Mollusks on the Move Experiment Rubric

Science Fair Rubric Student’s Name: ______TOTAL PTS. TOTAL PTS. DUE DATE REQUIREMENTS AVAILABLE EARNED AND COMMENTS Put your name on the top left corner of the tri-board poster _____ I. Question 5 *The question is well-stated, guides the investigation, and is testable though scientific investigation._____ (5) * The question should be large and visible on the board. II. Hypothesis 5 *Write the hypothesis as an "If, then" statement. _____ (2.5) *State your reason for choosing this hypothesis based on your research. _____ (2.5) III. Materials 5 *List all the materials in bulleted form._____ (5) IV. Procedure 10 *List your procedure in step form. _____ (5) *Identify your controlled, manipulated and responding variables._____ (5) V. Pictures/Drawings/Items to Display 5 *Include drawings of photographs of your experimental set-up. _____ (2.5) *Label components of the experimental set-up to communicate clearly. _____ (2.5) VI. Data Chart 20 *Include data from all three trials in a data chart (This may be three separate charts or one chart depending on your experiment). _____ (10) *Create a column where you calculate the average for all trials. _____ (5) *Include a title for the chart and label all columns and rows. _____ (5) VII. Graph 15 *Graph the average data for all three trials. ONLY ONE GRAPH IS NECESSARY. _____ (10) *Include a detailed title. _____ (2.5) *Label both axes. _____ (2.5) VIII. Results and Conclusions: This is the most important part!!! 30 You included a well-developed, critical analysis and conclusions section where you: Results: First Paragraph A. Restate your hypothesis ___ (5) B. State whether you accepted or rejected your hypothesis. _____ (5) C. Restate the data to explain why you accepted or rejected your hypothesis. _____ (5) Conclusions: Second Paragraph A. Analyze your data further by identifying trends and making comparisons _____ (5) B. Explained whether your results are valid? Explained how you could you improve the experiment to produce more valid results. _____ (5) C. Discuss the implications of your experiment. How might your data impact society or the environment. _____(5) SEE THE EXAMPLE OF A RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS SECTION ON THE BACK OF THIS PAPER. IX. Neatness/Effort/Followed Directions/Display Board Set Up 5 Correctly/Use of grammar and language

Final Grade ______

The final tri-board poster is due May 1. It will count as a test grade. Grades will be taken along the way as determined by the teacher. Set up your tri-fold poster as shown to the right.

Sample Experiment and Results and Conclusions

Question: Is there really a difference in taste between name brand sodas?

Hypothesis: If taste testers are given a variety of name brand sodas to identify then they will be able to determine each brand of soda because of the distinct flavors and the variety of ingredients.

Materials:  3 different types of name brand soda (Coke, Dr. Pepper, and Diet Coke)  Cups  Blindfolds  Marker  Data table  Camera (photograph participants and set up to illustrate what is happening during your experiment)

Procedures: 1. Obtain three different name brand sodas (Coke, Dr. Pepper, and Diet Coke) 2. Pour each soda into a different cup and label them A (Coke), B (Dr. Pepper) and C (Diet Coke). 3. Blindfold each participant and ask them to drink from each cup and then verbally tell you what soda they think they are drinking after they have tasted cup A, cup B, and cup C. 4. Record the participant's response on your data table. 5. Repeat the above steps with the same participants at least 3 times.

Results and Conclusions: My hypothesis was that people would be able to identify name brand sodas in a blindfolded taste test because of the distinct flavors and ingredients. I rejected my hypothesis because only one of the ten participants was able to identify the name brand sodas correctly during each trial. As you can see in my data table, nine out of 10 participants named the soda brands differently for each trial. I can draw several conclusions. Firstly, the type and amount of ingredients are very similar in the sodas which could make it difficult to distinguish between them. I also conclude that if people have trouble telling the difference between brands, they should not pay more for a certain brand. The results I received were based on the different product ingredients and the strong qualitative observations of the people who tasted them. My results are quite valid, I have many controlled variables and only one manipulated variable. One improvement would be to use a larger, more diverse sample group of varying ages. Future questions I have are: What exactly are the different ingredients in the brands that I chose? Does age affect your ability to tell a difference between brands?