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Phase 2 : Background Research

The research phase of the science fair project is the foundation for the students' experimental design. Without background information on their topic, how will they know where to start when it comes to designing their experiment.?

Once a student's topic has been approved, students can now begin their research. Instead of students just researching blindly through material, help them develop a few start-up questions. Students should list as many investigative questions as possible to find out as much information as possible. Stress the importance of finding as much information as possible but set a minimum requirement for grading purposes. Inform them that when they do their hō‘ike (oral presentation), they will be asked questions from the teacher and their classmates. These questions may be about their experiment, but it may also be about their topic. Without extensive background research under their belt, it will be difficult for students to accurately answer those questions.

Research Development Form (PDF)

The depth of the research is up to you but a minimum of 4 – 6 resources is a fair amount to start with. It's also important to require students to use a variety of resources in their research. Students too often run straight to the internet to conduct all of their research. Students are quickly forgetting how to research in a library. For that reason, requiring a specific number of periodical resources forces students to practice their library research skills. Try to set up a library orientation with your students and give them some time in the library to get their feet wet.

Research Notes Criteria (PDF)

Research Notesheet (PDF)

You may want to do a notesheet spot check about a week before the notes are due to make sure that students are doing their research and to make sure that the students are getting the kind of information that they need to design their experiment.

Research Notes Grading Criteria (PDF)

The background research oral exam is a one-on-one exam where the teacher asks ten basic questions that the student should have answered through their background research. These questions are selected by the teacher but could be taken from some of the student's investigative questions. Students may use their background research notes during the exam to help them but there is an 8 - 10 minute time limit for the exam. The student must be very familiar with their research and their notes to avoid wasting time flipping through their notes to answer the questions. The amount of questions and time limit here was set to accommodate a class of 25 – 28 students but can be altered at your discretion.

The oral exam serves two purposes. The oral exam gives you a chance to assess what the student has researched. The oral exam gives the student a chance to experience answering questions about their research in an oral fashion, as is done at a competitive science fair where the judges are the ones asking the students questions about their research. This is a scary experience for most students but it may be their only practice. Make sure you let the students know exactly what will happen during the exam so that they can prepare themselves mentally as well as preparing their notes.

Oral Exam Score Sheet (PDF)