Judging Criteria
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RegisterThe primary purpose of a science project is to encourage students to think critically and to investigate. It has helped the student learn how to learn.
The scientific method is a pattern of inquiry that forms a structure for advancing scientific understanding. The process: identify a problem, form a hypothesis, design and construct an experiment, collect data, analyze results, and form a conclusion. Scientists, using this approach, have answered questions ranging from the simplest to the most complex.
The Judges' Rubric is also available as a pdf file.
| Criteria | ||||
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Originality of Question | Original research | Unique perspective on a traditional project | Embellish an existing idea | No originality (canned project) |
| Hypothesis | Thoroughly developed with “I think…because….” | Sufficiently developed. | Partially developed. | Major flaws. |
| Procedures/Organization | Easy to follow sequence of the Scientific Method.* Language is clear and correct. | Easy to follow sequence of the Scientific Method. Some language errors. | Somewhat difficult to follow because of lapses of the sequence of the Scientific Method. | Difficult to follow; no sequence of the Scientific Method. |
| Investigation Trials | Experiment was performed more than 2 times. | Experiment was performed 2 times. | Experiment was performed 1 time. | Experiment was performed incompletely. |
| Analysis | Data is clearly presented and directly relates to hypothesis/question. | Data is reasonably presented and shows good relationship to hypothesis/question. | Data is minimally presented and shows some relationship to hypothesis/question. | Data is not presented and no relationship to hypothesis/question is evident. |
| Evaluation/ Conclusion | A logical conclusion has been drawn from the data collected, and answers the hypothesis/question and/or raises a new hypothesis/question. Has real world application. | A logical conclusion has been drawn from the data collected. | A fairly reasonable conclusion has been drawn from the data collected. | The conclusion drawn is not shown to relate to the data collected. |
| Presentation (Overall Impression) |
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* The Scientific Method consists of: hypothesis/question, investigation/testing, analysis/evaluation, and conclusion.