Strategies for Winning Science Fair Projects

Discover the Secrets of Science Fair Success with This Essential Guide . . .Written by a science fair judge and an international science fair winner, this must-have resource is packed with strategies and pointers for putting together a winning science fair project. Here you'll get the nitty-gritty on a wide variety of topics, from the fundamentals of the science fair process to the last-minute details of polishing your presentation, including: Choosing the right project for you Doing research and taking notes Using the scientific method Writing up procedures, data, and conclusions Creating eye-catching backboards Handling pre-contest jitters Dealing with difficult judges and much more With insider tips, checklists, and solid advice from people who've been there, Strategies for Winning Science Fair Projects is the one guide you'll need for science fair season and beyond.

JOYCE HENDERSON is a writer and experienced science fair judge. She is the author of two previous books and many magazine articles.

Introduction

1

(5)

Why Do You Want to Be in the Science Fair?

5

(5)

What Is Involved?

5

(1)

The Benefits

6

(1)

Beyond the Local Competition

7

(2)

The Costs

9

(1)

Getting Started: Selecting a Research Topic

10

(7)

Narrowing the Field

10

(1)

Researching Possible Topics

11

(2)

Keep It Simple

13

(1)

Keep It Narrow

13

(1)

Cause and Effect

14

(1)

Pitfalls to Avoid

14

(3)

There's a Method to the Madness: Using the Scientific Method

17

(9)

Basic Elements of a Science Fair Project

17

(2)

Problem and Hypothesis

19

(1)

Purpose

20

(1)

Background

20

(1)

Materials and Procedure

21

(1)

Data and Results

22

(2)

Conclusion

24

(2)

Who? What? Where? When? and How? The Science Research Paper

26

(9)

Who?

26

(1)

What?

27

(2)

Where?

29

(2)

When?

31

(1)

How?

31

(2)

Putting It Together on One Page

33

(2)

Murphy's Law of Science Research: If Anything Can Go Wrong, It Will

35

(6)

Time Is of the Essence

35

(1)

Creating a Timeline

36

(2)

Time Management Tips

38

(2)

Be Prepared

40

(1)

Safety First: Safety Guidelines for Experimentation

41

(5)

Chemicals

42

(1)

Labs Are Dangerous Places

42

(1)

What's Green, Glows in the Dark, and Is Growing on My Project?

42

(1)

Sterile Technique

43

(1)

Sterilization

43

(2)

Better Safe than Sorry

45

(1)

Data, Not Just a Star Trek Character: How to Interpret and Display Data

46

(9)

Making a Data Table

46

(1)

Mean, Median and Mode: The ``Three Musketeers'' of Statistics

47

(2)

Would You Like That in a Pie, Bar, or Line?

49

(4)

Measuring the Range of Your Results

53

(2)

Misteaks, Mistaxe, Mistackes, Mistakes: Sweating the Small Stuff

55

(8)

Catching Spelling and Grammatical Errors

55

(1)

Common Spelling and Grammatical Errors

56

(1)

Where It's Ok to Make Mistakes

57

(1)

Preventing Plagiarism

57

(1)

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

58

(1)

Bibliography

59

(4)

You Only Have One Chance to Make a First Impression: Your Backboard

63

(11)

Assembly Required

64

(2)

Mats and Lettering

66

(3)

What Should Go Where?

69

(3)

The Finished Product

72

(2)

`Twas the Night Before the Fair

74

(4)

Keeping Your Cool: The Big Day

78

(7)

The ``What If'' Kit

78

(2)

Dress for Success

80

(1)

Meeting and Greeting

80

(1)

The Main Show

81

(2)

The Ugly Judge

83

(1)

Relax!

83

(2)

``Your Honor...'': Who Are the Judges and What Do They Want?

85

(5)

Who Are the Judges?

86

(1)

What Do Judges Want?

86

(2)

What Can You Learn from Your Judges?

88

(1)

Meeting Face-to-Face

88

(2)

Is There Life After the Science Fair?: After the Big Day

90

(5)

Defining Personal Success

90

(1)

Your Science Fair Project: The Sequel

91

(1)

Publishing and Patents

92

(1)

After the Last Fair

92

(1)

Returning as a Judge

93

(2)

A Letter to Parents

95

(4)

Get Involved Early

95

(1)

Assist with Time Management

96

(1)

Assist with Research and Experimentation

97

(1)

Be a Proofreader and Audience

97

(1)

Be Your Child's Cheerleader

97

(1)

You Can't Relive Your Youth

98

(1)

Appendix A: Researching Online

99

(4)

Ask Jeeves

101

(2)

Appendix B: References for Studying Statistics

103

(2)

Glossary

105

(2)

Index

107

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Strategies for Winning Science Fair Projects

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials