Project+Overview

MWV Middle School Science Project : Overview
Objectives: The student will design and conduct an independent science project. Throughout the project, the student will demonstrate proficiency with specific science concepts, processes, and skills. The student will create a display that presents the project. The student will be prepared to answer questions about their project. A student who would like to enter their project in the MWV Regional Science Fair may do so with their teacher’s recommendation.

Timeline:
November, 2008 - Plan and design project. Post ideas and designs to the wiki December, 2008 - Complete project work (observations, experiment, survey, etc.). Post your data and journal entries. January, 2009 - Write up of results (analysis and conclusions), create project display. Post your results. Add any necessary multimedia. February, 2009 - Display and present project at local school / team level.

Students who are interested are encouraged to make revisions and submit their projects to the [|Mount Washington Valley Science Fair]. The fair is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14th, 2008.

Project Summary:
The project should follow the processes of the “Scientific Method”. While science does not always follow this exact sequence, it may be helpful to proceed in this order.


 * 1) Brainstorm curiosities and questions. Select an area to focus upon.
 * 2) Develop a question to investigate.
 * 3) Research the question and its variables to gain background knowledge.
 * 4) Based upon the research findings, determine a new strand of the research question for which there is limited knowledge. This will become the experiment question.
 * 5) Define the experiment variables and question, making sure it is a “testable question”.
 * 6) Formulate a “hypothesis” that predicts the outcomes of the experiment.
 * 7) Design a controlled experiment that tests the question by manipulating the variables.
 * 8) Conduct the experiment and record the results. Data could include observations,
 * 9) images, and measurements.
 * 10) Summarize and analyze the results (tables & graphs), looking for patterns or trends.
 * 11) Interpret the data and determine the level of support for the hypothesis.
 * 12) Answer the experiment question (if possible) and draw conclusions.
 * 13) Create a report of the experiment design, results, and conclusions.
 * 14) Create an abstract about the experiment.
 * 15) Create a display about the project and present the information to others.