7th Grade Rubrics

Adhesive

Any synthetic product that is used to join materials together; causing adherence; sticky.

Alternative Energy

Any source of energy other than fossil fuels that is used for constructive purposes.

Atom

The smallest unit of a chemical element, made up of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.

Catalyst

A substance that increases or decreases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed by the reaction itself.

Chemical Change

A change in the chemical composition of a substance to produce a new material with new properties (an example of a chemical change is wood turning to ash and smoke when it burns).

Chemical Engineering

The branch of engineering serving industries that chemically convert basic raw materials into a variety of products.

Chemical Properties

Characteristics of a substance that determine how it will react with other substances.

Chemical Reaction

A chemical change in which one or more substances are changed into one or more new substances.

Chemist

A person engaged in chemical research or experiments.

Chemistry

The branch of science concerned with the properties and interactions of the substances of which matter is composed.

Compound

Substance made up of two or more elements, such as water (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), or table sugar (C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁).

Electron

Basic particle of negative charge in orbit; around the nucleus in an atom.

Element

A pure substance composed of only one type of atom.

Environment

The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.

Environmental Engineering

The branch of engineering that deals with the treatment of chemical, biological, and/or thermal waste, the purification of water and air, and the remediation of contaminated sites due to prior waste disposal or accidental contamination.

Fauna         

The animals of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.

Flora

The plants of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.

Mixture

A combination of different things in which the components are individually distinct (e.g., a salad is a mixture of vegetables).

Molecule

A group of atoms chemically bonded together, representing the smallest fundamental unit of a compound that can take part in a chemical reaction.

NaCl

Sodium chloride, common salt.

Nucleus

The massive, stable part of the atom that contains both protons and neutrons.

Neutron

A proton with no charge that is found in the nucleus of an atom.

Periodic Table

Table of all known chemical elements organized according to their properties.

Petroleum Engineering

The application of engineering to the drilling for and production of oil, gas, and liquefiable hydrocarbons.

Pharmaceuticals

The chemistry of drugs and other medicinal products.

Physical Change

A change that affects the size, shape, or color of a substance but does not affect its composition.

Process

Human activities used to create, invent, design, transform, produce, control, maintain, and use products or systems.

Proton

Particle with positive charge in the nucleus of an atom.

Synthetic Material

Material that is not found in nature, such as glass, concrete, and plastic.

GTT Notebook Grading Rubric

Organization

Notebook shows a high level of organization; sections are clearly labeled; all activity sheets and related information are included.

Notebook shows evidence of organization, but is missing section dividers; not all activities are completed with appropriate information.

Notebook shows limited organization, such as missing sections, and several activities are incomplete.

Notebook is not complete and is missing several activities.

There is no evidence of an organized notebook.

Notes

Notes are clearly labeled with dates and relationship to each lesson.

Notes are labeled but are not in order.

Some notes are missing, and not all notes are labeled.

Notes are not labeled, and the notes that are included are not clearly identified.

The notebook contains little or no evidence of notes.

Research

Research is documented with appropriate citations. Research includes a variety of resources and is not limited to one or two sources.

Research is documented on some topics. One or two sources do not include proper citation information. Research is limited to one or two resources.

Research is randomly completed with little or no source documentation.

The only research included is collected from the textbook or lecture notes. No outside research is included.

The notebook contains little or no evidence of research.

Sketches

Sketches are complete and annotated to show all important information.  Heading information is complete and accurate.

One or two sketches are not complete and are missing important information, such as measurements. Some heading information is incomplete or inaccurate.

Sketches are missing more than 50% of the identification of the components. More than 50% of the heading information is not complete or is not accurate.

Sketches are not complete. Heading information is not complete and is not accurate.

The notebook contains little or no evidence of sketches.

Portfolio

Best Works

All portfolio entries demonstrate the student’s best work. Dates are recorded and each entry is complete.

Two or three best work entries are incomplete, misdated, or are not a good representation of the student’s best work.

More than 50% of the best work entries are incomplete, misdated, or are not a good representation of the student’s best work.

Student has not identified best work. The best work is not included in the proper section of the notebook.

The notebook contains little or no evidence of a portfolio.