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Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
Elementary STEM Fair
Project Guidelines and Regulations Parent/Guardian/StudentInformation
DisplayandSafety:AllProjects
A. Projectdisplaysizeislimitedtothesizeofastandardbackboard:61cmdeep(24inches);95cmwide(36inches),sidetoside;and274cmhigh(108inches)floortotop.ProjectbackboardsarenotrequiredatthePotSpringESSTEMFair.ProjectbackboardsarerequiredforparticipationattheBCPSSTEMFair,toensurefairnessforallparticipants.
B. Evidencethatresearchhasbeencompletedmaybepresentedinvariousformats(i.e.researchpaper,logbook,orreport)andshouldincludeabibliography.
C. Nomaterialsorequipmentusedtoconducttheexperimentmaybedisplayedwithorattachedtotheprojectboard.Youmayattachpicturesordrawingstoshowtheprogressoftheexperiment.
Judging:AllProjects
A. EachprojectwillbecheckedbythePSESSTEMFaircoordinators-Mrs.Wiegert&Mr.Noonantobesureyouhavefollowedtherulesfordisplayandsafety.
B. YoumaynotaddtoorchangetheprojectafterapprovalbythePSESSTEMFaircoordinators.
C. IfyouareselectedtorepresentPSESattheElementarySTEM(Science,Technology,Engineering,andMathematics)Fairyoumustbeavailableandpresentatthefairduringthescheduledtimesforregistrationandjudging.
D. Individualorgroup(uptofourstudents)projectsmaybesubmittedforcompetitionattheBaltimoreCountyPublicSchoolsElementarySTEM(Science,Technology,Engineering,andMathematics)Fair.
ProjectGuidelines:AllProjects
YourprojectwillbeeitheranExperimentalProjectoranObservationalProject.Itwillbejudgedonhowwellyouhavefollowedtheguidelinesforthetypeofprojectyouchoosetocomplete.Theguidelinesandregulationsforbothtypesofprojectsaredescribedinthefollowingpages.
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
Student Project Timeline
See additional important dates & times on the PSES STEM Fair webpage!
K - 5th grade AT HOME project registration due TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016
STEP DUE DATE TASK EACH STEP should be recorded in a logbook as you complete them
1Friday, Feb. 26 QUESTION What do you want to find out?
Choose a question/problem that interests you or a project/problem from the classroom list. This should be in the form of a question. The answer to the question will be found by doing the experiment.
Complete the Project Registration Form ONLINE and written abstract- return it to your science teacher or Mr. Noonan by March 1, 2016.
When your question is approved, record it in a logbook.
4 Friday, March 4 Experiment Design: VARIABLES Identify the INDEPENDANT
(manipulated) and the DEPENDANT (responding) Variables
**Use the variables to help you narrow your research topic.
2Friday, March 4 RESEARCH the Topic You Have Chosen
It should include a list of books and authors or websites and URLs you have read to find the information. You should use a minimum of 3 sources to write your report. The research must be done before you do your experiment. This will help you to form your claim (hypothesis).
3Friday, March 4 CLAIM (HYPOTHESIS) What do you think will happen in your
experiment?
This is a prediction of the outcome based on what you learned in the research report.
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
4Friday, March 11 Experiment Design: MATERIALS and PROCEDURE What do you
need to complete the experiment? This should be in the form of a list.
What will you do, step-by-step, to complete the experiment? As you develop your list of steps to take, write them down first on a separate piece of paper. Number them in the order you will complete them. Then, write them in final form.
5Friday, March 11 Experiment: Conduct the TEST
Remember to do five or more trials. Record your results in the form of a chart. Keep good records. It is a good idea to record your progress using photographs.
Friday, March 11 Experiment: EVIDENCE and ANALYSIS What happened?
Display your data in the form of a chart or graph. Write an explanation of your chart or graph interpreting the data. Include inferences made from the data.
6 Friday, March 11 SCIENTIFIC REASONING (CONCLUSION) What did you learn?
The Reasoning paragraph should begin by stating whether or not your claim (hypothesis) was supported or not supported. The Reasoning must be supported by evidence (details and/or data) from the investigation. The Reasoning paragraph should conclude with an idea for further investigation (i.e. If you could do another experiment to learn more about this subject, what would you like to do?).
7 Tuesday, March 15 Construct the PROJECT DISPLAY BOARD
Everything you have done in steps 1-6 will appear on the backboard. The backboard should be neat and colorful, with a catchy title. Remember, you may not bring anything to the STEM Fair except the backboard, your logbook, and your report. Be sure your name is clearly marked on the back of the backboard and the front of your logbook.
4th - 5th grade AT HOME projects due NO LATER THAN
TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016 **so that teachers can score the projects prior to the fair
3rd grade AT HOME projects due NO LATER THAN
MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2016
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
Understanding Your
3rd
- 5th
grade Child’sSTEM Fair Project
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
Experimental Projects
Experimental Projects are based on a testable question and include a claim (hypothesis); materials; procedure; independent (manipulated), dependent (responding), and controlled variables; evidence (data) displayed in the form of a chart or graph; explanation of the evidence (results); and a paragraph describing the reasoning (conclusion) that answers the question.
Project Approval Students choosing to complete an Experimental Project should follow the guidelines below. Projects will be accepted based on approval of the project abstract by the PSES STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Fair Coordinators- Mrs. Wiegert & Mr. Noonan.
ACCEPTABLE examples: Include any question that is answered by doing an experiment or investigation; and includes a independent (manipulated), a dependent (responding), and controlled variables.
UNACCEPTABLE examples: Include any question that involves- • The growth of microorganisms from our
environment such as washed/unwashed hands,cutting boards, kitchen sponges, etc. or anymicroorganisms obtained from a commercial,research, or medical source. Growth of mold onfood is not acceptable. (safety concerns)
• The use of vertebrate animals (includinghumans) as test subjects. (safety concerns)
• The use of controlled substances such asdrugs, alcohol, or dangerous chemicals. (safetyconcerns)
• The use of firearms or dangerous projectiles.• Models or demonstrations such as volcanoes or
solar systems.• Questions that can be answered with a simple
Internet search.
Observational Projects
Observational Projects are based on a question formed from prior observations and include a claim (hypothesis); known independent (manipulated) and observed dependent (responding) variables; evidence (data) collected by scientists; observation, or surveys of people, animals, or the environment displayed in the form of a chart or graph; an explanation of the data identifying patterns and trends; and a paragraph that describes reasoning (conclusion) that answers the question.
Project Approval Students choosing to complete an Observational Project should follow the guidelines below. Projects will be accepted based on approval of the project abstract by the PSES STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Fair Coordinators- Mrs. Wiegert & Mr. Noonan.
ACCEPTABLE examples: • Questions concerning weather patterns and
cycles.• Questions concerning Astronomy patterns and
cycles.• Physical Science questions using math
concepts.• Environmental questions about vertebrate
animal movements or behaviors (includinghumans).
• Pencil/Paper surveys or Opinion surveys.• Perception questions, such as color
determination, presented without treatment.
UNACCEPTABLE examples: • Any project that involves the
giving or withholding of food,water, exercise, medication,or learning to any vertebrateanimal (including humans).(safety concerns)
• Narrative reports based on acollection of facts not centered on a question.
• Questions that can be answered with a simpleInternet search.
EXPERIMENTAL or OBSERVATIONAL?
START
Does your top ic have opportunities for hands - on investigations whe re the
variables are controlled by the investigator?
NO
YES
Choose a topic that you would like to investigate or a question you would like to have answered.
Are the hands - on
investigation s something that you can easily do more
than one time to gather enough data to develop scientific reasoning?
YES
NO
Can you review data collected by other scientists to learn more about your topic and
answer your question? Will it have a claim,
observations, surveys, charts, graphs and an explanation of
the data? Can trends and patterns be identified?
NO Before you go any farther, you
may wish to think of a new top ic. Try to think of something that you’re
interested in that will allow you to do research OR
investigations.
Your project idea seems to fall into the category of
OBSERVATIONAL project .
Will your project be based on a te stable question, and include a claim, materials, procedure,
variables, data displayed in charts or graphs, an explanation, and
scientific reasoning?
YES
NO
Your project idea seems to fall into the category of
EXPERIMENTAL project.
YES
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
Observational Projects Somestudentsmaychoosetodoaprojectthatdoesn’tfittheexperimentalmodel.Students
oftenhavequestionsaboutweather,space,ortheenvironment.Thesestudentsmay
completeobservationalprojectsinsteadofexperimentalprojects.Itisimportantthat
studentsunderstandthatobservationalprojectsalsobeginwithaquestion.Thesequestions
donotincludethemanipulationofvariablesinordertofindananswertotheirquestion.The
questionsinobservationalprojectsareansweredbythecollectionorcompilationofprimary
dataeitherfromsourcessuchasbooksorWebsites,orbycollectionofevidence(data)acquiredbyobservationoftheenvironment.Theseprojectsarenotreportsthatinformthroughthesimplerecitationoffacts.Thestudentasksaquestion,makesahypothesisbased
onresearch,collectsorcompilesdata,analyzesthedataforpatternsortrendsthatwould
supporttheclaim,andformsascientificreasoningbasedontheanalysisofthedata.
Brainstormingideasfortheseprojectscanbemoredifficultthanbrainstormingideasfor
experimentalprojects.Itisimportantthatthequestion/problembefocusedsothatthe
studentcanfindthedataneeded.
Generaltopicsmayinclude:Weatherpatterns Trackingobjectsinspace Increaseordeclineofplant
oranimalspecies
Oceancurrents Movementofseismicfault
lines
Effectofpollutionon
specificarea
Animalmigrationpatterns Movementoftectonicplates Accuracyofweather
forecasts
Animalbehaviors Progressionofpollutionfrom
asource
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
SCIENTIFIC METHOD (Parts of a STEM fair Project)
Question Goodscienceinvestigationsbeginwithaquestion.Thisquestionoftenasks“whatif,”“how,”
or“whateffectsomethingwillhave.”Thequestionshouldberelevanttothestudentand
haveanauthenticconnectiontoareal-worldproblem.Thequestionshouldbetestableand
appropriateforthestudent.Itshouldleadtoanexperimentwhichwillyieldeither
quantitativeorqualitativeevidence(data).Aquestionthatiswellwrittenwilloftenidentifythemanipulated(independent)variableintheexperiment(seeproceduresectionbelow).
Studentsshouldusetheidentifiedvariableinthequestiontoguidetheresearch.
Research Theresearchprovidestheopportunitytoreadseveraldifferentexpositoryselectionsabout
thegeneraltopic.Acquisitionofinformationallowsthestudenttomakeaninformedclaim
(hypothesis).Thisalsohelpstheformulationofaprocedurefortestingtheclaim(hypothesis).InformationmaybefoundontheInternetorinnon-fictionbooks.Studentsshouldidentify
theindependent(manipulated)variableinordertonarrowtheresearchneededtomakean
informedscientificclaim(hypothesis).
Scientific Claim (HYPOTHESIS) Ascientificclaim(hypothesis)isanattemptedanswertothequestionbeinginvestigated.The
claim(hypothesis)attemptstopredicttheoutcomeoftheexperimentandsuggestsapossible
reason(s)forthisoutcome.Theclaim(hypothesis)shouldbebasedonresearchand/orpriorknowledge/observationsandissupportedornotsupportedbytheevidencecollectedfrom
theinvestigation.
EXPERIMENT DESIGN: Materials Materialsusedintheexperimentneedtobelistedinspecificamountsandsizes.(Example–
threefive-gramweights)Thisallowsotherpeopletoreplicate(repeat)theexperiment
exactlytoseeiftheygetthesameresults.Thisprocessiscalledverification.
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
EXPERIMENT DESIGN: VARIABLES Indeterminingtheprocedurethatwillbeusedintheinvestigation,thevariablesmustbe
identifiedandcontrolled.Variablesarethefactorsthatwillaffecttheoutcomeofthe
experiment.Therearethreetypesofvariablesthatmustbeconsidered:
• INDEPENDANTvariable(manipulated)–thefactorthatwillbeintentionallychangedduringtheexperimentalprocedureinordertofindoutwhateffectithasonsomethingelse.An
exampleofaindependent(manipulated)variableisusingdifferentlengthsofstringtoconstructapenduluminordertoobservetheeffectthelengthofthestringhasontheswing
ofthependulum.
• DEPENDANTvariable(responding)–thefactorthatisobservedandmeasuredtoseeifitis
affectedbythechangemadeintheindependent(manipulated)variable.Anexampleofa
dependent(responding)variableisthenumberofswingsthependulummakeswhenthe
lengthofitsstringischanged.
• CONTROLLEDvariables–thefactorsintheexperimentthatmustbekeptexactlythesameto
makesurethattheyarenothavinganyeffectonthedependent(responding)variable.Variablesthatwouldneedtobecontrolledinthependulumexperimentwouldbethemassof
thependulum,thetypeofstring,andthereleaseheightofthependulum.
EXPERIMENT DESIGN: PROCEDURE Theprocedureusedinanexperimentmustbewritteninaclear,sequentialmannerinorder
toallowsomeoneelsetofollowthesamestepstoreplicatetheexperiment.Numberingthe
stepsfollowedintheprocedureishelpfultosomeonewhoisreadingtheprocedure.The
procedureshouldrepeattheinvestigationaminimumoffivetimes,ortrials.Thiswillprovide
thestudentwithadequateevidence(data)forlocatingthemeasureofcentraltendency. EXPERIMENT: TEST Followtheprocedurecarefullytoconducttheexperiment.
• REMEMBER:someoneelseshouldbeabletofollowthesamestepstoreplicateyour
experimentandgetthesameresults.
• Repeattheexperimentaminimumoffivetimes,ortrialstoobtainvalidresults.
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
EXPERIMENT: Evidence Conductingtheexperimentorinvestigationproducesevidence,whichincludesthe
measurementstakenandobservationsmadeaswellasawrittenexplanationoftheoutcome.
Evidence(data)thatareobservedormeasuredduringtheexperimentshouldberecordedas
theexperimentisconducted.Thebestformattocollectevidence(data)isadatacollectionchart.Whenconstructingadatacollectionchart,itshouldberememberedthatrepeated
trials(minimumoffive)oftheexperimentmustbeconductedtoobtainvalidresults.Data
canthenbeanalyzedandgraphed.Astatisticalanalysisofthecollecteddatatoincludethe
median,ormeasureofcentraltendency,shouldbecompletedwhereappropriate.Itis
helpfultopresenttheevidence(data)intheformofagraphsothattheevidence(data)illustratedcaneasilybeinterpreted.Thetwomostcommonlyusedtypesofgraphsfor
scienceexperimentsaredetailedbelow.
BarGraphsareusedtodisplaydiscretedata,ordatathatisdistinctandseparatefrom
otherinformation.Datashownonabargraphoftenreflectmeasuredorcountedamounts.
Forexample,theaveragenumberofdropsofplainwaterversustheaveragenumberofdrops
ofsoapywaterthatwillfitonapennywouldbestbeshownonabargraph.Thebarsdrawn
onabargraphshouldallbethesamewidthandareseparatedbyspacesinbetweenthem.
Thisisthemostcommontypeofgraphusedbyfourthandfifthgradestudentstoshow
relationshipswithdata.
Linegraphsareusedtodisplaycontinuousdataordatathatgoesonwithoutastoporbreak.Experimentsthathaveresponding(dependent)variablesinvolvingtemperature,time,
ordistancewillusuallyyielddatathatshouldbegraphedasalinegraph.Linegraphsare
usefultoanalyzerelationshipsamongcollecteddata.Inparticular,linegraphscanshow
trendsindata–increasing,decreasing,orstayingthesame.Thedissolvingtimeofasolidina
rangeofdifferenttemperatureswouldbeanexampleofdatabestdisplayedonalinegraph.
Linegraphsareusedlessfrequentlybyfourthandfifthgradestudents,butmaybeusedwhen
appropriate.
Theindependent(manipulated)variableisusuallyrepresentedonthehorizontal(x)axisofagraph,andthedependent(responding)variableisrepresentedontheverticalaxisofagraph.Thegraphshouldalsohave:
• Numbersinevenintervals(1’s,2’s,5’s,10’s,100’s,etc.).
• Labelsforboththehorizontal(x)andvertical(y)axes.
• Atitlethatreflectstheinformationthatisbeingrepresentedonthegraph.
Studentsshouldmakeuseofappropriatesoftwaretocompletethegraph.
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
experiment: Analysis Thedatachartand/orgrapharefollowedbyaparagraphdescribingtheresults.The
paragraphshould:
• notehighsandlowsofdatacollected
• includethecalculatedmedianasappropriateforthegradelevel
• describetrendsinthedata
• restatethenumberoftrialscompleted
• stateanyinferencesand/orobservationsevidencedbythedata
Scientific Reasoning (CONCLUSION) 1. Shouldreflectbackontheoriginalclaim(hypothesis)andstatewhetheritwassupported
ornotsupportedbyevidence(dataorobservations).
2. Shouldanswertheoriginalquestionthatstartedtheinvestigationandincludeevidenceusedtosupportthereasoning(conclusion).
3. Shouldincludespecificevidencefromtheinvestigation.
4. Shouldincludeinferencesthatcanbemadefromtheevidenceoftheexperiment.
5. Shouldincludeanyadditionalquestionsthatcouldbeinvestigatedorinformationthat
couldberesearchedinthefuture.Inaddition,anyproblemsthatwereexperiencedduring
theexperimentcanbediscussed.
Projectdisplaysizeislimitedtothesizeofastandardbackboard:
61cmdeep(24inches);95cmwide(36inches),sidetoside;and274cmhigh(108inches)floortotop.
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
Student Checklist of Judging Criteria
Students: When your STEM Fair Project is finished, use this checklist to make sure your project is complete and you have everything you need on your project display board.
Read each bullet in the bold categories below. Check YES or NO for each bullet, based on your project. Then, go back and fix the areas on your project where you checked NO.
YES NO BACKBOARD: Appearance and Organization
Is my name on my project?
Do I have a title?
Is it neat and organized?
Is my project arranged in a step-by-step order?
Are all the parts clearly labeled? (Problem, Hypothesis, etc.)
Question
Did I state the problem?
Is it a testable question?
Claim (hypothesis)
Does my claim state a possible outcome of the experiment and tell why I think it will happen that way?
Did I base my claim on research?
Have I consulted at least three resources?
EXPERIMENT DESIGN: Materials and Procedure (written)
Did I list the materials and equipment I used with specific amounts, including units?
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
Did I list all steps of the procedure clearly?
EXPERIMENT DESIGN: Variables and Procedure
Did I test it five or more times (multiple trials) or use a large enough sample size (observational projects) to support the claim?
Was I careful to control conditions so that something unexpected didn’t affect the results (dependent variables)?
Are the independent and dependent variables identified?
EXPERIMENT: Evidence (collection and representation)
Does the data show that I did the experiment or observation carefully?
Is the data displayed in an appropriate way such as graphs, charts, drawings, photographs, etc?
EXPERIMENT: Analysis (written explanation)
Does my explanation summarize and analyze the data?
Does my explanation describe patterns and trends in the data?
Does my explanation interpret my graph?
Scientific Reasoning (conclusion)
Does my reasoning reflect the data?
Does my reasoning talk about my claim (hypothesis)?
Does my reasoning state whether or not my claim was supported or not supported by evidence?
EXPERIMENT: Understanding
Can I clearly explain the procedure and results of this experiment to someone who does not know about it?
EXPERIMENT: Application
Can I suggest another experiment that I could do if I wanted to
find out more about this topic?
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
Sample STEM Fair Interview Questions
BACKBOARD: Overall Appearance 1. Who helped you with your project? 2. What was your favorite part of the science project process? 3. How did you decide how to organize your information on the display board? 4. How long did it take for you to complete the project?
Question 1. How did you decide on the question that you wanted to investigate? 2. Is this topic something that you’ve always been interested in finding out more about? 3. Did your question allow you to complete an investigation to gather data?
Claim (hypothesis)
1. What did you claim/predict the outcome of your investigation would be? 2. What resources did you use to gather information about your project before you started
your investigation? 3. When you finished gathering information from your resources, did you have to adjust
your claim/prediction at all?
EXPERIMENT DESIGN: Materials/Procedures (written) 1. Have you listed the exact amount of each material used so that someone else could
complete your investigation? Did you use metric or customary units? 2. Have you listed the procedure in an organized, step-by-step order? 3. Why do you think it’s important to have the procedure listed in a step-by-step order?
EXPERIMENT DESIGN: Variables/Procedures 1. How many times did you repeat your investigation? 2. Why do you think it’s important to repeat an investigation more than once? 3. What was the independent variable in your investigation? What was the dependent
variable? 4. How were you able to control all the variables except the one you were changing? 5. If you were to complete this investigation three more times, what would you think
would be the outcome of the investigation.
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
EXPERIMENT: Evidence (graphic representation) 1. How did you decide which kind of graph to use to display your data? 2. Could you have used a different type of graph to show the results of your investigation? 3. Does the information on your graph accurately show the evidence you collected?
EXPERIMENT: Analysis (written representation) 1. How does your chart/graph show the results of your investigation trials? 2. Have you included information from all of the trials or did you graph the measure of
central tendency? 3. Does the information in your written explanation reflect the results of your investigation
trials?
Scientific Reasoning (conclusion) 1. Did your investigation have the results that you claimed/predicted? 2. Does your reasoning state if your claim was supported or not supported? 3. What did you learn as a result of completing the investigations for this STEM Fair
project?
INTERVIEW: Understanding 1. If you had to do this STEM Fair project again, what would you have done differently? 2. What suggestions would you give to someone who was interested in completing your
investigation? 3. Now that you have completed your investigation, what new questions do you have?
What new investigation would you conduct based on your results?
INTERVIEW: Application 1. How would what you learned in this investigation be useful in solving a real problem? 2. Can you think of an occupation that would benefit from the information that you gained
as a result of this investigation? 3. As you were completing your investigation, did you think of other questions that you
would like to find answers to in future investigations?
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
JUDGE’S Scoring SheeT
Scoring criteria Points
per Item
Awarded Score
Project Number:
Comments
BACKBOARD: Overall Appearance and Organization
Are all parts of the project included and clearly labeled? Is the backboard neat and attractive?
5
Question and Claim (hypothesis)
Does the question relate to a real-world problem or current issue and lead to an investigation or observations, not a report, demonstration, or model? Can the question be answered through a simple Internet search?
Does the prediction/claim state a possible outcome of the experiment or observation with an accompanying explanation based on research?
Is evidence present showing research was done prior to predicting?
9
EXPERIMENT DESIGN: Materials and Procedure (written)
Are materials and equipment listed with specific amounts using metric or customary units? (experimental projects, only)
Are all steps to conduct the experiment or observations described and in order?
6
EXPERIMENT DESIGN: Variables and Procedure
Are the independent, dependent, and controlled variables correctly identified and listed? (experimental and observational projects)
Were repeated trials completed (experimental projects) and/or adequate data collected (experimental and observational projects) to justify the conclusion?
Does the investigation design test the appropriate variable?
9
EXPERIMENT: Evidence (graphic representation) and Analysis (written explanation)
Are data present in the form of a table with appropriate labels and title?
Are the data from the table displayed using the correct graph?
Does the explanation analyze and summarize the data to note patterns and trends?
9
Scientific Reasoning (conclusion)
Does the argument restate the original question being investigated?
Is a statement included reflecting whether the claim was or was not supported?
Are supporting data referenced?
Are additional questions to investigate included?
12
INTERVIEW: Understanding
What did you learn in your research that helped you in your investigation?
Can you describe what you did in this investigation? What were the procedures?
Based on your data, was your claim supported? Explain.
What did you learn from this investigation/observation that you didn’t already know?
Did anything unexpected happen when you conducted your investigation? Any problems that may have affected your results?
25
INTERVIEW: Application
Why did you choose to do this investigation? What problem were you trying to solve?
Based on the results of your investigation, would you be able to solve your original problem?
If you needed to know this information for a job, what job/profession would it be?
How is what you learned useful to others?
Now that you have completed this investigation, what questions do you have? What would you choose to learn next?
25
TOTAL SCORE 100
Judge’s Signature
Baltimore County Public Schools STEM Fair Handbook for PARENTS 2015-2016
3rd – 5th grade Student STEM Fair Projects
Judge’s Comments: