RHS Lesson Plan Template Teacher: Andy BlackburnCourse/Level: CPA World Hist. /AP European Hist.

10/27/11
1/4/12
1/25/12, 1/26/12 / Day Seven
The Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography / Day Eight
Checking Progress on the Final NHD Product / Days Nine and Ten
National History Day Project Presentations
Focused Standard/Element(s) / SSWH1-21 All state standards in world history have the potential to be covered in this unit.
Social Studies Skills 1-12.
Information Processing Skills 1-17. / SSWH1-21 All state standards in world history have the potential to be covered in this unit.
Social Studies Skills 1-12.
Information Processing Skills 1-17. / SSWH1-21 All state standards in world history have the potential to be covered in this unit.
Social Studies Skills 1-12.
Information Processing Skills 1-17.
Warm-Up Activity (10-15 min) / Discussion. What are the requirements for the process paper?
(The process paper will be 500 words or less where the student(s) describe how they created and developed their project as well as conducted their research.)
The annotated bibliography?
(Students will list all sources that contributed to the development of their project. This includes all visual materials and oral interviews. The bibliography will be separated into primary and secondary sources.)
What is the difference between a primary and secondary source? (A primary source is a document created by the subject, or someone that was a participant or witness to an event.) / Have the students complete the “Hints for Checking the Final Product” worksheet (attached). How has my topic changed history? What are the positive and negative characteristics of this change? How has my topic impacted the lives of people in today’s world? / Distribute official NHD judging forms (attached) to all students. Review the criteria for National History Day Projects. (General areas-historical quality, relation to theme, clarity of presentation and rules compliance.)(Specific areas- analysis, interpretation, accuracy, wide and balanced research, use of primary sources, relation to theme, historical significance, organization and visual impact.)Students will be instructed to fill out a judging sheet for each project presentation.
Work-Time Activities / Divide students up into their project groups. Provide examples of process papers and annotated bibliographies. Review some of the basics of MLA style rules. Provide examples. (There is a possibility of an interdisciplinary assignment where the student’s English teacher reviews MLA rules and gives the students credit for developing their NHD process paper and annotated bibliography.) Have each group outline the NHD process they have experienced so far. Begin writing the process paper using the outline. Have the students separate their list of primary sources from secondary sources. Is there any confusion identifying primary sources? Begin writing annotations for each source. How was this source used in your research or how will it be used in your presentation? / Have each student or group complete the “Historical Context Chart”for their topics (attached). This is designed to help the students formulate, clarify and present historical interpretations. Using the chart, have each student or group orally cite the political, social, cultural, economic and intellectual impact of the innovation. How did the revolution, reaction or reform impact history? How did history impact the revolution, reaction or reform? This activity will give the students practice preparing for their interviews with NHD judges prior to the competition. / Using their process papers as an outline, each individual and group will present their NHD projects to the class according to the schedule that was created previously. (Exhibits, video documentaries, performances and web pages. Papers are turned in and evaluated by the instructor at this time.) Using notes from the judging sheets, the students are to fill out for each project, the class will comment on the relative strengths and weaknesses of each effort at the end of each presentation. The focus will be on the strengths of each project at this time. The students will also offer ideas and suggestions as to how each effort might be improved.
Closure Activity / Ticket Out the Door- Have each research group turn in a list of their primary source documents. Verify that these are indeed primary sources. As a result of their reliance on the internet, students will often confuse primary and secondary sources. Provide students feedback as to the validity of sources that they have identified as primary sources by making commentaries on their papers and returning it to them. / Distribute the “Final Product Checklist.”(Attached.) Have the students comment on the portions of their projects that still need work prior to the competition. Share ideas for addressing these needs. Have a drawing to schedule project presentation times for each individual and group. / Collect judging sheets from the students. Discuss the elements of subjectivity in the NHD evaluation process to help prepare students for the NHD experience. (Personal interests and backgrounds of judges, variations in defining historical significance.) Collect process papers and annotated bibliographies for grading. Consider the observations from the students when evaluating each project. Provide students feedback on their efforts as soon as practical. Allow students to make corrections or additions to their projects before the actual NHD competition and give them credit for any additional work they do to strengthen their effort.
Differentiation Activities for the Unit / The entireNational History Day project unit is built around the concept of differentiation. Students are given the following choices:
1)Choice of Project Category
a)Research Papers
b)Exhibits
c)Web Sites
d)Performances
e)Video Documentaries
2)Working as individuals or within a group of their choice.
3)Choice of a topic.
4)Choice of participating in NHD competition beyond school-wide competition if selected. (District, State and National levels.)
5)The option of developing their projects further between each level of competition to earn extra credit. / In addition, other differentiation possibilities might include giving gifted students the option of developing their own evaluation rubric from the judging sheets related to the category that they are participating in.
Another possibility would be to allow students to develop presentations in two of the performance categories. (For example, a student with the topic “Photography: Capturing Time,” could be allowed to develop presentations in both the exhibit and video documentary category. This could be for extra credit or in lieu of another assignment (compacting). However, the student would have to choose just one of the presentation categories to advance to the actual NHD competition, as the rules restrict participation to one category.
Additional Notes / 1)Unit Scheduling
Days One through Six in the unit are scheduled together early near the beginning of the first semester to initiate work on the projects and give the students ample time to conduct their research and complete the projects prior to the local competition in late winter or early spring.
The best time to schedule Day Seven is after the students are well into the research process and nearing completion of their projects. (Just before the Christmas Holidays.)
Day Eight should be scheduled a week before the actual classroom presentations.
Days Nine and Ten (presentation dates) should be scheduled approximately one week before the first level of official NHD competition. (Normally in February at Rome High.)
2)Official Competition
Students are not required to participate in official NHD competition beyond the local contest at the school, even if their project is selected to move on to the next level of competition by the judges. They are encouraged to do so, but it is their choice. / 3)Corrections and Additions
All student projects are considered to be “works in progress.” It is perfectly acceptable (and desirable) for the students to act on suggestions made by the judges to improve their projects before each level of competition. At Rome High, students that put in additional work to improve their projects earn extra credit.