Presentation boards are available in arts and crafts stores or office supply stores. There are a few options which vary in size and type. The most common type used for school projects or science fair presentations is the tri-fold board, which has two folds and three sides. There are also poster boards available, which do not have any folds.
Before students are able to work on the board, they must research the subject and have in-depth knowledge of the topic. The presentation board is the last part of a project when all of the data is collected, experiments are conducted or the student has all of the available information on the topic. Research might include a topic relating to class and presentations in class or might relate to science at the science fair and require an experiment to gain all of the data.
The presentation board should have a clear layout. The title should be centered and in large font or writing. If using a single poster board, such as might be used in a class presentation for visuals, put pictures in a logical order based on the research and minimize writing. If the presentation board is tri-fold and used for science fair projects, put information about the question, hypothesis and research methods on the left panel. The title is centered in the middle panel and has pictures from the experiment, the descriptive information about the experiment and any graphs or figures that might come with the experiment. The third side has the final results and the conclusion of the experiment. The students should have parents help on the project to take pictures.
Type up all of the writing and print it on a thick paper rather than regular paper. Glue these to colored cardboard for added emphasis and to draw attention to the board. Use doubled-sided tape or a glue stick for easier attaching to the board and to prevent wrinkles that can come with other gluing methods. Fourth grade students are old enough to handle setting up the project personally, though parents should supervise the project, especially when the children are cutting paper.