Tips on Putting Projects Together

So this is the time of the year where the rubber really hits the road. Many of you are beginning to have school History Day events. With that, I'd like to provide some tips to creating and revising your projects.

Tip #1: Think Like an Outsider

When you're creating your project remember that you audience may know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about your topic. Approach your project with no assumptions about your audience's prior knowledge. Step back and look at your project: have you given enough background information and context so this makes sense to someone totally outside your project? Does it make sense to your parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents? Is there a story line or narrative that can be followed? Is your thesis or conclusion clear?

In the process of creation, there is a lot of revision. With every research project I've ever done there was a first draft and then many revisions later, a highly improved final draft. Was it ever perfect? NO, but it was definitely better that what I started off with. So let a second set (or third or eighth) of eyes look at your project. You are now so close to this topic that you need some objective advice.

If you do receive feedback from teachers or judges at your school event, use that advice to make your project better before going to your regional (we call them District) History Day. A school event is not just an exercise in due dates and early frustration, but a valuable way to obtain some advice.

Tip #2: Support Your Thesis

Your project, in the end, is really about one thing: your thesis statement or conclusion. Make sure you're not overcrowding your project with information that does not help bring your audience to your conclusion. Conversely, make sure you include enough information. Don't show me a picture of your individual and say by analyzing that picture alone, you can tell that (fill in the blank) was an important individual in history. I would ask you:
How can you tell that? What other evidence do you have to support that conclusion?
Important how?
Just saying someone is important doesn't really mean anything. You need to tell your audience HOW that person made an impact on the world one way or another.

I can't overstress this enough, this year's theme is not about biography, it's about importance or significance in history.

Tip #3: Don't Forget the Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography

While these pieces of paperwork may be extra work, they're worth it. While evaluating projects, the process paper shows the thought and work that was put into a project. The annotated bibliography shows the research. Put some thought into how you talk about the process of creating your project and into your annotations. When I see a skimpy process paper or annotations, it seems like the student(s) was only interested in making a project, but not actually researching or thinking about the history.

Stay tuned for more advice and please don't hesitate to ask questions!

Holiday Sources

In the spirit of our upcoming three day weekend, I wanted to share some sources related to President's Day and Black History Month.

To see some great online sources about Abraham Lincoln:

Lincoln/Net
Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

To see George Washington's Papers at the Library of Congress:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html
To see George Washington's Papers at the University of Virginia:
http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/

Resources for Black History Month

African American History in Ohio
Primary Sources for the Study of African American History
A very long list of resources for teaching African American history and finding primary sources.

Primary Documents from Blackpast.org

So remember take some time to learn more about American history and our collective past. Don't just know the holidays, understand why they exist.

Cool New Resource

In Ohio, we're very lucky to have a lot of world-class institutions and resources at our fingertips. The Cartoon Research Library at the Ohio State University just launched its Opper Project, which provides information on and images of political cartoons. There is some really great information and primary sources available through this web site.

Take a look and happy researching!

History Day by the lake

A cold Thursday took me up to Vermillion High School to talk about History Day and analyzing primary sources. On a block schedule we were able to cover a lot of ground and actually look at and make meaning of a grouping of sources.

I've been asked the question before:

"I've found primary sources, not what do I do with them?"

Primary sources can provide varying levels of information. A photo may tell you very basic things about clothing, appearance, technology, but sometimes may actually show a historical event in action. This famous image at Kent State is in the middle of the action.

While this picture of Governor Rhodes and President Nixon captures a moment, but does not give you information about a specific historical event. It may be a great image of a past Ohio Governor and U.S. President, but you're not going to learn a lot just by analyzing this image.

The students at Vermillion High School looked at a sampling of Ansel Adam's photographs from Manazar Internment Camp. Though these images capture a dark story in American history, the subjects of the photos are smiling and seemingly living their lives. I talked to the students about the photographers intent. Why we would he have them smile? What is the purpose of the photographs? Who was the intended audience. Take a look at the link, what do you think?

Primary sources can be interpreted in different ways and that's part of doing a History Day projects. You can read in secondary sources what other researchers think, but what do you think based on the evidence. Maybe you agree, maybe you don't.

Thanks to the students and teachers at Vermillion High School!

West Jefferson and Cincinnati in one day!

Yesterday I traveled down the south western part of our great state.

At West Jefferson High School, I visited a class and teacher undertaking History Day for the first time. They are working with their local library and staff to learn more about research and the resources that are available both locally and online. This is a really great way to connect to community resources through History Day.

Most of the students were looking at exhibits, but a brave few were looking at papers and web sites. For project examples, check out the National History Day website.

At Mercy Montessori Center, we explored analysis of primary sources using examples from the Library of Congress. First we looked at an image of a notable American. Very often, I see student bibliographies filled with pictures and images as the only types of primary sources. While images can be great primary sources, they don't provide all the information you'll need to do analysis or interpretation. Each student group also had the chance to look at other sources with more information. By layering together a variety of sources, you're better able to come to a conclusion. So think about the primary sources you've found. Do they add information to your project? Do they help you support your thesis or show opposing viewpoints? Can you actually support your thesis with the information you've found?

A note on bibliography padding:

Some of you will find more sources than you could possibly need or analyze. You bibliography should contain sources that you've actually used to help develop your project. Sometimes having too many sources makes your audience wonder if you've really read and used all those sources. If you have: convince us in your annotation!

Thanks to West Jefferson High School and Mercy Montessori Center! Hope you didn't get too much snow.

Showing Both Sides to an Issue

On Friday I visited the CHEC group at The Chapel in Akron. The day started with a bang and ended with some really great discussions about which direction to take some projects.

One really interesting question had to do with controversial or polarizing topics. There are many individuals (and topics and issues) in history where there are opposing viewpoints about the person. The question asked if the project should show only one side to prove that side, or show both viewpoints. And here's the really important answer:

You MUST show both viewpoints. It is more honest and more accurate to show both viewpoints and to address why one viewpoint may be accepted over another. Almost any topic has two sides and both sides need to be addressed.

For example, a topic looking at Japanese internment would need to address the U.S. government's reasoning for placing Japanese Americans into the internment centers in the desert as well as the viewpoint of the Japanese Americans. Ultimately, most historians and people agree that Japanese internment was wrong, but as a good historian, you need to address both viewpoints.

I thank the students and parents and teachers at CHEC in Akron for their thoughtful questions and warm reception. For those of you I spoke one on one with, you're on the right track! Keep up the good work.