LAMP History Fair March 12, 2011

Who’s in?

The LAMP History Fair Learning event for all ages: Pre-K -12 th grade Children learn to research a topic Children create a project alone or with family Learn from the projects of others Fellowship with homeschool families And, if you enjoyed that….

The Theme Debate – an argument, a dispute or a deliberation Diplomacy – international affairs o What about domestic topics? Successes, Failures, Consequences o “separating the men from the boys!”

So many topics, so little time Keys to a great topic: Interest – you’ll be with this topic for a long time Narrow – the goal is to go narrow & deep, rather than broad & shallow Availability of Quality Sources – Internet, People, Libraries (MSU, Paducah, Calloway Co) The Distance of Time – Use it to your fullest Have fun! – It’ll make all the difference if you make the most what you are studying

I’ve got a topic. Now what?

Where can I find sources? Local Libraries: Calloway, McCracken MSU Expert Interviews Online Resources On Location Museums Archives

What are sources? Primary Sources (autobiographies, diaries, letters) o an artifact, a document, a recording, or other source of information that was created at the time under study. Secondary Sources (biographies) o usually newspaper, magazine, academic journal, or other written accounts from the perspective of a person who did not experience the event. Tertiary Sources (textbooks, encyclopedia, etc) o a selection, distillation, summary or compilation of primary sources, secondary sources, or both.

Primary vs. Secondary Primary – YES! Secondary – YES! Tertiary – NO!

Narrowing Your Focus U.S. Military History World War II Yalta Conference

Categories Historical Paper Exhibit Documentary Website Performance

Historical Paper (Individual only) Number of Words o No less than 1,500 o No more than 2,500 o Word count does not include notes, bibliography, illustration captions, or supplemental/appendix material Citations – footnotes, endnotes, or internal documentation – are required.

Exhibit (Individual or group within same age category)

Don’t waste time on dioramas. Focus on exhibit content.

It is a good idea to represent your topic in your exhibit design. The turrets on the castle are a good example of this.

Letters, uniforms, postcards, primary sources used throughout exhibit

Color can be a way to separate and organize content

This exhibit used a portable DVD player for a multi-media presentation. Note the working model train at the bottom.

Clever use of props to make this display look like a diner.

Performance May not exceed 10 minutes in length. Media devices are allowed. Costumes may be purchased or produced for you, but design selection must be your own. Students can have “reasonable” help with set construction.

Documentary May not exceed 10 minutes in length. While interviews are certainly permissible, all narration or voice-over must be done by students. Camera equipment must be student run. Editing must be done by the student.

Documentary Sample

Web Site Limited to no more than 1,200 student- composed words. Entire site must use no more than 100MB of file space. No limit on # of multimedia clips, but no clip can exceed 45 seconds.

LAMP Homeschool Fair Saturday, March 12 Please visit the LAMP website for National History Day information and History Fair schedules.

Other Big Dates Kentucky Section 1 & 2 History Fair Kentucky Wesleyan College, Owensboro Saturday March 26 Kentucky State History Fair Kentucky Historical Society, 100 W. Broadway Frankfort, KY April National History Fair University of Maryland, College Park, MD June 12-16

LAMP & NHD History Fair Resources

Don’t wait until the last moment to start your project. It’s more fun when you have plenty of time to create something you are proud of.