Science fair projects -Making a winning science project Step 4 – A Sample Project

 Here I will show how ideas can be converted into science fair projects. You will be conducting an exploratory experiment in detail. This experiment will help you to get data that supports your hypothesis. During the course of this article I will teach you how to collect data and ideas that will help you design your science fair project.

In order to launch science fair projects successfully, the following steps are important:

- Maintain a Project Journal: This will help you to keep track of your progress. This is especially useful after experimentation when you must prepare your project report.

- Title and Problem Question: Your title must be catchy and at the same time explain your project theme. Your problem question is the question for which you will propose an answer (hypothesis) and which you will support with your experiment. I would suggest that you should wait for a little later and not hurry with this part, since you will be in a better position to choose a title and the problem question once you are done with your research. So don’t worry too much about it now.

- Materials: Write down a list of materials you need so that you don’t miss any. I would suggest that you use household items or articles that could be purchased at a hardware store or a grocery store at a cheap price. Be ready with all the required supplies before starting the experiment in order to avoid delays and interruptions. Use only the material suggested. If you want to use a different material, you must talk to your teacher. I would suggest that measurements for science fair projects should always be in metric units rather than English units because metric units are helpful in measuring small amounts.

- Maintain An Organizer: It is important that you begin working on your project at the right time- not earlier, not later. I would suggest a six-week period. Organize your actions in a tabular format wherein on the left hand side you mention every task you must perform in a six-week period. The list must be exhaustive and include everything. On the right hand side make columns for deadline date and completed date.

The task list on the left hand side could include:

• Choose a topic
• Begin the journal entries
• Begin research
• Interview professionals
• Buy material for display
• Take photographs
• Begin display setup

Set a deadline for each task, and write down the completed date.

This section includes the steps required to conduct the experiment from the beginning to the end. Science fair projects should always adopt the Scientific Method. Please my other articles on the Scientific Method which describes every step with examples and illustrations.

You must have jotted down a whole set of observations as numbers in your journal. Although you may know what they mean, they may not make sense to someone else if displayed in the same manner. These numbers are called raw data.

- Organize Data: These numbers are meaningless unless they are organized systematically and labeled. In order to organize your data, which reflect your observation, you need to arrange them in simple tables or graphs. Tables contain rows and columns that neatly display your data. You can use a bar graph, a line graph, a pictograph or a pie chart to make your data attractive.

- Take Photographs: Photographs can be used to display your data. Ask a friend to take your photographs at different stages of the experiment. Write the procedure of your project experiment step by step and display your photographs alongside to add more meaning. These photographs could be used during display in the science fair hall.

- Explain Your Results: Now that your result is represented using graphs, photographs and tables, write down an explanation of your results. Ask the question, “Why?” Write down all the possible questions that come to your mind. Now you will arrive at your problem question. At this point write down your problem question, and decide on a topic or title. After deciding on a problem and a topic, you must form a hypothesis and conduct a deeper research.

If you’re ready to get going with your own science project, your next step is to download a free copy of “Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects” right now.