Science Fair Success Secrets: How to Win Prizes, Have Fun, and Think Like a Scientist [Paperback]

Bill Haduch (Author), Philip Scheuer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

This book is for anyone who wants to excel at a school science fair. It gives complete guidance for every stage of a successful project, from brainstorming ideas to final presentation. More than a "recipe-style" science fair book, this work promotes the understanding of real science.

Twenty prizewinning projects from top national competitions are included:
€ How to make the best chocolate-chip cookies-scientifically!
€ Do lefties have slower reaction times than right-handers?
€ Does grass grow faster if you cut it short? And more!

Kids will love the hip, engaging text, filled with fascinating trivia and wacky science jokes, as well as the very funny illustrations. Solid science presented in a compelling manner makes this a stellar addition to the category.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Students who are apprehensive about doing a science-fair project will find this book friendly and accessible. Those unfamiliar with the scientific method will also find clear and cogent explanations here. Emphasis is placed on thinking like a scientist, using one's natural curiosity about the world, and creating good scientific inquiry. The text is light, informative, and engaging. After introductory chapters about conceiving projects, conducting experiments and observations, note taking, write up, and displays, a number of sample projects that have won regional or state awards are presented. Several more advanced projects are included "so you can see that high school projects are not that different from the ones done in grade school." A concluding list of 101 titles of award winners should give readers some ideas for projects of their own. Pen-and-ink cartoons are clear and echo the tone of the book. Boxed information about where ideas came from and some "stupid science questions" add accessibility to this lively book.
Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. In this lively book, Haduch offers an excellent introduction to science fairs. After noting that a well-designed project gives the student a taste of actually doing science, he explains what the scientific method means in practical terms that will be useful to middle-schoolers. In other words, he doesn't start off by discussing the concept of a hypothesis; rather, he encourages a process of curious inquiry leading to questions that can be usefully addressed by a science fair experiment. In the largest section of the book, "Real Projects That Rocked the World," 20 award-winning science experiments are clearly presented in terms of the genesis of the ideas, the questions addressed, hypotheses, procedures, and "real world" implications. The book ends with a list of 101 award-winning project ideas, a bibliography, and metric conversion tables. The often jaunty tone of the text and the cartoon-style drawings make this an unusually appealing book on the topic, while the respect for science and the solid presentation make it a highly useful book as well. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1 edition (November 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525465340
• ISBN-13: 978-0525465348
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,229,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's About Time!, June 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Science Fair Success Secrets: How to Win Prizes, Have Fun, and Think Like a Scientist (Paperback)

Finally - a book on science experiments that follows the scientic method for a traditional science fair. This is an excellent resource for any teacher (or student) involved in a science project that uses the scientific process. This book offers 20 engaging project ideas in a very user friendly format. Each project page shares the following:

1. The project title
2. The problem in the form of a question
3. An example hypothesis
4. A list of steps to follow for the procedure
5. Conclusion statement
6. How the information can be used for real world application

Although this is a great read for students, it can also be a great place for teachers to spark ideas within their students (without necessarily sharing the book with them).