Project Types
Science is both knowledge and a way of acquiring knowledge. It involves skills such as observing, communicating, classifying and inferring. It also involves problem-solving skills.  This section gives you some definitions of the different project categories and explains some of the skills used.

 

Model

A model is a representation of an object or system. It can help us think about and understand something that cannot easily be seen. Examples include a model of the solar system or the chemical structure of sugars.

Collection

A collection is a group of items that have something in common. The processes of sorting and classifying objects are an important part of science. By arranging similar items together we discover traits they have in common and sharpen our observation skills. Examples are shell or rock collections.

Observation

Observations are what you can detect using your senses. In an observation you watch something carefully and record all that you see happen over a period of time.

Demonstration

A Demonstration of a Scientific Principle An example would be observing crystal growth. Like a model, a demonstration helps illustrate an idea. The demonstration gives a visual representation for the idea or principle. Examples include demonstrating the flow of electricity through a circuit or how hot and cold air move differently.

Research

All you know about a particular subject that interests you. What you have learnt through a combination of research, observations and experiments.

Experiment

In an experiment you make a comparison between two situations, keeping all things the same except one. The one thing that you plan to be different in the experiment is called the test variable. You decide on what is going to be different before doing the experiment. An outcome variable is the thing that you compare in an experiment. You don’t know what you will find out until after you do the experiment. An example would be planting two peas in different types of soil. If each developing plant were given the same amount of water and sunlight, the only thing that differs (varies) is the soil type – it is the test variable. The outcome variable may be the size of the plants after 20 days of growth.

A hypothesis is a prediction about what you think will happen in the experiment; what you think the results will be.

Skills Used

Observing:

By using the five senses, we can identify characteristics of objects and their interactions.

Communicating:

Objects are identifies and events are described so that information can be passed on. This skill allows us to learn information “secondhand” and at a much faster rate than would otherwise be possible.

Comparing:

Objects and events are examined in terms of similarities and differences. By comparing the known to the unknown we gain knowledge about the unknown. All measurements (weight, capacity, quantity, relative position, temperature, voltage, etc.) are forms of comparing.

Organizing:

By systematically compiling, classifying and ordering data we gain knowledge of principles and laws. At the next level (4-5, junior high school), the process skills are relational in character.

Relating:

Includes experimenting and is a process by which we weave concrete and abstract ideas together to test or explain phenomena. Here, skill of inductive, deductive and hypothetical reasoning is developed. As we attempt to answer a question or solve a problem we use the scientific method.