In Wikihow, there are many articles regarding science projects: picking topics,making easy projects, and designing science fair projects. This article, however, gives you step by step directions that are easy to understand and cover all aspects of planning a successful experiment that will help you learn and earn a good grade.
Step 1
Prepare yourself for the project. Talk to your teacher and ask for suggestions. Make a list of what he or she says will earn a good grade. Keep these requirements in mind while designing your project. If your teacher hands out any worksheets regarding the science fair, keep them together in a folder (Make sure no other papers are in the folder. This is your 'Science Fair' folder from now on.).
Step 2
Research topics that interest you. A big mistake people make is to stick with the 'science' field, limiting their choices and making everything a bore. When you think about it, everything is in the science field. For example, if you love art, you could research how the chemicals in paint react or how they make the artificial colors. After researching, pick the topic that interests you most. Put collected information in your 'Science Fair' folder. Don't forget to cite your sources!
Step 3
Hypothesize : form a hypothesis that poses a relevant and interesting question. Write it down, and put it in your 'Science Fair' folder.
Step 4
Plan what you will do for your experiment. Decide what steps will prove/disprove or answer your hypothesis. Make a list of what materials you will need as well as the specific procedures you will perform. Put this list in your 'Science Fair' folder.
Step 5
Purchase all materials you need for your experiment. Be sure to have extras of things; you never know what will happen, and repeating experiments a few times (and averaging the data) can produce more accurate results.
Step 6
Set up your experiment. Find a place where it won't be bothered, and cover surfaces with newspapers or the like so you have no risk of spillage soiling your surroundings.
Step 7
Experiment ! Perform the procedures you wrote earlier. Record all data and reactions observed in detail, and store your notes in your 'Science Fair' folder.
Step 8
Think about all you observed. This is a good time to write a rough draft of a report if you need to write one. Use the information in your 'Science Fair' folder to assist you.
Step 9
Complete your project. Type your report, make a poster, etc. A good idea is to have a scale model of the setup of the experiment for Science Fair judges to view. This step is one of the easiest because everything you need is one convenient folder. Glad we did that earlier, eh?
Step 10
Accept the grade/place you got, and know that whatever it is, it's excellent because you tried your hardest.
Tips
- Pick a topic that is interesting to you so that the project won't seem like such a bore.
- Don't be too critical on yourself; it leads to frustration.
Warnings
- Always use gloves and goggles when handling chemicals.
- Know that the internet is not always truthful.
- Be sure to cite your sources, plagiarism is a guaranteed F.
- And when you DO have a paper that was on the internet, Use it to recite the paper in your own words.
- Check your work before handing it in, make sure that what you wrote isnt a bunch of answers that will not be needed in the science fair (although getting more research MIGHT give you extra points but not too much, you want a little extra space on your paper/board/etc.)
- Dont Go overboard, teachers are looking for specific things, not something that will take their attention away from something that you didnt put on your board/paper/etc.
