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History Day
(April 11, 2008)
Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High
School's History Day program is sponsored by the Social
Studies Department in conjunction with National
History Day. History Day is a
history-based learning experience for students from 6-12th
grades. Students learn about issues, ideas people and
events in history, and apply what they have learned through
creative and original productions. Students also develop
invaluable research and analytical skills as they process
the information gathered through intensive research and draw
their own conclusions about their topic’s significance in
history.
History Day provides students
an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned through
authentic assessment in student-outcome products, which can
easily be integrated into the everyday classroom curriculum.
The History Day process challenges students to develop
higher-order thinking skills.
Selecting a Topic and Creating a
Research Plan
Students begin work on a
History Day entry by choosing a topic. They must make sure
that their topic is related to the annual theme and that
they can explain its significance in history. After
choosing a topic students develop a research plan. They must
form hypotheses and create thesis statements of questions to
guide their research.
Researching the History Day Entry
While researching their
History Day entries, students become empowered, engaged, and
excited learners. They may conduct oral history interviews
with participants in the events they are studying.
Exhibits
Students must have exhibits.
An Exhibit is a visual
representation of students’ research and interpretation of
their topic’s significance in history, much like a small
museum exhibit. The analysis and interpretation of student
topics must be clear and evident to the viewer. Labels and
captions should be used creatively with visual images and
objects to enhance the message of the exhibit.
There should be a 500
word-limit that applies to all text created by the student
that appears on or as part of an exhibit entry. This
includes the text students write for titles, subtitles,
captions, graphs, timelines, media devices, or supplemental
materials where they use their own words.
Themes
Students may select a topic on
any aspect of local, regional, national, or world history.
Regardless of the topic chosen, student
presentation, research, and conclusion must clearly relate
to the general theme:
Conflict and
Compromise in History.
Topics should be narrowed to
focus on an issue that can be explained and interpreted
within an exhibit
(poster board).
Each entry must have a title
that is clearly visible on the board.
Topics
Exhibits not only describe an
event or a development, they also analyze it and place it in
its historical context. The following questions must be
asked about a topic:
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How is my topic important?
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How was my topic significant in history in
relation to the general theme?
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How did my topic develop over time?
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How did my topic influence history?
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How did the
events and atmosphere (social, economic, political, and
cultural aspects) of my topic’s time period influence my
topic in history?
Individual Exhibits
11th & 12th Graders
Group Exhibits
6th-10th Graders
Construction of Exhibits
Students are responsible for
the research, design, and creation of their entry. They may
receive help and advice from teachers and parents on the
mechanical aspects of creating their entry.
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