Rubrics for Science Project Parts

Display Board Rubric

Content of  Display Board	90 points. Each element in the display had a function and clearly served to illustrate some aspect of the experiment.  All items were included, were neatly and correctly labeled, and correctly placed on the display following all guidelines.	80-89 points  Each element in the display had a function and clearly served to illustrate some aspect of the experiment.  Most items were included, were neatly and correctly labeled, and correctly placed on the board.	70-79 points – Each element had a function and clearly served to illustrate some aspect of the experiment.  Some components may be missing, mislabeled, or out of sequence.	65 points –The display seemed incomplete or chaotic with no clear plan.  Many labels were missing, incorrect, or improperly placed on the display.
Appearance of Display Board	5-10 points Neat and readable, with good use of contrasting colors.	4 points Attempt at neat and readable, with fairly good use of contrasting colors	3 points Attempt at neat and readable. No use of contrasting colors.

 

 

Oral Presentation Rubric

Content	90 points  Shows a full understanding of the entire project.	80-89 points Shows a good understanding of the entire project.	70- 79 points Shows a good understanding of only parts of the project.	60-69 points Does not seem to understand the project very well.
Presentation	9-10 points Stands up straight, looks relaxed & confident; establishes eye contact with judges during the presentation.	8 points Stands up straight & establishes eye contact with almost everyone in the audience during the presentation.	7 points Sometimes stands up straight; may lose eye contact with judges from time to time.	6 points Slouches and/or does not look at the judges during the presentation. Reads from the board. Turns back to judges for an extended period.

 

Abstract Rubric

Written Content	90 points The body of the abstract is limited to a maximum of 250 words and fits into the predefined space. The purpose of the research, procedures, data, and conclusions must be included. Grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure do not take away from the meaning.	80 points The body of the abstract is limited to a maximum of 250 words and fits into the predefined space. The purpose of the research, procedures, data, and conclusions must be included. Although the science is well presented, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure are poor.	70 points The body of the abstract is limited to a maximum of 250 words and fits into the predefined space. May be missing the purpose of the research, procedures, data, or conclusions.	60 points The body of the abstract exceeds the maximum of 250 words OR it does not fit into the predefined space OR may be missing more than one: purpose of the research, procedures, data, or conclusions OR it is only an attempt at an abstract. .
Form	9-10 points The form is filled out correctly including the TITLE OF THE PROJECT (in caps), the student name (or team leader’s name), and the School, City, and State. The correct form is used.	8 points The form is filled out correctly including the TITLE OF THE PROJECT (in caps), the student name (or team leader’s name), and the School, City, and State. The wrong form is used.	7 points An attempt has been made to complete the form correctly	6 points No attempt to complete the form correctly is evident.

 

Science Project Log/Journal

90 -100 points The ENTIRE experiment log is submitted in rough draft form, has a title written across the top, is legible, and is in the researcher’s own hand. All entries are dated and initialed. Includes early brainstorming, notes, and bibliographic info for proposal.

80 – 89 points  MOST of the experiment log is submitted in rough draft form, has a title written across the top, is legible, and is in the researcher’s own hand. Most entries are dated and initialed.

70-79 points SOME of the experiment log is submitted in rough draft form.  It is legible and is in the researcher’s own hand. Some entries are dated and initialed.

65 points The experiment log is not submitted in rough draft form OR it may illegible OR it is not in the researcher’s own hand. NO entries are dated and initialed.

 

BONUS OPPORTUNITY for Wednesday

You have a new A3K assignment for tomorrow. Do it for bonus points. Two points if your first try is 75% or better. One point if it takes you  a second chance.

JLCP Science Fair is looking for judges

The JLCP Science Fair is on December 17, starting at 3 PM. Student will be selected by the teachers to participate in the fair. If your child is selected, please encourage her or him to participate. Students from our fair advance on to NEFRSEF and/or the Duval County Public Schools fair. To make our fair the richest experience for all of our students we are looking for (recruiting) judges for our school fair. If you are a scientist, engineer, doctor, computer programmer or work (or have a degree or have worked) in a science related or engineering field and would like to volunteer as a judge please send an e-mail to Mrs. Smith. Her e-mail is smithp8@duvalschools.org.

MENU Assignments and science project reminder

Both B day and A day had multiple days to complete their menus in class and out of class. If the menu score is very low or a zero then there is work missing. All menu items turned in on time will be posted for the progress reports. Late menu items may be turned in one day late for a 25% penalty. Anything later than that will have a higher penalty. HOWEVER, this does not apply to students who were absent on Friday, 11/21 which was B day or Monday, 11/24 which was an A day.

Currently, the only late assignments that will be accepted are from the menu.

Don't forget to bring your abstract to class either Tuesday 12/2 (A Day) or Wednesday 12/3 (B Day).

Finishing up SCIENCE PROJECTS

As you know, science projects are due either December 2 for A day or December 3 for B day. On the day your project is due you will turn in one copy of your abstract. On the day that you are scheduled to present, you will bring your SCIENCE PROJECT LOG/JOURNAL, your DISPLAY BOARD, and a practiced presentation.

RESULTS vs. CONCLUSIONS

Results and conclusions are two different sections. For your results you analyze your data. Some descriptive statistics that you should use are the mean, median, mode, and range of your data. Graph your analyzed data. Look for trends. Really look at your data and determine if it is meaningful or not. Do you see more than a 5% difference in your means?  Is it more or less? The greater the differences between your groups, the more meaningful your results are. What do the results indicate? What may have affected your results positively or negatively?

The CONCLUSION is developed from the results. Use the correct terminology: The results support the hypothesis or The results do not support the hypothesis.  Do not for any reason claim that your hypothesis was right or true. Don’t claim your hypothesis was wrong or not correct. It can’t be. It is either supported by results or it is not supported by the results. Remember, you are not PROVING anything. However, you may include how the conclusion may help you go deeper into your question if you continue this experiment. You will find more info at www.nefrsef.org, but be careful of not totally correct wording (they use prove and disproved).

ABSTRACTS should be prepared by referring to www.nefrsef.org. Go to the main page. You will see

Select Abstract Completion Instructions (FSSEF) and follow them for what to include in your abstract.

Use the ABSTRACT Form (FSSEF). It is better to prepare your abstract body in WORD and then copy and paste it into the ABSTRACT form. Once you have completed your abstract form you should print 2 copies. One will be turned in on the day the project is due and one will be placed on your board in the lower left hand corner as you hold it.

To review how a display board is organized please select the student tab. You should see

Look at # 7 and click on backboard. That will take you to the complete page on display boards. Remember, the title and abstract have assigned places.

When you prepare your oral presentation remember that you are talking to your classmates. You will have 5 minutes for both your presentation and to answer any questions your classmates may have. Here are the questions you should include in your presentation.

• What was your problem?
• What was your question?
• What did you do?
• Why did you do it?
• What are your results?
• What is your conclusion?
• How can you use the conclusion to ask a further question?

 

Is there a rubric for all of this? We are working at the 8^th grade level to finalize one for the abstract, the board, the SPL/J and the presentation. They should be published early next week.

Bonus Points in SCIENCE

You can earn a bonus point by completing the A3K weekend science activity. Don't look in your mailbox just go to your science class page. You earn a point for scoring a 75% or better on your first try. If it's not there, tell me in class - don't e-mail because I won't see your e-mail until Monday. I have my fingers crossed.

Menu updates, Achieve 3000, and science project due date.

Remember, your science project is due upon return from Thanksgiving break. That means either Dec. 2 or Dec. 3 depending on what day your class meets. More on this next week.

Columns1& 2 should be completely finished by the end of Tuesday for A day and Wednesday for B day. You should be finished with the center row of column 3 and 4 as you walk into class. We will work with tide tables so that you will finish Column 3 row 1 and row 3 in class and you will begin column 4 row 3. That should be all you need to finish as you walk into class on Thursday or Friday. You will have 20 minutes to finish if you need it. Or you can use those 20 minutes to finish reviewing for a TEST. What will be tested? What is on the menu will be on the test.

Everyone will be doing at least 1 activity on Achieve 3000 or A3K each month. B day is scheduled to meet in the media center to work on Monday. A day met there today and did A3K and worked on their menus. Remember, only activities completed during school hours and with a 75% or better on the FIRST try go towards raising your lexile. That is the goal of this program to strengthen your skills no matter how good they are. This is way better than the program I used when I was your age. You are very lucky.

No Tutoring on November 13

Sorry, I have a personal commitment and can not hold tutoring tomorrow.

Menu Update

Here's the menu that you received in class.

SUN-EARTH-MOON SYSTEM         

Moon Phases	Eclipses	Tides	How the Earth-Moon System affects our lives
Complete a moon phase calendar for November                                   (10 pts)	Read EITHER Around the World or Eclipse Trivia And illustrate one fact from the article you read.                   (10 pts)	Use a tide chart to find the tide heights and times for the 4 main moon phases in November (Full, Last Quarter, New, and First Quarter) at a location either on the St. John’s River or along the East Coast between Charleston, SC and Daytona Beach, FL        (10 pts)	Make a Wordle using all of the vocabulary. May be hand written, but should really be computer generated. Or Make a vocabulary card for 3 different words using one of the vocabulary strategies. Cards must be colorful and neat. (10 pts)
Choose one Unit 4 Lesson 2 Cornell 2 column notes and Lesson Review, or All ACTIVE READING and VISUALIZE IT and the Lesson Review or A graphic organizer and the Lesson Review      (20)	Watch the BrainPop video for ECLIPSES for and choose either  the Activity Sheet or the Quiz   (20 points)	Choose one for Unit 4 lesson 3 Cornell 2 column notes and Lesson Review, or All activities in the lesson except # 13, 14, and 15 and the Lesson Review or A graphic organizer and the Lesson Review (20 pts)	Complete Unit 4 Summary on p. 232       (20 pts)
Choose one Activity: Moon Phase and Foldable or Gizmo: Moon Phases SEG and AQ            (up to 25 pts)	Choose one GIZMO-3D Eclipse both SEG and AQ     Or Make a 2D or 3D model of both a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse.          (up to 25 pts)	Calculate the Tidal range for the high tides and low tides that you located on the Tidal Chart. On your calendar identify when Spring and Neap tides will occur.   (up to 25 pts)	Prepare a mini-poster for the location you identified. Include a graph of the High/Low tide data for each of the 4 main moon phases. Identify the tidal range and the type of tide on the graph. Identify the WORST day in November for a Hurricane to hit your location and explain why. (up to 25 pts)

Remember, most of the work will be completed in class (the wordle can't be printed in class). If you use your time wisely you will have enough to not only do this work, but to do some Achieve 3000.


Although some students took the initiative to complete the wordle at home they did not have the complete list of vocabulary words. The wordles that were submitted on Thursday will be considered complete. All others should be based on the following words.

Vocabulary: Moon Phases, Eclipses, and Tides

 

Moon Phases	Eclipses	Tides	Words common to all 3 sections
Revolution Gravity Reflection New Moon Crescent First Quarter Gibbous Full Moon Third Quarter Waxing Waning	Lunar eclipse Solar eclipse	Gravity High Tide Low Tide	Earth Sun Moon

Change in date for Science project journal check- For A DAY only

I won't be able to check science project logs/journals on Thursday. As a result I am changing the due date for A DAY ONLY to next Wednesday, November 12. The B-day check remains scheduled for Friday, November 7. Sorry for the change, but I have to attend a district meeting.


REMEMBER, no tutoring Thursday, 11/6.

Getting more in depth with the Sun-Earth-Moon System and Seasons 3D

Starting Tomorrow and Thursday you will receive a menu for the Sun-Earth-Moon Activities. Each of you will need to make some wise choices and manage your time well. An assessment will follow the menu. Remember, it's not how fast you complete your work, it's how well you learn from doing it.
The menu is being finalized, but it will be posted when completed.

Be sure your Gizmo for Seasons 3D is completed by either tomorrow (B ) or Thursday (A). That includes the assessment questions. The last question (# 8 on the SEG)  asks you to create a year graph..., describe patterns..., and explain the graph.

THERE WILL  BE NO TUTORING ON THURSDAY, 11/6. I HAVE A FAMILY COMMITMENT.