The following information came straight from the SARSEF website. We reviewed the information in class and took notes on details specific for 4th grade. I am SOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED about this year’s science fair! I can’t wait to see all the students’ hard work come to fruition!
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http://sarsef.org/students/elementary/step-by-step/
Your Display Board
For almost every science fair project, you need to prepare a display board to communicate your work to others.
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In most cases, you will use a standard, three-panel display board that unfolds to be 36? tall by 48? wide. High school students may go as high as 108” but still must be no wider than 48” when unfolded.
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Display boards can be found at many office supply stores, craft stores or teacher supply stores.
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You may not use any other space (such as under the table.)
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Organize your information like a newspaper, so that your audience can quickly follow the thread of your experiment — by reading from top to bottom, then left to right. Include each step of your science fair project: abstract, question, hypothesis, variables, background research and so on.
Project Boards
Are You Looking for a Science Fair Project Board?
Many office supply stores carry them!
We particularly like Jonathan’s Educational Resources. They carry a variety of colors in the right sizes, as well as borders that can help jazz up a project board. They even carry lettering for titles, specially designed for science fair projects that follow the scientific method.
http://www.jonathansonline.com/
Go to the following for some great examples:
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_display_board.shtml#samples
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Use a font size of at least 16 points for the text on your display board, so that it is easy to read from a few feet away. It’s OK to use slightly smaller fonts for captions on picture and tables.
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The title should be big and easily read from across the room. Choose one that accurately describes your work, but also grabs peoples’ attention.
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A picture speaks a thousand words! Use photos or draw diagrams to present non-numerical data, to propose models that explain your results, or just to show your experimental setup. But, don’t put text on top of photographs or images. It can be very difficult to read.
Some Notes of Caution:
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Do not put your name on the front of the display board. Instead, place your name and school on the back using a 3-by-5 card.
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Do not include photos of faces. Photos of even yourself should be from the back or side. You want the focus to be on the science, not you!
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Please include captions that include the source for every picture or image.
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Do NOT include acknowledgements of people who helped you on the board. (These should go in your lab book.)
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Please DO include your laboratory notebook.
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Please do not bring equipment such as your laboratory apparatus or your invention. It will not be allowed to stay. Do not bring plants, soil, Petri dishes growing anything, liquids of ANY kind, anything with moving parts, chemicals, or anything that can rot or decompose. They will be removed and possibly not returned.
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Make sure your display does not include anything edible.