Have you ever heard of the word "Rubric" before? A rubric is a fancy way of saying document. In the case of a STEM Fair, a rubric is a judges scorecard. The judges use the information and requirements listed on the rubric scorecard as a way of grading your exhibit and choosing a winner.
Every STEM Fair has a different rubric and it is not unusual for there to be a rubric for each grade level. For example, the rubric for a student in K-2 would be different for students in grades 3-5 and the rubric would be different for students in 5-7 and so on. It is particularly important to know how your experiment and exhibit are judged. The attached links below offer you an opportunity to view various judging rubrics to offer you an idea of what judges are looking for in your project. You may notice some common items such as:
1. Originality
2. Testability
3. Well designed
4. Organized
5. Creative
Make sure you take the time and effort to research the rubric for your category and grade level. If you are in the 5th grade and conducting an engineering experiment – you must review the rubric for 5th grade engineering experiments.
Here are some links to sample rubrics for your review:
Homework and Materials:
Materials:
Composition Lab Notebook, Pen
Homework:
Entry #6 - In your lab notebook describe what each of the following words means to you.
1. Originality
2. Testability
3. Well designed
4. Organized
5. Creative