________
10
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________
______________________________________________________
_______________
Application
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________
APPROVED:
This is a topic that I have chosen, reviewed with my
parents, and will commit to working on diligently. I
understand that this is a large part of my Science
grade and will put my best effort, time, and hard
work into earning a good grade.
___________________________ ___________
Student Date
11
I have looked over the project with my student and
will support and help them to complete their project
on time.
____________________________ ____________
Parent/Guardian Date
____________________________ ____________
Teacher Date
Sample Experiment My Oral
Presentation
Use the following outline as a guide.
The title of my project is ____________________________________.
I became interested in doing this project when
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
The Question I asked was
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
The Hypothesis I formed was
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
The Procedure I used to test my hypothesis was to
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
12
(Use as few words as possible.)
I repeated this procedure ___ times to make certain that my results were valid.
The Results were
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
The results showed that my hypothesis was ____________________________________
(supported or not supported)
The Conclusion I reached was
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(If your hypothesis was supported, restate your hypothesis. If you hypothesis was not
supported, state your revised hypothesis.)
If I were to do this investigation again, I would
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(Write something you might change, or do differently.)
13
Example Project Report
Problem Statement:
Does insecticide protect lima bean plants from insects?
Purpose:
To see if lima bean plants can thrive at the same rate
with and without the use of insecticides.
Hypothesis:
If insecticide is sprayed on lima bean plants, then the
plants will be protected from insects.
Materials:
One pack of lima bean seeds (25 seeds) Sixteen 10”
plant pots
One 16oz. Can of Ortho insecticide One 5lb bag of
potting soil
Procedure:
14
1. Sixteen lima been seeds will be planted in 10” plant pots.
All 16 plants will have the same amount of water and
sunlight for the entire experiment.
2. At the start of the second week, insecticide will be
sprayed on all of the plants in Group B, plants 9-16.
3. Twice a week, for the rest of the experiment, insecticide
will be sprayed on the plants in Group B.
4. The health of all the plants will be looked at every day. As
signs of insect damage occur, they will be noted and their
progression checked as the experiment continues.
5. The data will be recorded in a data log and pictures will
be taken weekly of all the plants in the experiment.
6. By the 7th week, the experiment will end and the results
will be calculated.
7. The results will then be compared to the hypothesis.
Controls:
All plants in the experiment will be grown in 10” plant
pots and will receive the same amount of water and
sunlight. Group A, plants 1-8, will be my control group.
Variable(s):
Insecticide will be sprayed only on the plants in Group B,
plants 9-16.
Data:
Please see my data log, graphs and photographs for data
information.
Observations and Results:
For the first two weeks, all the lima bean plants grew
without any problem. All 16 plants were growing at the
same rate and were healthy. In the third week, little white
15
spots began to appear on the leaves of some of the
Group A plants. Two days later, holes appeared on the
leaves of most of the plants in Group A. It was observed
that small, green caterpillars were eating the leaves
where the holes were. All the plants in Group B continued
to be healthy and grow. IN the 5h week, there were no
leaves left on the unsprayed plants. By the end of the
experiment, all but one of the unsprayed plants in Group
A had died. All the plants in Group B were alive.
Conclusions:
The conclusion supported the hypothesis that insecticide
would protect lima bean plants from insects> all of the
plants in Group B that were sprayed with insecticide had
no damage from insects, while caterpillars at the
unsprayed plants in Group A. However, two of the
sprayed plants in Group B developed a fungus in week 6.
It is also concluded that another substance, such as a
fungicide, may be needed to help lima bean plants grow
properly.
Application:
Farmers can use insecticide to protect their lima bean
plants from being eaten by insects. By using insecticides,
farmers can make more money because more of their
crops will be able to be harvested.
16
The Scientific Method
When conducting a science experiment, one should use the scientific method. The
scientific method is an orderly system used to solve problems. Many scientists through
years of research and study formed the general rules of the scientific method.
1. Identify the Problem
2. Collect all available information
3. Develop a hypothesis
4. Design an experiment before doing it
5. Perform an experiment to test your hypothesis
6. Observe, record, and analyze your data
7. Repeat the experiment
8. Draw conclusions about the experiment from
analyzed data
17
9. Applications (how it applies to real life
situations)
18
