Santiago High School

Science FairPresented by:

Ms. Bergen, Mrs. Espinosa, Mrs. Knight

What is the California science fair?

When is Science Fair??

Santiago High SchoolJanuary 2015

DistrictFeb. 2015

County April 2015

StateApril 30-May1, 2012

Student Benefits

College

– Science Fair Participation looks great when applying to college!

– Looks even better if you advance to district, county, or state!

– At the county and state levels there are numerous cash awards, prizes, and scholarships!

What do you need to do?

Overview

6 Basic Science Fair Project Steps1. Ask a question.2. Do background research and report.3. Construct a hypothesis.4. Test the hypothesis by doing an

experiment.5. Analyze the data and draw a

conclusion.6. Communicate the results.

Ask a question

How to Pick a Good Question The question should be interesting enough—you

will be working with it for the next couple months. There should be at least three sources of written

information on the subject. Make sure the experiment is safe to perform. Ensure there is enough time to do the experiment

before the science fair. For example, most plants take weeks to grow.

Ask a question, continued

Here’s a helpful resource to find a great project idea.Visit the Science Buddies website at www.sciencebuddies.org

to utilize these tools:

– The Topic Selection Wizard This brief online survey recommends project ideas that are best for your child, based on his or her interests.

– Project Ideas Pick from a huge selection of project ideas, organized by difficulty level, and featuring safety guidelines, materials lists, and required time for each project.

The Display

Traditional 3-sided board.

Can be up to 9 feet tall and 4 feet wide!

Doesn’t have to be traditional—could be a flat board

BOARDS!

Keys to a WINNING Project

Interesting, unique topic (Santiago Science Fair teachers can help you with this!)

Topic has a ‘real-world’ impact or relevance

LOTS of DATA!Quality board, good 1st impression

How to Get Help

Santiago will offer at lunch and after school sessions to help with project ideas, research, experimenting, and making the board

Sessions will begin in November Contact Ms. Bergen (J103), Mrs. Espinosa

(P200), or Mrs. Knight (P206) for more info or help!

Last Year’s State Fair: