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Topic Research: Three Steps to a Topic
So you've decided to enter the science fair, but you're not sure where to begin. The first step, coming up with your project idea, could be the most important. Just remember, you'll have a lot more fun (and probably learn more) if you start with a topic that interests you! Here are a few hints for coming up with a project idea:
- Think of a topic you're interested in. For example:
- People
- Animals
- Plants
- Rocks
- Space
- Weather
- Electricity
- Of course, you could develop a hundred projects on any one of those topics. Now try to focus on one aspect of one topic in particular. For example:
- People: What makes a person an adult?
- Animals: How can I best train my pet?
- Plants: How can plants best be protected from animals?
- Rocks: What do the different colors in rocks mean?
- Space: What is in the night sky?
- Weather: How does the weather change?
- Electricity: How does electricity work?
- That's much better! Now use this same idea, but be more specific. What would you really like to figure out or show? Think of the most exact information you can discover and be very specific. In science, information has to be exact if it's really going to matter. For example:
- People: How do eighth graders compare with adults?
- Animals: Does the length of an animal training session make a difference?
- Plants: Can companion planting protect beans from beetles?
- Rocks: How do you detect minerals in rocks?
- Space: Create a personal sky chart of the night sky.
- Weather: Show how different instruments measure weather.
- Electricity: Can a worn-out battery do work?
That's a great list! Now you just have to choose one...
From Janice VanCleave's Guide to the Best Science Fair Projects, Janice VanCleave (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997)
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