Plan-Develop-Display-Present Science Projects
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Science Fair

It's Science Fair season across the country. Science Fairs provide an environment for students to explore their world through scientific methods.

Helping all of your students find a project they'll enjoy might be a challenge. Remind your students that science goes beyond the walls of the classroom and that it's a part of their daily lives. Encourage students to consider their interests. Is there a sport they like to play? Maybe they like to paint. If students pick a topic they are truly interested in, they are likely to be more successful with their project. After students have chosen a topic, it's time to explore their topic using the scientific method. 

Ask a question - What do you want to find out about your topic?
Do Research - What is already known about your topic?
Develop a Hypothesis - What do you expect to prove with your experiment? 
Experiment - Observe controlled tests.
Draw Conclusions - What can you learn from your observations? 
Present Results - Create a display or poster to illustrate your project. 

Many students are likely to research their project online. There are thousands of science fair project ideas online. This amount of information may be overwhelming for some students. Science Fair season is a great time for a lesson on how to effectively use search engines. Encourage students to give some thought to the keywords they choose. Picking more targeted keywords like "Grade 4 Science Fair Projects" will help students find general ideas while "Grade 4 Science Physics Fair Projects" will help them find physics related projects.  If you know your students are going to be doing their research online at home, it might also be a good idea to remind them of basic internet safety tips. Reminders could include:

• Never give personal information like addresses, phone numbers.
  
• Never give out the name and location of their school.
  
• Never send or accept pictures.
  
• Always report any inappropriate or harassing messages.

A science fair project can span over weeks, so it might be helpful to provide your students with a timeline and checklist. Knowing what they should have compete, and when it should be done will help keep students on track. Some items to include in a checklist could include: choose a topic, conduct research, gather materials and record observations.

Informing students about what the judges are looking for is also helpful. Remind students the judges will be looking for lots of different things. Scientific thought, creativity and presentation are all important things to remember when thinking about their Science Fair projects.