GRADES 1-4 SCIENCE FAIR PARTICIPANT MANUAL SATURDAY JANUARY 27, 2018

Central Office 7946 Beechmont Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45255 513-231-3600 Fax: 513-231-3830 www.foresthills.edu Scot T. Prebles Superintendent Mike Broadwater Assistant Superintendent

Dear Science Fair Participant, We are so excited you have decided to join us for the 2018 Forest Hills School District Science Fair on Saturday, January 27 at Nagel Middle School! In this manual, you will find guidelines on how to choose a Science Fair project, what items are off-limits, suggestions for building your Science Fair display and relevant dates and times for the fair. Reading this information is an excellent way to put yourself on the path to a superior Science Fair project. As a Science Fair participant, there are a few types of projects that we are asking you to avoid for safety reasons including projects that include any type of microorganism, potentially hazardous chemical, explosives, drugs, alcohol or weapons. There are many ways to identify project ideas, including visiting your local library for books on Science Fair projects. In addition, an internet search will return dozens of sites dedicated to helping students choose developmentally appropriate projects. For more hints, you may contact a Science Fair school representative: ● Ayer – Holly Sattler ([email protected]) ● Maddux – Ashley Boeiro ([email protected]) and Kristi Strakowski ([email protected]) ● Mercer – Melissa Oakley([email protected]) ● Sherwood – Wendy Galluppi ([email protected]) ● Summit – Joe Turner ([email protected]) ● Wilson – Amanda Hatton ([email protected]) The registration deadline for the FHSD Science Fair is December 15, 2017. Please follow the link on the last page of the manual to register before this date. Each project only needs to be registered once. We look forward to working with you through the Science Fair process and cannot wait to see your project at the fair! Sincerely,

Meghan Lawson Associate Director, Secondary Programs

FHSD SCIENCE FAIR Nagel Middle School Saturday, January 27, 2018 INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS You are invited to be a part of one of the most exciting events in Forest Hills School District… THE SCIENCE FAIR. You can have fun and discover more about the world around you. How many times have you asked “how” to parents, friends, or family? We’d like to introduce you to a great way to answer some of those questions yourself. The Science Fair Experiment: 1. First, find a question that really interests you. Observe your surroundings. Does something make you wonder? The question must be something that can be tested. 2. What do you think is the answer to your question? 3. Plan a test for your question. Use what you’ve seen, heard, felt, or smelled to help you plan your test. 4. Test and record what happened. 5. Decide whether your test answered your question or not. 6. Display your experiment so that you can share what you have learned with the judges and others at the fair. 7. That’s all there is to it. You’ve become a successful research scientist following the steps of a scientific process. 8. (You can ask mom or dad to help you plan, but YOU are the researcher.) 9. Example Question #1 a. Question: What causes the water in my fish bowl to go down every week? b. Possible Answers: Do you think the sun makes a difference? Do you think putting a lid on the bowl will make a difference? c. Plan a Test: Measure the water level in the bowl and keep track of whether the sun is shining through the window and what the water level is. 10. Example Question #2 a. Question: Some days I drink more water than on other days. What causes this? b. Possible Answers: Does the temperature outside make a difference? If it is raining does it make a difference? c. Plan a Test: Keep track of how many times you take a drink of water and the temperature outside.

No student may submit a project that uses any of the following: ❖ explosives ❖ drugs (prescription, illegal) ❖ alcohol ❖ weapons (firearms, knives, tasers, etc.) ❖ any type of microorganism ❖ potentially hazardous chemical

The following items may be used in projects, but may not be brought to the fair: ❖ potential allergens (any product containing nuts, including soaps and creams, latex, etc.) ❖ all animals ❖ over the counter medications ❖ potentially infectious agents (including all Petri dishes with growth) ❖ flammable materials ❖ hazardous biological agents (bacteria, viruses, viroid’s, prions, rickettsia, fungi, parasites, recombinant DNA (rDNA) technologies or human or animal fresh/frozen tissues, blood, or body fluids).

Science Fair Display Should Have: 1. A report in your own words telling: ❖ the title of your project; ❖ what the “why” is; ❖ your guess as to your question’s answer or what will happen in the experiment (hypothesis); ❖ the materials you used; ❖ the steps you followed to test your guess (procedure); ❖ your observations; and ❖ your experiment’s result if it doesn’t prove your guess (conclusion). It is okay if it doesn’t prove it. Not all research is right all of the time. 2. A poster board with the title of your project and an explanation of your research. Pictures, etc. are helpful. (The poster board should be able to stand on its own on a table). 3. A display of the materials you used in your experiment. REMEMBER: Models of any kind are not a research project.

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Hints for Display Panel

Display must be no more than 24 inches deep, from the front of the table to the back. ➢ It must not take up more than 36 inches from side to side. ➢ The display board can be made with hinges so it can be folded for carrying and sturdy enough to stand by itself. These sizes are strictly enforced; there are no exceptions to this size limit.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WHEN DO I SETUP MY PROJECT? Exhibits must be set up between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday, January 26, 2018 at Nagel Middle School. HOW DO I SET UP MY PROJECT? Table space will be provided in the Nagel cafetorium with extra tables available in the auxiliary gym if needed. Students must bring all materials they need for their project. The district will provide no materials other than a table. Students will be assigned table space as they send in their applications. This information will be given to them one week before the fair. It is recommended you bring your table assignment with you on Friday so you can easily locate your table.

WHAT TIME DOES THE JUDGING OCCUR? Elementary projects will be judged from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Saturday, January 27, 2018. Judging of science projects can take a long time and the student must remain by his/her project until it is evaluated by three (3) judges. It is strongly recommended that the student bring something to do (book to read, lap game, etc.) while waiting for the three (3) judges. Students do not have to be at the school until 8:45 a.m. Students should be standing by their projects by 8:55 a.m. ALL STUDENTS MUST BE PRESENT FOR THE JUDGING. The judging should be completed by 12 p.m. WHEN DO I PICK UP MY AWARD/PROJECT? Every student who participates in the Science Fair will be awarded a certificate of recognition. Ribbons for the rating received will be awarded to each participating student. Science Fair projects and certificates, should be picked up between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Ribbons will be send to the schools the following week. Any projects left in the display area after 1:30 p.m. will be discarded.

RATING TABLE Projects entered in the Forest Hills Science Fair will be judged on the basis of the qualities shown below. NOTE: The evaluation criteria identified in the Ratings Table require that students be interviewed at the exhibition. Obviously, students will have to be present to explain their projects to judges and visitors. Only the student should be present when being interviewed by the judges. We request that parents step away from the judging area when their children are being interviewed.

SUPERIOR EXCELLENT GOOD

SATISFACTORY

KNOWLEDGE ACHIEVED

10-9

8-7-6

5-4-3

2-1

EFFECTIVE USE OF SCIENTIFIC METHOD

10-9

8-7-6

5-4-3

2-1

CLARITY OF EXPRESSION

10-9

8-7-6

5-4-3

2-1

ORIGINALITY AND CREATIVITY

10-9

8-7-6

5-4-3

2-1

The minimum number of points for each rating is as follows: Superior………………….36 Excellent…………………24

Good…………………………12 Satisfactory………………….. 4

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS Children are naturally curious. Parents can help develop their child’s curiosity. One of the best ways to do this is to encourage and support their child’s participation in a Science Fair. Even a child as young as a first grader can conceive, design and carry out a successful science fair project regardless of whether the end product supports the original question or hypothesis. Parents can aid their children in developing a Science Fair project by encouraging the use of open-ended questioning. For example: Why do birds sing in the morning? Why do people look different? Why do people in families look the same? Nurture a questioning environment by saying such things as “Let’s find out together,” or “Why do you think it’s so?” Parents, remember: in an open-ended question situation it is your role to guide, NOT to provide the answers. Children are very capable of providing answers on their own when encouraged to do so. Your main role in a Science Fair project is to provide support. It’s the child’s role to be the researcher. In an elementary situation, a Science Fair project can be designed and carried out at low cost using materials found in the house. While neatness and attention to the detail of scientific method are important, the amount of money spent on an experiment should be small in terms of its construction to the overall acceptability of the experiment.

Parent Role 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Have your child ask questions until he/she finds one that captures his/her curiosity. Have your child make observations. Have your child make an educated guess. Here you can help your child plan the experiment. When your child feels comfortable about the experimental plan, have the child begin working. Be prepared to take the child to purchase inexpensive materials for his/her experiment. Please set reasonable guidelines. It is important that the child take the responsibility for the actual experimentation involved in the project. This is true even if the hypothesis is proven incorrect. The child must learn that not all research is 100% successful.

SCIENCE FAIR TIMES Plan to have your Science Fair project set up on January 26th, 2018 between 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. prior to the Science Fair on January 27st. Due to the size of the fair, it will be impossible to set up experiments at any other time. The majority of the elementary projects will be located in the Nagel cafetorium, depending on the number of participants some students may be located in the auxiliary gym. Plan on bringing the information with your table assignment with you. If a student has not received notification of their table assignment one week before the fair, please contact Nancy Gardner ([email protected]) for a table assignment. All students must be present from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. when their Science Fair experiments are judged by all three judges on Saturday. NO EXCEPTIONS! The interaction between judges and the researcher is critical to the successful completion of the entire Science Fair project. Science Fair projects and certificates should be picked up between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Ribbons will be sent to your student’s school the following week. Exhibits must be removed between 11:30 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Any exhibits not removed by 12:30 p.m. will be discarded. The Science Fair will be OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FROM 6:30 P.M. UNTIL 7:30 P.M. on Friday evening.

You are now ready to register for the Science Fair. To do so, please click on the image below.

APPENDIX A Qualified Scientist Form: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9cXxVCNwsdHY2JNaUxFM052aEk Live Animal Vertebrate Form: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9cXxVCNwsdHRTQ3THVTUzZzbEE Human Participant Form: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9cXxVCNwsdHN250XzVIcUNSRWc Human Participant Consent Form: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9cXxVCNwsdHQ2NMdkpZbkhlYUE