Science Fair Journal and Log

Landmark Elementary

SCIENCE FAIR
JOURNAL AND LOG

Fourth Grade Ms. Gunn

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Name Date

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Project Title

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Title ……………………………………………………………………………… 4

Introduction 5
1. Statement of purpose…………….…….………………….. 6
2. Investigative Question……………………..……………….. 6
3. Hypothesis………………………....………..…………………….

Procedure 7
1. Materials List……………………….…………………………… 8
2. Methods…………………….………………..…………………….. 9
3. Variables…………………….………….…………………………..

Log ...…………………………….……..…………………………………. 10-13

Data ………….….………..……………………………………………… 14-17

Results ……..…………………..……..……….……………………………… 18

Conclusion …………………….………………………….………………….. 19

3

The title of your project should be catchy or an “interest grabber,” related to your
topic and experiment. Record title ideas below as you identify your investigative
question and complete your experiment.

Title ideas:

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4

Why did you do this project?
What were you hoping to find out from doing the project?

The purpose of this experiment was to ___________________________________________
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I became interested in this experiment when __________________________________________________

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The information gained in this experiment will help others ________________________________

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Example:
The purpose of this experiment was to see if the advertised claims of different battery brands are true.
I became interested in this experiment when I saw battery commercials on T.V. that claim their batteries
last the longest.
The information gained in this experiment will help others decide if spending more money on expensive
batteries is worth it.

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Scientists ask questions and then conduct experiments to find out the answer. If you’ve
ever been curious about something or if you’ve ever wanted to know what caused
something to happen then you’ve probably already asked a question that could be the
start of a scientific experiment.

Question Starters:
 I wonder what would happen if _______________________?
 Does the amount of ___________ affect ______________?
 Why do ________________________________?
 Does doing something to _____________ affect ___________?

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Example:
Will more expensive batteries last longer than cheaper ones?

The HYPOTHESIS is another name for a PREDICTION. When you are writing the
hypothesis, you are trying to predict the answer to your investigative question. You
should include a REASON for your prediction either from your own experience or
research you have done.

I think that ____________________________________________________________________
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because _______________________________________________________________________
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Example

I think that Duracell and Energizer batteries will last longer than Rayovac and Kirkland batteries
because they are more expensive and advertise that they last longer.

6

The MATERIALS LIST is a numbered list of all the items you will need in order to
conduct your experiment. Be specific and give amounts and sizes.
1. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
11. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
12. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

7

Give detailed STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS of how to conduct the experiment. Details
are very important. Be sure to tell exact amounts of things such materials, time it will
take, etc. It is important that anyone be able to follow your steps and repeat your
experiment exactly as you did it.
Step 1: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Step 2: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Step 3: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Step 4: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Step 5: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Step 6: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Step 7: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Step 8: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Step 9: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Step 10: _____________________________________________________________________________________

8

A variable is something that you can change or something that can be changed. You
should identify your variables before you start your experiment.

Independent Variable
What you change on purpose (there should only be ONE thing changed on purpose).

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Dependent Variable
What you think will change during your investigation.

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Controlled Variables
What you will keep the same (these are the variables that you are controlling).

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Example Dependent Variable Controlled Variables
Independent Variable Amount of time each brand of  Identical flashlights.
batteries will power the  Identical conditions (room
Different brands of batteries flashlight.
temperature, placement,
handling)
 Identical types of batteries
(AA, Alkaline)

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Date and Entry

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Models, Graphs, Charts, Photographs, Maps, and Drawings

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Write a brief explanation of the data on the charts and graphs. This is not the
conclusion. It is simply a summary of what the data shows. Do not include your
opinion.

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The CONCLUSION tells what you learned by completing the experiment.
Answer each of the questions below and then join them together in paragraph form to
write your conclusion.

Was my hypothesis/prediction correct or incorrect?

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What is the answer to my question? Go back to your investigative question (p. 6) and
restate it as an answer. Support the answer with data collected.

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Were there any problems with the investigation or things I would do different?

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I DID IT! HEADINGS AND WHAT YOU DID
SUB-HEADINGS Catchy; related to experiment
Title Next 3 parts:
Introduction You told why you wanted to do this experiment and
1. Statement of what you were curious about.
You asked a question
purpose
2. Investigative You predicted the answer to your question and told
why you think that will happen.
Question Next 3 Parts:
3. Hypothesis You included ALL the items you needed to do your
experiment.
Procedure You gave step-by-step directions on how to do the
1. Materials List experiment. You didn’t leave anything out.
You identified the variables in your experiment (what
2. Methods will stay the same and what will change in the
experiment).
3. Variables You kept careful track of everything you did from
beginning to end of the experiment (and when you
Log did it).
You showed what happened in the experiment with
Data charts, pictures, models, graphs, and/or drawings.

Results You provided a written explanation of the data. You
summarized what the data shows.
Conclusion You told whether or not your hypothesis was correct;
you answered your investigative question and
supported it with data; you shared any problems you
encountered and what you would do different if you
did the experiment again.

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