Writing a Conclusion

The conclusion is a very important part of the science fair project. The conclusion wraps up the whole project by revisiting the hypothesis, explaining the results and most importantly shows the student's thinking.

Here are some steps or important parts to consider when writing the conclusion:

• Explain if the hypothesis was right or wrong and most importantly why. I always tell students that there should be a "because" in their conclusion.
• My hypothesis was that the organic fertilizer would cause the tallest growth in sunflower plants. My hypothesis was wrong because the Grow Fast fertilizer actually caused the plant to grow the tallest.

• Include results that support your conclusion.
• My hypothesis was that the organic fertilizer would cause the tallest growth. My hypothesis was wrong because the Grow Fast fertilizer actually caused the plant to grow the tallest. The Fast Grow fast plant grew 25 inches and the organic plant only grew 15 inches.

• Include reasons why the experiment turned out the way that it did. These reasons show a student's level of understanding about the project. These can also be educated guesses as to what happened based on what the student has learned throughout the project.
• My hypothesis was that the organic fertilizer would cause the tallest growth. My hypothesis was wrong because the Grow Fast fertilizer actually caused the plant to grow the tallest. The Fast Grow plant grew 25 inches and the organic plant only grew 15 inches. This may have happened because the Grow Fast fertilizer had more nitrogen in it. Nitrogen is very important in helping plants grow
• (May or may not be right, but shows the student is trying to make sense of their results by applying what they learned, especially during the research phase. When students think critically about their results, it can lead to some great "aha" moments.)

• The conclusion may include more questions that the students may have thought as they conducted the experiment and should include anything that they might have done differently. Again more examples of critical thinking.
• My hypothesis was that the organic fertilizer would cause the tallest growth. My hypothesis was wrong because the Grow Fast fertilizer actually caused the plant to grow the tallest. The Fast Grow plant grew 25 inches and the organic plant only grew 15 inches.This may have happened because the Grow Fast fertilizer had more nitrogen in it. Nitrogen is very important in helping plants grow Sunflower plants grow pretty quickly. I  wonder if the different fertilizers would have the same effect on slower growing plants. I also wonder about the effects of the fertilizers on the quality of the plants over a long period of time. if I were to complete this experiment again I would experiment over a longer period of time and not only focus on growth, but also quality. I would also experiment with s type of flower and a type of fern.

• In the conclusion, students can also connect to the real world and discuss why the experiment is important for others. The students can also discuss the impact that their conclusion can have on science, people and the real world. This is often referred to as real world implications. 
• My hypothesis was that the organic fertilizer would cause the tallest growth. My hypothesis was wrong because the Grow Fast fertilizer actually caused the plant to grow the tallest. The Fast Grow plant grew 25 inches and the organic plant only grew 15 inches.This may have happened because the Grow Fast fertilizer had more nitrogen in it. Nitrogen is very important in helping plants grow. Sunflower plants grow pretty quickly. I  wonder if the different fertilizers would have the same effect on slower growing plants. I also wonder about the effects of the fertilizers on the quality of the plants over a long period of time. if I were to complete this experiment again I would experiment over a longer period of time and not only focus on growth, but also quality. I would also experiment with s type of flower and a type of fern. My experiment shows that the organic fertilizer did not work as well. Anything organic has become popular in recent years. Organic items will not be as popular if they do not work as well. If organic products are going to be the wave of the future, then these types of products need to work as well a what is already available.