A Science Fair Guide for Teachers

By Joel Palmer

Science Fair
The purpose of science fair in school is not to produce champion projects or
state winners. The purpose of school science fair is to allow students to
participate in the fun part of science. Let’s face it, for most scientists the joy of
science is not learning a lot of isolated factoids. Rather it is the excitement of
confronting a question and finding the fundamental truth about it. Often, in
science classes students spend more time learning “factoids” than they actually
spend doing science. This concern is seen in the increased emphasis on inquiry-
based science at the national and state level. Science fair projects are excellent
ways to stimulate student thinking and excitement in science. Unfortunately by the
upper elementary grades science fair is seen as a drudge by teachers, students and
parents. This is not how it should be.
It is possible for science fair to be a good experience for all involved. To
often we are guilty of teaching by assignment. We assign science fair projects and
then grade students on how well they do them with out any instruction on our part.
This is similar to the way we often attempt to teach creativity. We give students
an assignment to create something and then grade them on how well they did. This
is done because we realize creativity is important but we really do not know how to
teach students how to be creative. Often the case with science fair is that we
assign it but never teach students how to do it. We know it is important to teach
students how to do science fair, but in the early grades few teachers have the
scientific expertise to really teach student to conduct good research. By the time
students reach the middle grades many teachers assume that students know how
to do science fair because they have done it before. This is a vicious cycle. The
result is that students are seldom taught how to do a quality science fair project.
This leads to frustration on the part of students and parents as well as a
nightmare for teachers.
With today’s emphasis on covering the curriculum, how does a teacher find
time to teach science fair? A better question might be "How can we afford to not
teach science fair?" In every grade level and each science discipline the TEKS
require that the student be able to develop an experiment, collect data, form a
hypothesis and communicate scientific information. There is no better way to do
this than a science fair project. This is the one opportunity where our students are
free to function as true scientists and attack a truly open ended problem.

1
 How do we go about teaching students how to do science projects? Science
Fair Project Books and brochures abound, but few provided repeatable, teachable
steps to walk a student from the selection of a problem to the conclusion of the
project. None of them provide a guide for teachers to incorporate science fair
into their year-long curriculum. Doing so can be a rewarding, profitable enterprise
with multiple rewards for both teachers and students.

Step One - Pick a Problem

After years in the classroom dealing with required science fair projects it
became clear that this step is probably the most problematic step in the entire
process. Not only is this step difficult and frustrating, it can set up students for
success or failure. A report on the state of scientific research in the Soviet Union
during the 1980's indicated that the researchers were not given freedom to
pursue topics of their choosing, but rather were forced to study specific ideas
assigned to them by higher level bureaucrats, many times non-scientist. The level
of innovation and new development was dismal. In contrast in the United States
during the same period, in fact throughout our history, scientific research has
been driven by the personal interest of the scientist involved. Consequently, the
level of innovation and discovery in this country has been astounding. When
students are allowed to investigate areas of personal interest the level of their
research will also be astounding.
When research scientists pick an area of research they rely on a
tremendous amount of background knowledge about their area of interest, as well
as other related areas of science. It has also been shown that seemingly
disconnected areas of interest, such as literature and the arts, aid scientist in
finding new insights and connections in research. Unfortunately students, whether
they be third graders or high school seniors, do not have this wealth of background
knowledge. Often our response to this lack of preparation is to pass out a list of
science fair problems or pass around books of science fair ideas and experiments.
Seldom do such tactics produce excitement or high levels of interest in completing
such projects.
How then do we lead students to pick meaningful projects that capture their
interest and propel them to complete the project? One approach that has worked
is to start by having students decide an area of interest to them not having
students pick a problem. The student is directed to begin to read anything they
can find about their area of interest. Students should pick an area of interest and
stay with it. Along with this reading assignment, students need to keep track of
what they are reading. They may keep a reading journal or you might want to
provide them with a log sheet. (Appendix 1) The students will need two to three

2
weeks to read. The teacher should periodically check the logs to monitor student
progress. It is important that the student record all information from what they
need to create a bibliography for their project even if they do not do a formal
research paper. This is a great time to work with the English department and/or
librarian on how to gather information and create a bibliography.
At the end of this period students should submit their Reading Logs along
with five questions. These questions are the key to selecting a problem. Give the
students the following scenario:
"You have an opportunity to spend some time with the world’s greatest
expert on fill in students topic of interest. You get to ask them five questions.
What would you ask them?" (You can not ask personal information questions. The
questions must be about the topic.) The questions should be based on something
you have read.
These questions form the basis of a science fair research problem. Then the
teacher can meet with each student for a short period of time to discuss the
questions and focus in on the problem. This is difficult to do and the most time
consuming part of the entire process, but it is worth it. It may take a day or two of
seat work for the other students as you conference with each student but it is
time well spent. During this conference you provide your expertise to help the
student think about these questions from a scientific point of view and brainstorm
how to investigate this problem properly. This is the last part that will take much
class time.
At this point it is appropriate to ask the students to collect information
from their reading and write a research paper to accompany their project. This is
up to the discretion of the teacher but is very important for students who hope to
go on to the regional level of competition.

Step Two - Statement of the Problem

The student’s charge is to formally write up the problem and defend their
decision to investigate this problem. This is another opportunity to interface with
your English department and make your principal happy. The defense of the
problem is a form of persuasive writing. This is one of the types of writing that
students need to master. The students should be writing for publication. This
means that the student submits his paper and the teacher evaluates it for
grammar, punctuation, spelling, persuasiveness and scientific accuracy. No grade
should be assigned. The teacher should simply record the date submitted.
(Appendix #2) The grade is assigned based on how many times the student needs
to submit the problem before it is accepted. For the problem to be accepted it
must be ready for “publication.” This means that it has no grammar, punctuation, or

3
spelling errors. It must be clear, concise and scientifically accurate. Once the
problem has been accepted the teacher should place it in a file folder with the
student's name. This folder will hold all the parts of the student’s projects as they
are accepted and need to be stored by the teacher. The student does the work at
home. This takes minimal class time. The teacher simply checks the problems and
gives them back to the student the next day until they are accepted. The teacher
must continually remind the students who have not had their problem approved.

Step Three - Statement of the Hypothesis

Once the problem is accepted the student may start working on the
hypothesis. The hypothesis is an important and often miss-understood part of the
scientific method. The word hypothesis is often misdefined and misunderstood.
Hypothesis is often defined as a “guess” or “educated guess.” This is a
misunderstanding of the nature of hypotheses. A better definition is “A hypothesis
is the best explanation of the known facts.” There is a difference between a
hypothesis and a scientific hypothesis. A scientific hypothesis must be falsifiable.
There is not enough room here to fully discuss this topic. In a nutshell a falsifiable
hypothesis is one that has the possibility of being proven incorrect. The following
hypothesis "There is no other (besides human) intelligent life in the universe" is
falsifiable. All you would have to disprove it is to find one other sentient life form
and the hypothesis is proven wrong. This hypothesis "There is other (besides
human) intelligent life in the universe" is not falsifiable. To show that this
statement is false one would have to search the entire universe and check for any
form of intelligent life. Even then you might have missed a form of intelligent life
that is so different from our own that you could not have recognized. Both may be
great hypothesis, and either may be correct (one of them must be correct), but
only the first one can be the subject of scientific study.
The types of non-scientific hypothesis that you might hear from students
are “Nibble brand tennis shoe makes you run faster.” This is non falsifiable and
should be changed to “Nibble brand tennis shoe help a person run faster than
Johnson brand tennis shoes.” This is not a distinction that should be belabored
with elementary students and should be handled very carefully with middle school
students. Instead the teacher should steer students to formulate falsifiable
hypothesis. It should be part of the discussion in high school science classes and
these students should work on modifying their own statements.
If a hypothesis is an explanation of the known facts, then it must be logical
and defendable. The student should not just state the hypothesis, they should also
explain and defend the hypothesis. This is also a good writing opportunity. The
procedure and grading is the same as with the Statement of the Problem. The

4
grade is given based on how many attempts the student needs to have the
hypothesis accepted as publishable. Once the Hypothesis is accepted it also goes in
the folder.

Step Four - Materials and Procedure:

The materials and procedure are crucial to the function of the project.
Appendix 3 is a listing of five types of science fair projects. This list is not
exclusive but does a good job of covering the main ways of doing scientific
research. Each type of project will have its own type of procedure. Some projects
may be a combination of more than type of project. Some of them require control
groups, but many do not.
After the type of project is decided the student is ready to move to
developing a procedure. A crucial step that is often left out of developing a
procedure is the issue of data collection. Students need to decide what type of
data they will be collecting, and what is the best way to record it. They should
develop data forms and charts. They might also need instructions about
appropriate ways to display data. Do they need bar graphs, line graphs, or scatter
plots? The student's math teachers are a good source of information and
reinforcement for data collection and analysis. This should be included in the
procedures. It is a good idea to have students develop procedures first, go through
them, and pick out all the materials they will need.
This is an excellent opportunity for peer review. Using a matrix, (Appendix
4) students should exchange their procedures and evaluate them for each other. If
the matrix is used as a basis for accepting or rejecting student procedures, the
students will have much higher acceptance rates.
This is a good time to introduce the International Science and Engineering
Fair (ISEF) required forms for the middle school and high school level science fair.
Every student must fill out four of these forms! (Appendix 5). At the
elementary level it is a good time to go over the district rules for science fair
projects. It is the teacher's responsibility to check that the student's written
procedure is not hazardous to the student or others and that it is moral, ethical
and legal. The teacher is not responsible for actions students may carry out that is
not covered in the procedure and might be inappropriate but can be held liable for
giving approval to a student that causes harm to the student or others or is
unethical use of vertabrate animals. The material and procedures piece is graded
just like the previous pieces and is also written for publication and placed in a
folder once completed. At the middle and high school level the Materials and
Procedures should not be accepted until the four required forms have been filled
out and turned in to the teacher. The student responses on the four required

5
forms then tell the teacher which additional forms are required. If the Material
and Procedures are not accepted until the forms are complete, the student must
complete the forms properly or it severely affects their grade. At this point it
would be appropriate to give students a deadline to submit any additional forms
needed and give them a grade based on how may times they submit the forms
before the are complete.
Once the teachers has all of the forms from any student they need to
submit them to the "Scientific Review Committee" (SRC) or "Institutional Review
Board"(IRB) as required on the forms. SRC is a committee formed by the Regional
Affiliate of the International Science and Engineering Fair. The IRB is a local
school committee composed of an administrator, a health care professional and a
science teacher. The purpose of the SRC is to insure that the student is not doing
any thing that is dangerous, unethical or illegal. The IRB committee is to check
that any experimentation involving humans is conducted legally and will not cause
harm to the subjects. It is apparent that both of these committees approval must
be received prior to the student conducting the experiment. At times these
committees will send the proposal back with suggestions that need to be made and
the forms resubmitted.

Step Five - Conduct The Experiment And Collect Data.

At this point the student is ready to conduct his research. They have
developed a good problem and hypothesis. They have a strong procedure with a
good materials list and a plan, including data sheets, for collecting data. Middle and
high school students have their ISEF forms filled out and approved, if necessary.
A real plus for following these procedures is that all the materials are ready for
publication and sitting in a file folder in the teacher's filing cabinet. Ideally you
should be following a timeline (Appendix 6) that will get you to this point before
week 10 of the school year. If that is not possible then it definitely should be
completed by the winter holiday. Students now have time to carry out their
experiments. The teacher needs to continue to monitor students' progress on their
experiment. One approach is to ask students to keep a lab journal. Many office
supply stores carry bound composition books that usually have black and white
mottled covers. Some now come in various colors. The purpose of a bound book is to
teach scientific record keeping. When doing research scientist keep running
journals of their work. Standard procedure requires that students date all entries,
not skip pages, not tear out pages or use white out. All corrections are made with a
single line strike through or in the case of entire pages a large "X" across the page
may be used. The purpose is to allow a reviewer to see what was corrected to
ensure that there is no attempt to fake data or results.

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Step Six - Analysis and Conclusion:
The students need a deadline for completion of the experiment and data
collection that allows time for them to analyze data and draw conclusions. This
dead line needs to be at least three weeks before the date of the local fair. This
allows them two weeks to write up their conclusion and submit them to the teacher.
This is another great opportunity for persuasive writing. The conclusion must
address the original hypothesis and whether the data supports or contradicts the
hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis if it is contradicted. It is not enough for
them to just say, "The data proves my hypothesis." They must be required to
explain why they believe that. In addition the use of the term "prove" or "proved"
should be discouraged. Data either supports or contradicts a hypothesis it seldom
if ever proves any thing! Students should be encouraged to provide graphs and
charts to support their claim. Once the conclusion has been accepted it goes into
the student's science fair folder. For middle school and above all students should
develop an abstract to accompany their project. The ISEF provides a form and
directions for developing an abstract. Elementary students that are going on to
regional contest should also develop an abstract.

Step Six - Display Board:

The student should have one to two weeks to develop their display board.
For many students this is what science fair is all about and yet it really is simply a
thin layer of icing on a huge rich multi-layer cake. Students need to convey all the
information they have gathered on the display board. The exhibition of working
models or experimental setups are nice but not essential. Students should be
encouraged to use photographs, drawings, and diagrams to illustrate their work.
Teachers need to guide students to consider what is appropriate to display. Many
fairs are open to the public at some time. The displays should be viewed from the
perspective of a four or five year old! What looks tasty, what is fun to play with
etc…? They should be viewed form the prospective individuals. What might be fun
to take or tamper with? Elementary school teachers should check with their
district's rules and or policies. Middle and high schools should follow the guidelines
from the ISEF. The ISEF "Rules And Guidelines" and "Forms" can be downloaded in
PDF format from the ISEF web site <www.sciserv.org/isef/isefpubs.asp>. The PDF
"Forms" can be filled out on the computer and printed. Please have students read
the guidelines for what can and cannot be displayed carefully. Every year at the
regional fair level there are major conflicts with students (usually it is with the
parent) about what can be displayed. Their line of argument is "They let us display
it at the school fair." Almost all rules about displayable items are safety issues.

7
The Teachers role:
The teacher's role is to provide information and structure that guide
students through the process of conducting scientific research. Following the
steps above and providing students with ongoing feedback and reasonable deadlines
elevate science fair projects from assign and forget to a truly valuable teaching
opportunity that allows students to conduct meaningful research.

The Parents Role:

The parent's job is to provide material and support for the student, not to
conduct the research. This is often difficult for parents to do when the project is
assigned a couple weeks before the fair and little or no guidance provided by the
teacher. In this situation the parent is often forced to take a very active role in
the project just to get it finished.

In Conclusion:
One of the greatest compliments I ever received as a teacher was a
panicked phone call from a distraught parent in early February. His first words
where "Mr. Palmer when are we going to start science fair?" Notice he said, "when
are we…" not "when is my child…" This was the parent of a gifted child who had
been doing science fair projects since first grade. His paradigm of science fair was
he and his daughter doing a project each February in about two week's time. I was
pleased to inform him that we had already started science fair. In fact we had
started the first week of school and were almost finished. I was also able to share
with him exactly what his daughter was doing because I had been following her
work all along the way. He was stunned and pleased. He could not believe that all his
daughter had left to do was to put her information on a display board.

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Name: _____________________ Science Fair Topic Date: _____/____/______
Period: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reading Log, Page 1 Teacher: ________________

Periodicals:
Name of Periodical: ______________________________________________________________________________
Title of Article:___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Date: ___________________ Volume#:______________________ Page#: _________________________________
Publisher: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Name of Periodical: ______________________________________________________________________________
Title of Article:___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Date: ___________________ Volume#:______________________ Page#: _________________________________
Publisher: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Name of Periodical: ______________________________________________________________________________
Title of Article:___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Date: ___________________ Volume#:______________________ Page#: _________________________________
Publisher: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Name of Periodical: ______________________________________________________________________________
Title of Article:___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Date: ___________________ Volume#:______________________ Page#: _________________________________
Publisher: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Appendix 1 p.1
Name: _____________________ Science Fair Topic Date: _____/____/______
Period: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reading Log, Page 2 Teacher: ________________
Books:
Name of book:___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright date: ______________________ Page#s: __________________________
Publisher: _________________________________________ City of publication: _____________________________
Where did you get the book:_________________________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Name of book:___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright date: ______________________ Page#s: __________________________
Publisher: _________________________________________ City of publication: _____________________________
Where did you get the book:_________________________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Name of book:___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright date: ______________________ Page#s: __________________________
Publisher: _________________________________________ City of publication: _____________________________
Where did you get the book:_________________________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Name of book:___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright date: ______________________ Page#s: __________________________
Publisher: _________________________________________ City of publication: _____________________________
Where did you get the book:_________________________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Appendix 1 p.2
 Name: _____________________ Science Fair Topic Date: _____/____/______
Period: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reading Log, Page 3 Teacher: ________________
Websites:
Web Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors (if available):______________________________________________________________________________
Dates you browsed site: ____________________________________________________________________________
Affiliated institutions: _____________________________________________________________________________
Any additionl information that validates the site: _________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Web Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors (if available):______________________________________________________________________________
Dates you browsed site: ____________________________________________________________________________
Affiliated institutions: _____________________________________________________________________________
Any additionl information that validates the site: _________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Web Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors (if available):______________________________________________________________________________
Dates you browsed site: ____________________________________________________________________________
Affiliated institutions: _____________________________________________________________________________
Any additionl information that validates the site: _________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Web Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Authors (if available):______________________________________________________________________________
Dates you browsed site: ____________________________________________________________________________
Affiliated institutions: _____________________________________________________________________________
Any additionl information that validates the site: _________________________________________________________
Notes and Comments:______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

Appendix 1 p.3
Name: _______________ Science Fair Record Sheet Date: ___/___/______
Period: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 pg. 1 Teacher: _________________

A+ A A A A- B+ B B B B- C+ C C C C- F GRADE
Student Name Activity
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
2 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
3 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
4 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
5 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
6 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
7 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
8 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
9 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
10 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion

Appendix 2 p. 1
Name: _______________ Science Fair Record Sheet Date: ___/___/______
Period: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 pg. 2 Teacher: _________________

11 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
12 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
13 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
14 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
15 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
16 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
17 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
18 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
19 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
20 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion

Appendix 2 p. 2
Name: _______________ Science Fair Record Sheet Date: ___/___/______
Period: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 pg. 3 Teacher: _________________

21 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
22 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
23 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
24 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
25 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
26 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
27 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
28 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
29 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
30 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion

Appendix 2 p. 3
Name: _______________ Science Fair Record Sheet Date: ___/___/______
Period: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 pg. 4 Teacher: _________________

31 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
32 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
33 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
34 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
35 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
36 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
37 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
38 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
39 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion
40 Problem
Hypothesis
Procedure
Conclusion

Appendix 2 p. 4
 What is a science fair experiment?
Adapted from “How to Create a Science Fair Project”
by Frank Schaffer Publications (Barnes and Noble)
It can be…
• An experiment • A model • A collection
• An observation • An invention

An experiment...
…is a test of a cause/effect relationship. An experiment occurs when one variable

is changed and an other variable responds to the first and is watched. All other variables

remained the same throughout the experiment.

An observation...

…starts with a the question and looks at, specific movement, behaviors, or actions

in nature are observed over a period of time. Once the observations are gathered, they

are studied for patterns that will answer the question. One example of a observation

study is the study of an ant's eating habits.

A model...

…is a way to display the parts of something and show what each part does to carry

out a particular function. A model study can provide answers to questions like "How does

it work?" or "What does it look like?" An example of a functional model is building an

electromagnet. Purchased model kits are usually not appropriate.

An invention...

…can be one of two things. First, it could be something or some process that has

never been made or done before (e.g., the first spaceship). The other type of invention is

one in which a thing or process is modified in some way (e.g., a better brake system in a

car).

A collection...

…answers the question "What is it?" A collection study involves collecting objects,

describing them, grouping them, and identifying them by their proper name. Descriptions

are used to sort objects into like groups. The five senses are used to describe the

objects, and these descriptions are then compared to photographs of the identified

objects. When a match is made, the collected objects is given its proper name.

Appendix 3
 Name: ____________________
Title: _____________________
Reviewer: _________________
4 3
Test variables are identified and
Test
their relationship identified.
Variables
Control variables are identified and
Control variables are identified but
method of control is clearly
Control
Variables
identified.
Control group is clearly identified
Group
and controllable if applicable.
Control
All safety issues are clearly
Procedures
identified and appropriate steps
Safety
are given to minimize danger.
Instructions are clear and can be
easily followed to obtain
Clarity
repeatable results.
Measurable data has been
identified and data record sheets identified but recording procedure identified and collection procedure and no procedure is indicated for
are clear and easy to use.
Science Content
Identification
All tools or equipment needed for
Data
data collection are listed and
tools
Collection
obtainable.
List is clear and complete
including suggestions for obtaining
List
materials.
All materials are reasonable and
Materials
obtainable by the student.
Practicality
No spelling or capitalization errors.
Spelling
No errors in punctuation including
proper bibliography format.
Punctuation
Mechanics
Clearly and neatly handwritten or typed
double spaced in a readable font of
Clarity
appropriate size. (12p)
TOTALS
Appendix 4
Materials and Procedures Teacher: ___________________
Evaluation Rubric Date: ___________________
Period: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
2 1 Score
Test variables are identified but Test variables are not clearly
Test variables are not identified.
relationship is not clear. identified.
Control variables are not clearly Control variables are not
method of control is not clear. identified. identified.
Control group is identified but not Control group is poorly identified Control group is not identified
clearly controlled if applicable. or not controllable if applicable. and should be. There may be no score in
this row.
Most safety issues are clearly Some safety issues are clearly Few safety issues are clearly
identified and appropriate steps identified and some steps are identified and few steps are given
are given to minimize danger. given to minimize danger. to minimize danger.
Instructions are complete and could be Instructions cover the procedure but
Instructions are confusing and
followed to obtain the same results may not include all necessary steps to
but there may be some confusion. ensure repeatable results.
difficult to follow.
Measurable data has been Measurable data is not clearly Measurable data is not identified
is not clear. is not clear. data collection.
Most tools or equipment needed Some tools or equipment are
Tools and equipment needed for
for data collection are listed but listed for data collection but may
data collection are not listed.
may not be obtainable. be inappropriate or unobtainable.
List is complete with few or no List is not clear or complete with
suggestions for obtaining no suggestions for obtaining List is missing.
materials. materials.
Most materials are reasonable and Materials are inappropriate or
List is missing.
obtainable impossible to obtain.
One to two errors in spelling or More than two errors in spelling or Many errors in spelling or
capitalization. capitalization. capitalization.
More than two errors in Many errors in punctuation
One or two errors in punctuation
punctuation and bibliography including improper bibliography
or proper bibliography format.
format. format.
The document is not neat or easy
Handwritten or typed double spaced.
Not clear or neat or in to large or to to ready. The look distracts from Very sloppy and unattractive.
small font or one difficult to read. the information.
First Six Weeks Second Six Weeks Third Six Weeks

Begin Reading Submit Problem Submit Problem Student Starts

2-3 Weeks For Approval For Approval Experimentation
3 weeks 3 weeks

Students pick Five Questions Due Submit Materials and

topic of interest Procedure For Approval
2-3 Days 3 weeks

At this time students may start conducting literature research to support their Problem and hypothesis.
They may do this as a formal research paper.

Fourth Six Weeks Fifth Six Weeks Sixth Six Weeks

Ideal Dates For
School Fairs Regional or District Fair

Student Develops Display Board

Student Completes Experiments

Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions

Formal research paper due.

Appendix 6