SSTFI Judging Orientation

Junior High

Welcome

• Thank you for taking your time and joining us to create a great opportunity for SSTFI students.

• If morning judges can stay and help in the afternoon session please see Vicki at registration desk.

• You are the face of the fair and can really make a difference.

• When students think of their fair experience they will think of you.

• STEM pipeline: You are recruiting for STEM

Reasons for Judging

• Participants will have more contact with judges than anyone else in the fair.

• Judge interaction with the participants is the image left behind after the fair.

• Judging Quality ensures that proper winners are rewarded and recognized.

• Judging Quality establishes and enhances the quality of fairs in the future.

Benefits of Judging

• Excellent opportunities for networking.• Enhance communication skills.• Opportunities to broaden knowledge.• Build and Enhance Self-Confidence in youth

today.• Give back to the community by sharing your

knowledge.• Most importantly, have fun while helping others.

Goal of Judging

• Help them understand:– their research and how it could be improved– the science process and how they can sharpen their work– how to build strong claims and evidence» Does the claim make sense» Data interpretation into evidence

• Create a positive experience so they will come back with a better project next year

Judging

• Multi-faceted:– Relax presenters so they can tell their story– Help the student to better understand their work• Science• Analysis• Presentation

– Positive attitude towards science– Improvement goals for future work• Good question, good design, good data

= good claims and evidence

Judging Session:

• Introduction:– Hello, my name is your name here– Please give me a few moments to look over your

board• Take 3-5 minutes to explain your project to me• Questions:– How did they arrive at this project?– How did they design and conduct tests?

Judging Session (cont.)

• What kind of help did you have in your project and why did you have this help?

• How confident are you in your claims? Why?• What changes would you make?• What questions do you have for me?

Things to look for

• Did they do the work and understand it?• Did they try to use statistics and did they use

them correctly?• Did they communicate clearly?• If Team, were they truly a team? (team Score

sheet is different)• If this is a top project, why?

Scoring <- Morning• Bar Code: You will get bar coded stickers.• Score stickers 1-12. You will rank the projects you

viewed best being 1.• Make sure you put the score sticker on the bottom

right corner of the form in the space indicated.• Comments are for students, scores are just to rank and

select top projects for awards. Do not put any scores in the comment section.

• Team Judging has an extra component, teamwork (New this year: teams will be ranked within the biological or physical category, not as a separate category).

Sticker goes here

Comments

Overview• Be a role model• Be a motivator• Be an educator• Be polite and courteous. You are not in an equal

relationship. You are a scary, powerful person so use gentle courteous language to relax and put them at ease

• Stay on time• Initial judging card at display to show

that you have judged that project• Map and Schedule

Schedule

• You will have time to locate and review all of your exhibits before judging.

• Come back, relax, get a snack and get organized.

• 10-15 minutes per project. Make notes. Complete the forms away from project.

• Do not discuss projects with other judges in front of the students

• Ask if you have questions

Reminders• Stay on time (10-15 min/project)• Do not wait, move on and cycle back. Let the

information desk know if you cannot find a project or a student is not there.

• Double check to make sure you are on the right form

• Bring forms to Judging office and put in baskets• Conflict: switch with another Judge• Project Locations – 7th & 8th <-floor – 6th <-concourse

Afternoon Judging

• Today there will be two types of judging.– The projects that weren’t identified for being

judged for the top awards will be judged first, comments only. Turn in sheets in baskets at judging office.

– The projects identified for top awards will be judged and ranked by category, Biological and Physical.

Judging Teams• The all-day judges will separate into teams at lunch

and select a leader (experience helps)– By grade: 6, 7, and 8– By Category: Biological and Physical

• Judging must be completed by 3:00• Teams must identify top projects• Top 6 for grades 6, 7, and 8 for both biological and

physical.• Then select top 3 biological and physical overall• In addition identify top 6 individual projects overall.• Complete forms and turn in to Judging Chair by 3:30

Final Award Forms

• Teams will negotiate to agree upon final rankings.• Please make sure team names are on form and

signed by team leader and make sure we have a contact number for the team leader before the award forms are turned in.

• This process can very often be interesting and please be careful. It is possible for a 2nd place in grade to get placed higher in overall. It is up to the discretion of the lead judges.

Thank you

• Any Questions?– Email • Ethan Erickson: ethane@iastate.edu• Vicki Speake: speake@iastate.edu