CISD District Science Fair

Judging Science Fair Projects

The purpose of the Science Fair is to give young people the opportunity to: Do some science. Learn about a new subject – or more about an old one. Learn what scientists do. Have fun doing all of above.

The judge’s job is to: Probe skillfully and deeply. Leave the student feeling positive about her/his accomplishments. Help the student learn something from the experience. Determine award winners.

As a judge, what should I expect from the students? Pride in their projects and accomplishments Preparation for the fair and the ability to clearly and concisely explain their projects Ability to answer questions about their projects at levels appropriate to their grades and ages Wide variety of project quality and sophistication

What should student oral explanations include? Hypothesis and where it came from Experimental procedures Experimental results Conclusions drawn from experimental results Thought processes that went into the project Outcomes and possible future hypotheses and experiments

The Display

The Display Major purpose: effective communication of: Hypothesis Purpose/Question Variables Data/Graphs Experimental outcomes Conclusions

Be an educator Treat students with respect Project should be considered a significant, serious enterprise. Evaluate but also praise efforts and accomplishments. Ask questions which will cause the student to think and learn, and to explore more deeply.

Interview Procedures Introduce yourself and put student at ease. Ask student to explain project. Ask questions designed to clarify, to establish how student got project idea, and to determine student’s understanding of project and underlying science. Find out how student learned about procedures, use of equipment, concepts involved. If appropriate, ask about help received.

A good science fair project is an investigation and includes: A clear hypothesis, field research based on research and/or observation. An experimental procedure designed to test the hypothesis or goal. Execution of the procedure, with repetitions as needed. Data collection and recording. Data analysis. Conclusions which refer to the hypothesis.

Proving the hypothesis true is NOT the purpose of a science fair project. A well supported answer to a problem is.

Inappropriate projects include Illustrations of concepts in the absence of their use in an investigation. Experiments done without sufficient background research. Displays or collections in the absence of their use in an investigation. Experiments done without a scientific rationale.

Inappropriate projects include Presentation of theories or hypotheses with no scientific evidence for them. Experimental results without analysis or conclusions. Experiments which do not check data and/or explain anomalous results. Procedures using apparatus or procedures unlikely to produce good data.

Interview Protocols A minimum of two judges should interview each participant. Judges may work with their partners to interview each participant together, however, they should fill in their judging rubric independently of each other. Use about the same amount of time for each interview.

Team Projects Judging criteria same as for individual projects. Look for significant contribution and understanding by each team member. Direct questions to each team member. The best project should win, whether individual or team.

CISD Science Fair Judging Rubric Scientific Method Scientific Knowledge Presentation Simplicity

Confidentiality Information regarding findings or conclusions must not be revealed to anyone except other panel members and Science Fair officials.

Thank you for contributing your time and expertise to the young scientists of Canutillo Independent School District