Making History Project - apUSH

 This assignment is the last chance to move your grade. Making history is really like a super DBQ.

 Why not just watch movies and shoot the breeze? Because you are still in school and I want you to put to use all you have learned so you won't just have memorized everything for some test.

 Rationale: History is made every day by people who often go nameless. When we discuss topics like massacres and migrations and the numbers add up, we tend to forget that each person had a specific reason for why they did something, a specific motivation personal to their experience. We remember George Washington, but forget the soldiers who made the history happen. Each had their own personal reasons. We remember Napoleon Bonaparte, Andrew Jackson, and Joey Stalin, but forget the people living in their crosshairs. These are important stories. History's meaning and its impact on the future can be found in the perspective of the individual people who become the collective rudders of the ship of time. (Poetic, eh?)

 Why now?:  This is meant as a summative project that will wrap up all your knowledge of U.S. history and give you perspective on our future. It is also meant to give you practice doing the work of a historian, since this is one of the top history classes offered by Taft H.S. It will prepare you for upperclassmen work.

 Who does the work? You may work in groups made up of 2 or 3 or by yourself, but I think it is best to work with a group. Your grade will be based somewhat on the output per member. Be careful about who you pick as partners, although working with others is a good way to get the variety of work needed done in a good amount of time. EXCHANGE E-MAILS and phone numbers and whatever else you people use to keep in touch.

 Find a mystery and solve it! Look for controversy or disagreement. Have something to say. Propose a theory or thesis and prove it. No historian in his/her right mind would put out a bunch of information without direction and something to offer the learning community. Simply collecting information is not making history. To make history you must analyze material and evaluate it, as well as collect it.

 Citations Galore!: Be sure to cite every last thing you take in to reprocess from somewhere else. This includes written material of all sorts, videos, audio, interviews (that you perform), etc. A true historian, like a scientist, explains their tracks so that others may give it a shot and arrive at the same or a similar place. This adds great strength to your argument, as well. I am not just talking about a bibliography. Use Turabian.

 Requirements:

• At least one interview (you can do more) with someone who witnessed or lived through an event of importance in American history. The person should have some direct involvement with the event. This means you cannot interview someone who watched 9/11 on TV, but can interview someone who was at the scene of the event. (This should probably be recorded so that accuracy is preserved. If done over e-mail or chat or if unable to provide a digital file an illustrated transcript (one with photos of the interview) is required in *.doc format.)

• Primary sources. Essential to any real history writing. These can be found in various libraries or even over the Internet in some cases. These range in anything from written word to actual physical artifacts.

• Secondary sources. Include well cited secondary sources when absolutely necessary to reflect historical context or to make an argument. Try to use primary sources to drive your own argument though.

 Sections of the presentation: Be creative, but include:

• A thesis. Make a statement and explain the controversy at hand.

• A brief overview of the highlighted event with evidence that supports your thesis. Include primary and secondary sources.

• A short bio of your subject(s) and an explanation of how they are related to the event.

• The interview or edited portions of it. Organize the info for the interview appropriately to back up your statement about the event. While a transcript or recording is required, in your presentation you may edit the interview to add to your argument.

• Any other evidence or sections you feel necessary, such as frq’s, photos, sources, etc.

 The final project: You have many options that are equally time consuming. Note that none of them are papers, persay.

 Online museum: Your project will be presented in a website museum format so that I can publish it on my website www.splencner.com . We will submit our work to the general public and see if we get cited one day. There are examples from previous classes linked to the class website.

Documentary Video or Podcast: A video/podcast submitted digitally that is at least 12 minutes in length. It should include citations in credit form or inline form. WARNING! The editing of videos/podcasts can be very time-consuming so be careful if you choose this to spread out work and stay on task.

Other: Just let me know what it is. It must be a way I can share it. NO POWERPOINTS or other media that cannot exist online.

 Where to go?

• friends and family often know people with interesting stories or have stories themselves

• neighbors can be excellent resources

TIME MANAGEMENT OUTLINE (Note: I will give assignments as we go to help you stay on task.)

May 13-16 Pick partners, discuss a direction and begin collecting sources. (Start with 2ndy sources.) Think of potential places to find primary sources and interviewees. Focus your direction and continue collecting sources.

May 17-20 On May 20 your formal proposal is due and must be approved, then begin focusing on it. Continue thinking of potential sources and a hypothesis. And Make an outline of where you want to head. Collect secondary sources and look for your subject. Look at other online museums or documentaries to get ideas on organization for your presentation.

May 20-4 Think of questions you would ask your interviewee, but do not become married to your questions. Ask follow-ups as they happen and have an actual conversation. Schedule appointment with interviewee and talk to them in person or over e-mail.

May 27-31 Make sure interview is done by now or you might regret it later.  Prepare transcript or digital file and put into context. Begin analyzing your material and answering the question of your thesis. This is like a super DBQ. If you are done, think of how you would weave your interview into your history. Begin technical work and writing.

June 3-6 Make sure you are working on the technical side and organizing your media. Double-check your citations. I may ask you to turn them in this week.

June 7-11 Make sure you are almost finished. Tie up any loose ends.

DUE DATE is JUNE 14 (NO EXCEPTIONS)

June 17-18  I may ask you to present your ideas and your interview this week for a final exam grade.