I. How to Generate a
Question
Step
1: Choose a topic
Write a list of topics or areas that interest you. This can
be a hobby that you have, something that you heard or read about or just some
subject that you want to investigate. Example:
airplanes, karate or sound.
Step
2: Keywords
Choose
ONE topic (above) and think of some keywords for this topic. A keyword is a word or group of words that
you will use to research your topic. Think about words that you would use to search
your topic on the internet. Example:
if “airplanes” is your topic, keywords may be: Flight, aerodynamics,
lift, materials, construction etc.
Step
3: Research
Hit
the internet or library and search your keywords. As you research, write down any question
that pops into your head. Seriously….ANY
question, no matter how ridiculous or “off topic” it may seem, write it
down!!!!! You should end up with
20-25 questions after researching all your keywords.
Step
4: Narrow Down the Questions
Cross
off any questions that are not investigatable.
This means that the answer to the question can be found through research
or asking someone. These may be valid
questions but remember…we are picking a topic for a science fair
project!!! We want to choose a question
that we must do an experiment in order to answer. Example:
“Why is the sky blue?” is a great question, but the
answer can be found in a book or online.
Step
5: Narrow Down…AGAIN!!
Cross
off any questions that will be impossible for you to do for and
experiment. Again, they may be great
questions, but you need to be realistic about what you can test for your
experiment. Example: “Where do the monarch
butterflies go in the summer time? “ is an investigatable
question but, not something you can do with your time and/or recourses.
Finally…
You
should be left with a list of questions to choose from for your science fair
project. If not, go back and do more
research and generate more questions.
Maybe choose another topic from your list. This is not a short process, but choosing
a good, original question that you are interested in is the first step to a great
science fair project!!!