the scientific method the engineering design process
TRANSCRIPT
Watchung Borough Schools Watchung, NJ 07069
Mary T. Nunn, Principal Mike Vignola, Assistant Principal
March 11, 2016
Dear Families, We would like to invite all second through fifth graders to participate in the annual Science Fair! This is an opportunity to be part of an exciting event that encourages students to think like scientists. The goal of this activity is for students to experience science firsthand in a non‐competitive environment. Projects will be shared at the fair, but will not be judged. This year, to provide students the opportunity to use science knowledge and skills just as scientists, engineers and mathematicians do in the real world, we are giving students a choice. Families can choose between a project that will follow the Scientific Method or a project that will follow the Engineering Design Process. Please take a look at the planning pages to learn more about the two choices. Parents, your involvement and support could mean the difference between a stressful experience and an exciting learning adventure. Parental guidance will be essential as your child tackles this project, and we encourage your support. It is important that your child wrestles with problems and tries to solve them. Guide your child whenever and wherever you can, but let the final project reflect your child’s individual effort and design. The more your child does by him/herself, the greater the benefit and pride in his/her accomplishment. The most important outcome of your child’s science project is the joy and learning that comes from scientific discovery. We hope you agree that the educational benefits are numerous, as students develop skills in writing, oral presentation, creative thinking, and problem solving. Your completed Science Fair project may be an experiment or a design prototype. The project must contain a Scientist’s Notebook and Display Board. Young scientists will have the opportunity to describe their projects at the evening Science Fair event. On the attached pages, you will find helpful information regarding the Science Fair project:
● The Scientific Process vs. The Engineering Design Process ● Suggested Topics and Categories ● Project Plan ● Steps to Science Fair Success ● The Scientist’s Notebook ● Science Fair Timeline, listing all checkpoints and deadlines
We look forward to watching your child enjoy this unique opportunity for scientific discovery! Sincerely, Elaine Chesebro and Arielle Goldstein
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The Scientific Method The Engineering Design Process
State your question Define the problem
Do background research Do background research
Formulate your hypothesis Specify requirements
Design experiment, establish procedure Create alternative solutions, choose the
best one and develop it
Test your hypothesis by doing an
experiment
Build a prototype
Analyze your results and draw conclusions Test and redesign as necessary
Communicate results Communicate results
Steps of The Scientific Method Steps of The Engineering Design Process
Scientific Method Compared to the Engineering Process:
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Suggested Topics and Categories
Here are some ideas to help you choose your topic!.
∙ Physics: Do you wonder why or how things work? If so, then you might want to choose
Physics for your category. Topic examples may include matter, electricity, magnetism, sound,
light, or energy.
∙ Earth and Space: Are you curious about Earth or outer space? This may be the category for
you. Topic examples may include weather, geology, rocks, fossils or volcanoes, or our sun, stars
and planets.
∙ Life Science: Do you like plants or animals? Are you curious about why humans behave in
certain ways? If so then Life Science may be your category.
∙ Chemistry: Are you interested in how chemicals react? There is chemistry in cooking, or you
can make various solutions. Topic examples may include: crystal creations, bubbles, rust, baking
soda and vinegar, and other chemical reactions.
∙ Engineering: Do you have a problem you want to solve? Do you want to design or create an
innovative solution? Examples include: How can I prevent children from getting into kitchen
cupboards? Which building design best withstands an earthquake? Can you build a Robot arm
out of straws or Legos?
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Project Plan
Use this Project Plan to help guide you through your project. You can write notes and ideas
here, but please remember, your Scientist’s Notebook is your final copy!
STEP 1 – Scientific Question OR Define the Engineering Problem: What is the question you
are trying to answer OR the problem you are trying to solve?
Example(s):
∙ Science Question I am going to answer: “Which brand of diaper is the most absorbent?” This
is a good question that will take you through the steps of the scientific process.
∙ Engineering Problem I am going to solve: “How can I prevent children from getting into
cabinets where there are chemicals? This problem would allow you to design a solution, build a
prototype, and test its effectiveness.
Will you be using the Scientific Method OR the Engineering Process? (Hint – Most projects will
follow the Scientific Method, but if the objective of your project is to invent a new product,
experience, or environment, then it makes sense to follow the Engineering Design Process.)
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STEP 2 – Do Research After choosing your category and asking a question or defining the problem, it is important to
complete some research to better understand what your investigation is about. How do you
complete research? You need to read! The information you gather while completing your
research will help you to develop your prediction, design your experiment or prototype, collect
data, draw conclusions, and communicate like a real scientist or engineer. Make sure to include
at least the title, author, and date published or accessed.
Books or Articles about my topic: __________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________
Websites about my topic: ________________________________________________________
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People I talked to about my topic: ________________________________________________
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STEP 3: Prediction: What do you think will happen in your project/experiment, based on your
research and reading? You will use evidence from your project to support and justify your
thinking.
∙ Sample Science question: If I put 30 ml of water in the Huggies diaper, then it will absorb the
most water because Huggies diapers have an extra layer of poly‐fiber material.
∙ Sample Engineering problem I am trying to solve: If I create a cabinet lock, then kids won’t
get into dangerous chemicals, because cabinets will be secured with my invention.
If_____________________________________________________________________________
then__________________________________________________________________________
because_______________________________________________________________________
STEP 4: Science Materials OR Engineering Materials. What types of materials will be used to
conduct your investigation or design your prototype? Make a list of them here using either
words or pictures.
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STEP 5: Procedure. What steps will I use to carry out my investigation? It is very important that
the steps in developing/designing your investigation are recorded as carefully as possible. Are
there safety concerns? In designing a solution, create alternatives and choose the best one to
develop.
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______________________________________________________________________________
STEP 6: Do the Experiment OR Build a Prototype. Test your prediction by doing the experiment
OR building a prototype. This is like a recipe ‐ step by step instructions for what you will do to
test your prediction. It should be so thorough that even a person who knows nothing about
science could duplicate the experiment.
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STEP 7: Scientific Data and Results. Analyze your results and draw conclusions OR test and
redesign as necessary. When conducting your investigation it is important to collect some data
(information) to help either prove or disprove your prediction. When you are collecting data
please make sure to be as precise as possible in using labels, dates, and even pictures. Use your
notebook to record your data.
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STEP 8: Conclusion ‐ Communicate Results. During your investigation you have learned many
new things, including whether or not you were able to prove or disprove your hypothesis. Your
conclusion should be a summary of your results and state whether or not your investigation
supported your hypothesis. Use the questions below to help guide you in sharing what you
learned.
∙ Did your results support your hypothesis? Identify and explain the types of data you used to prove or disprove your hypothesis.
∙ What did you learn from the trials you conducted in your investigation?
∙ What types of problems did you encounter throughout your investigation?
∙ If you were to conduct this investigation again, what would you do differently?
∙ How does your investigation make connections to real life?
______________________________________________________________________________
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STEP 9. Present to Guests at the Science Fair! Try to be able to answer the following questions
if asked:
∙ How did you get the idea for your project?
∙ What were you trying to find out or solve when you did your experiment?
∙ Was there anything that surprised you after you did your experiment?
∙ Explain how you did your experiment.
∙ What did you like best about doing your science project?
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∙ If you were to do the same project again, what would you change or do differently?
∙ Were the results of the experiment how you guessed they would be? If not, what
surprised you the most?
∙ Why is your project important? How could it help people? Perhaps your work will help a
small group of people!
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~ Your Schedule to Science Fair Success! ~
Weeks 1 and 2: Getting started.
∙ Read through this packet! Use the Project Plan to record your ideas.
∙ Visit websites and explore books and magazines to help you think about your topic. Ask a
librarian for help, too.
∙ Will you do a science experiment or an engineering design project?
Submit your topic idea by March 24.
Weeks 3 and 4: Research and revise.
∙ Decide on the materials you will need.
∙ Begin setting up your experiment or designing your prototype.
∙ Conduct research.
∙ Begin recording in your Scientist’s Notebook: Date each entry!
Weeks 5 ‐ 8:
∙ Continue your research.
∙ Obtain initial results.
∙ Think about any changes or refinements you may need to make.
∙ Plan out your display board (a tri‐fold board, available at Michael’s, Staples, AC Moore) ‐‐
make any drawings, charts, graphs, or sketches.
∙ Finish any data collection.
∙ Don’t forget to keep up with your Scientist’s Notebook!
Week 9
∙ Assemble your tri‐fold board.
∙ Be sure your Scientist’s Notebook is organized.
∙ Plan and rehearse how you will describe your project to guests during the Evening Science
Fair.
Science Fair
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
6:00‐8:00 PM
Valley View Gymnasium
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Science Fair Timeline Checkpoints and Deadlines
March 11: Science Fair packet goes home, read through all information!
March 24: Return Participation Form with topic choice to school Science Experiment Forms should be returned to Mrs. Chesebro
Design Prototype Forms should be returned to Ms. Goldstein
March/April: Begin research, gather materials, start Scientist’s Notebook
Week of April 4: Check in #1, with Ms. Goldstein or Mrs. Chesebro
April: Conduct experiments,, collect data, build, design, maintain Notebook
Week of April 11: Check in #2, with Mrs. Chesebro or Ms. Goldstein
Week of April 25: Check in #3, with Mrs. Chesebro or Ms. Goldstein
Week of May 2: Please let us know what you will need for the evening event – do you
need to be near an electrical outlet or sink? Will you need additional table space?
Science Fair
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
6:00‐8:00 PM
Valley View Gymnasium
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Science Fair Participation Form
Student Name: ___________________________________________________________
Title of Project: ___________________________________________________________
Grade/Teacher: __________________________________________________________
Category (see page 3 for more info):
Physics: _____________Earth/Space: ______________Life Science: _______________
Chemistry: _____________Engineering: ________________ Technology: ____________
Will you be using the Scientific Method OR the Engineering Process? Please circle one below:
** Science Experiment Forms should be returned to Mrs. Chesebro
** Design Prototype Forms should be returned to Ms. Goldstein
Parent’s signature _________________________________________________
Parent’s E‐Mail address: ____________________________________________
** Remember to return this form by Thursday, March 24, 2016 **
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The Scientist’s/Engineer’s Notebook
An important part of being a scientist or an engineer is keeping track of your ideas. It is also
important to note the things you observe, and record your thoughts and how you did things.
You will need to make predictions and remember your results. The best and easiest way to do
all of this is to keep a science notebook that you use to write everything about your experiment
or project.
The Scientist’s Notebook
You should start your notebook at the very beginning of your project. Please organize it to
include the following:
Purpose: First, you need to decide what your project will be about. What are you trying to find
out, make, or do? Record it in your Notebook.
Hypothesis: This is your best guess about what you think your project or prototype/model will
show. Record it in your Notebook.
Materials: No matter what kind of science project you are doing, you will need to use some
“materials” to do it. Record what you materials you are using to carry out your
experiments/projects.
Procedure: You will need to record step‐by‐step directions of everything that you did while
you were conducting your science project. You should write what you are doing as you are
doing it, and note the times and dates. Sometimes drawing pictures will help to describe what
you are doing. They should be included in your Notebook.
Results: This is when you get to write down what is happening! As you find out what happens
when you do your project, you should write down the results in your Notebook along with the
times and dates when it occurs. After you collect your results and have written them in your
Notebook, you may find that it is easier to understand your results by showing them in pictures
or charts or graphs. They should be included, too!
Conclusions: Think about what you discovered while conducting your project. In this section of
your Notebook, you will write about what you think the results mean. Sometimes the results
will and sometimes they will not agree with your Hypothesis (best guess). This is also the section of your Notebook where you write down what you think you could do to make your
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project better. You can use this section to write down what other experiments you would want
to include next time based on the results from this science project.
Acknowledgements: This section is very important. Sometimes scientists and engineers need
help from others in order to do their experiments and projects. As an engineer or scientist, you
can only take credit for what you did and you must always give credit to others for what they
did. If someone has helped you (hold things, build things, answer questions, catch bugs, fix
equipment, heat things, etc.), you must write down what that person did to help you and give
that person credit.
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