Preparing a Sixth-Grade Science Fair Project
A science fair can be a good way for students to display their creativity and knowledge about science. Many schools require participation in science fairs, as well. Because choosing and executing a science project can be complex, entering a science fair may seem difficult. Properly preparing for a science fair with a complete project and display is the best way to ensure that a student does well, has fun, and most importantly, learns something about science.
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Instructions
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Read the rules of the science fair. All science fairs will be slightly different. Knowing the rules will help prevent the student from choosing a project or making a display that is not allowed, and save her from the emotional upset of an unexpected disqualification.
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Choose a project. It is important to do this step carefully. Do not choose projects that are overly complicated or time-consuming; a sixth-grader will have the easiest time executing a project that requires only a few materials and can be done over a single session. A complex scientific concept is better than a complex experiment. Do choose projects that capture the interest of the student, as that makes it much easier to focus on and make a good presentation.
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Research. It is necessary to make a hypothesis for the project, which means that the student will need to look at information to form an opinion about what he or she thinks will happen. Try to find articles that show research similar to the project or explanations of the scientific principles that are demonstrated in the project. Be sure to to take proper notes and citations; this will help later.
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Form a hypothesis based on the research, and write it down. Make sure that the experiment will answer the hypothesis.
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Determine how to execute the experiment. Create a step-by-step plan and eliminate extra variables as much as possible; ideally, the experiment will test a single variable.
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Conduct the experiment. Be careful and make plenty of notes. A camera can be helpful for visually recording results as well.
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Based upon the results, draw a conclusion. Was the hypothesis correct or incorrect? Did you get any unusual results? A hypothesis does not need to be correct for an experiment to be a success. It is important to determine what you learned and why you think that you obtained the results that you did.
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Write up the experiment. A summary must include a title for the experiment, research, an abstract, the hypothesis, step-by-step procedures, data, conclusions and a list of all of the citations for the research. Create graphs of the data, if applicable. Extra information may be needed to fulfill specific science fair requirements.
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Prepare a tri-fold board, which is the standard way to display the information from a project for a science fair. Use the board to show all of the parts of the experimental summary. Pictures, diagrams and graphs are all very useful. If permissible by the rules, bring some of the experimental set-up to the fair. Be creative with the board, but be sure that it can be easily seen by the judges.
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References
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