Mrs. Horner 6th Grade Social Studies



Name ______________________________________________________ Period _________________________History Fair Student/Parent PacketThis year the theme for History Fair theme is Explore, Encounter, and Exchange. Every student that is in Pre-AP/TABS must complete a project for History Fair. They may choose to work in a group (no more than 4 students). If they choose to work in a group, each group member will need to get the group contract signed and turned in. If this paper does not get turned in on time, the students will work individually. Each Pre-AP/TABS student is required to write a process paper of their own. Students will have 2 days in the library and 2 days in the computer lab to work on the projects. However, much of the project will need to be done outside of school during Thanksgiving and Winter Break. The History Fair project is due January 12th, 2016. If your student wishes to be considered for the Regional History Fair, I will need them to turn their project in before Winter Break to ensure I have time to give them feedback and help to improve their projects. Inside this packet is all of the information you will need to work on this project. The History Fair Project is worth 4 grades in the 4th Six Weeks as well as 2 daily work grades in the 2nd and 3rd Six Weeks. The grading rubric I will use is included in this packet. It would be helpful to use this as your guideline to ensure you make a good grade. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach me by email at Ashleigh.Horner@. I will check my email periodically over Thanksgiving and Winter Break if you have questions, you can email me. How do I know if my topic is correct?In the excitement of getting started, students sometimes skip one of the most important steps, building historical context for their research topic. Take time to read widely about your topic. Look at several different history books about the time period in which the topic takes place. This year’s theme is Explore, Encounter, and Exchange. Okay, you say, but how do I know what changes my topic has caused? That is a good question. This is where you begin to dig for more information about your topic as it pertains to your research question. One of the most important aspects of historical research is context. You need to know not just the what, but also the who, when, where, why and how. Events, people, and places do not just happen all by themselves- there are always factors involving time, place and other people that influences the causes and effects. Don’t just think about how you understand the topic but also how other people might view it from the past, present, and future standpoint. It is important to examine the historical context of your topic so that you see your topic more clearly, understanding the “big picture”. Explore, encounter, and exchange has multiple sides to it. You need to look for many different points of view. Part of being a thorough researcher is looking at a topic from all angles to see the whole story. Discovering the historical background of your topic will allow you to do this. Now that you have a better idea of the historical context of your topic, you can narrow in on the turning points more precisely. What person, place, or event shows exploration, an encounter, or an exchange with your topic? How about the effects: New ideas, new places, new cultures? And how did these develop over time? What was the end result? Your answers to these questions will provide the historical evidence you need to form a conclusion about the event’s significance in history and the impact it had. Speaking of significance in history, don’t forget the very important “in history” part of the theme. To fit the theme, your topic must truly be historical and not just a current event or recent idea. Ideas for topics: Think of who, what, where of history- typically you can think of a person, place, or event. Our study of World Cultures means that we can pick any topic we want as long as it is in the past and relate to the theme. We could pick a person and talk about their exploration or encounter with a new place or an event that shows an encounter between two cultures. Think big idea first so that you can narrow it down to a smaller focus. What kind of content do I need? What kind of information should I include?All information should be historically accurate and from a variety of sources. You MUST have at least 5 sources, two of which must be a primary source. Once you have found your source information, you must put it into your own words.Primary Sources: Letters, diaries, first- person narratives, reports, memos, songs and hymns, photographs, court proceedings, government records, newspapers and magazines from the time period, and oral history interviews for more recent topics. Secondary Sources: Reference books like encyclopedias or biographies, magazines, textbooks, non-fiction literature, academic journals, and visuals. You can also add maps, paintings, charts, photographs, graphs, and timelines.You should be using these sources to demonstrate your analysis and evaluation of your topic as it relates to our theme this year.Where can I find my primary and secondary sources?School library: -Databases (EBSCO, Facts on File, Gale, Britannica)-Encyclopedias-Non-fiction literaturePublic Library:-Reference books-Video Documentaries-Historical novels-Newspapers-Magazines-Academic Journals49739554819650** Wikipedia is NOT allowed due to the fact that anyone can put information on the site and therefore it is not always reliable. ** Google is not a source. It is a search engine to find sources. Listing “Google” as a source will not be accepted on your bibliography page.350000** Wikipedia is NOT allowed due to the fact that anyone can put information on the site and therefore it is not always reliable. ** Google is not a source. It is a search engine to find sources. Listing “Google” as a source will not be accepted on your bibliography page.The Internet: -Library of Congress ()-The Smithsonian Institute (si.edu)-National Archives () -US Census Bureau ()-Encyclopedia Britannica ()-eLibrary Research ()-Handbook of Texas Online ()-Official University Website (example—utexas.edu)What type of project can you create?*Exhibit Boards*Research Paper*Performances*Media Projects- Documentaries (video maximum of 10 minutes), Drama (10 minutes maximum), and Web pages ( is a free website that helps to engineer a website with ease).***All types of project MUST have an annotated bibliographyHow do I choose what type of project to create? Exhibit: Display visual and written information on a tri-fold board. Judges should be attracted to your board’s main idea and visual interest. This board may have no more than 500 words of original text. What is required for an exhibit?Clear labeling of main ideasVisuals such as photographs, paintings, timelines, maps.Neat, organized, and easy to read. Do not put full pages of text on your board- no one will stop to read it!Documentary: This would be a power point or film or video. What is required for this type of presentation?You must provide your presentation on a CD or DVD. You must have credits at the end of the show.This may not be longer than 10 minutes.Do not focus on technology more than your research.If this is a power point, you must provide a print out of your slides.Clear research must be shown. Power Point is NOT eligible for Regional or State competitions.Performance: A creative way of showing your research live. Required for this type of presentation is:3 copies of the scriptA set to perform withCostumesHow are our projects judged?Historical QualityClarity- neat, effective, easy to read, nice to look at, clear and organizedFollows the theme: Explore, Encounter, and Exchange ................
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