Scorae › Rubrics › Science Fair Project Rubric (Grades 5-8)
Science Fair Project Rubric (Grades 5-8)
This rubric grades the investigation, not the poster gloss. The weight sits on data and on the student's own reasoning about it, and the interview criterion checks the one thing a board cannot fake: whether the student can explain their project without reading it. It fits classroom fairs in grades 5 through 8.
- Grades 5-8
- Subject Science
- 100 points
- 5 criteria
- Free to copy, print and adapt
| Criterion | Exceeds | Meets | Approaching | Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question and Hypothesis15 points | 14-15 ptsAsks a testable question about a measurable effect, and states an if-then hypothesis naming the variable changed, the variable measured, and a reason for the prediction. | 11-13 ptsTestable question with an if-then hypothesis naming both variables, without reasoning behind the prediction. | 8-10 ptsQuestion is a topic rather than a test, or the hypothesis predicts an outcome without naming what is changed and measured. | 0-7 ptsNo hypothesis, or a question answerable by looking something up rather than by experimenting. |
| Procedure and Fair Test20 points | 18-20 ptsNumbered steps another student could repeat, with quantities and times specified, at least three trials, and the variables held constant listed explicitly. | 14-17 ptsRepeatable steps with the changed and measured variables clear, and more than one trial run. | 10-13 ptsSteps described too generally to repeat, or a single trial treated as the result. | 0-9 ptsNo written procedure, or the test changes multiple variables at once so nothing can be concluded. |
| Data and Analysis25 points | 23-25 ptsAll trial data recorded in labeled tables with units, presented in an appropriate graph, and described by citing specific values and the pattern they show. | 18-22 ptsComplete data in a table and a graph of the right type, with one element such as units or a title missing. | 13-17 ptsPartial data, an average with no supporting trials, or a graph type that does not fit the data. | 0-12 ptsLittle or no recorded data, or numbers that do not match the trials described. |
| Conclusion20 points | 18-20 ptsStates whether the data supported the hypothesis citing the deciding values, names a specific source of error and its likely effect, and proposes a follow-up question or improvement. | 14-17 ptsStates supported or not supported with reference to the data and names one source of error. | 10-13 ptsDeclares the hypothesis right or wrong without citing any values, or blames unnamed human error. | 0-9 ptsNo conclusion, or a conclusion unrelated to the data collected. |
| Display Board and Interview20 points | 18-20 ptsBoard presents the project in the order of the method with readable labels and cited images, and the student answers questions about method and results without reading from the board. | 14-17 ptsBoard is organized and complete, and the student explains the project accurately with occasional glances at the board. | 10-13 ptsBoard is missing sections or dominated by decoration, or the student can only answer by reading the board aloud. | 0-9 ptsBoard is substantially incomplete, or the student cannot describe how the experiment was done. |
Total: 100 points across 5 criteria.
How to use it
- Approve the question and procedure at a checkpoint before any experimenting; half of low scores are locked in by an untestable question nobody caught in week one.
- Require the data table format before trials begin so recording happens during the experiment, not from memory afterward.
- Score the interview with two or three standard questions asked of every student: what did you change, what did you measure, what surprised you.
What students most often get wrong
- Running one trial and presenting it as the answer.
- Building the board from the conclusion backward, with the data table completed last and thinnest.
- A parent-polished board paired with a student who cannot explain the procedure, which the interview criterion is there to catch.
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