American History Z

A WebQuery for American History Class

Jeremiah Haynes
Haynesj@cwu.edu

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Introduction

This has been a long year and as we come to a close I want to experience American History through your eyes, beliefs, talents, and ideas. Over the next two weeks you as the student will build a project about a certain time, theme, or idea in American history and portray it through your talents. Each one of you will display, recite, or perform a piece of American History to the class at the over the last few days of the class, fulfilling your final project grade and your CBA requirements of the state. Be creative, be inspired, be original as you explore the best and worst aspect of the United States.

Task

You will take a theme, time period, person, or event in history and make unique artifact that best describes the what you have chosen. Your topic must pass through my eyes before and be approved before you can start on the research, but if you truly take in all we have learned over the quarter no idea will be turned down.

What type of Projects will be accepted:

Song (performed in front of the Class, Lyrics, in professional format, to be turned into me, and Annotated bibliography of sources in Chicago Format - 5 sources.)
Short Story (Recited in Class, Typed, in professional format to be turned into me, and Annotated bibliography of sources in Chicago Format - 5 sources.)
Collection of Poetry - 5 poems (Recited in Class, Typed, in professional format to be turned into me, and Annotated bibliography of sources in Chicago Format - 5 sources.)
Home made Video - 10 minutes long - (Played in class, tape turned into me, and Annotated bibliography of sources in Chicago Format - 5 sources.)
10 minute Skit (Performed in Class, Dialog turned in to me in professional format, and Annotated bibliography of sources in Chicago Format - 5 sources.)
Art Work - Painting, Collection of Photos, Sculpture (Short pressantation on theme of work, also typed and turned into me in professional format, and Annotated bibliography of sources in Chicago Format - 5 sources.)

Note: There will be no research papers allowed. This is about creativity and personality mixed into American History.

Schedule:

Monday June 5 - Hand out project descriptions, Show examples, draw for presentation dates, and answer questions.
Tuesday June 6 - Topic required. Please hand in topic to teacher in written format. individual interview with students on topic suggestions.
Wednesday June 7 - Research Day in Library.
Thursday/ Friday - June 8 & 9 - In class work days ( teacher avalible for help)
Monday thru Wednesday June 12-14 - Presentation days. (bring all items required for your project and be prepare to present.)

Note: Late work and failure to present on assigned day equals loss of letter grade.

The Process

Discovery your own process. Their are guidelines to what the final project should look like depending on what format you choose, but how you get their is all up to you. I do suggest that you choose your topic before you choose your method in which you want to portray your findings. What every you do make it personal to your life, and you care about, or the final project will not come out like it is suppose to.

Example process:

Think about what today effects my life the most.
Look up different subject in history that have to do with personal motivation.
Choose the topic, theme, person, period, event that fits it the best and brings out the person emotions.
Choose a format that best fits your topic.
Find articles, sites, and other information that will best backup your topic.
Compose, write, paint your piece.
Write your short description of what you did and why you did it.
Write your annotated bibliography
Practice your presentation.
Come to class prepared to present.

Resources

Explore these links as you research your piece of American History and use them to prepare for your presentation. Be sure to visit several of them to ensure that you have a strong background in the subject, plus find some of your own. Discovery the United States through your own perspectives.

American Heritage, Great men and scoundrels, popular music and high art, our grandest national impulses and, occasionally, our basest. - www.americanheritage.com
Outline of American History, Covers Native American cultures and the first European settlements to the Cold War and America in the 1990s. - usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/histryotln
Musuem of American History, Offers virtual exhibits including the Object of the Day, information about the collections, resources for teachers, and more. - americanhistory.si.edu
History Net, Features articles and resources on world and American history, including eyewitness accounts, interviews, historic homes, and military history. - www.historynet.com
America's Story, The Library of Congress provides a fun look at United States history with biographical sketches, time lines, and interesting facts. - www.americaslibrary.gov
U.S. History.org, Created and histed by the Independence Hall Association, in Philadelphia, PA. Colonial and revolutionary History. - www.ushistory.org

Evaluation

Oral Presentation Rubric : American History Z Presentation

Category	10pts	8pts	6pts	4pts
Enthusiasm	Facial expressions and body language generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.	Facial expressions and body language sometimes generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.	Facial expressions and body language are used to try to generate enthusiasm, but seem somewhat faked.	Very little use of facial expressions or body language. Did not generate much interest in topic being presented.
Speaks Clearly	Speaks clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, and mispronounces no words.	Speaks clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, but mispronounces one word.	Speaks clearly and distinctly most ( 94-85%) of the time. Mispronounces no more than one word.	Often mumbles or can not be understood OR mispronounces more than one word.
Content	Shows a full understanding of the topic.	Shows a good understanding of the topic.	Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic.	Does not seem to understand the topic very well.
Time-Limit	Presentation is 5-6 minutes long.	Presentation is 4 minutes long.	Presentation is 3 minutes long.	Presentation is less than 3 minutes OR more than 6 minutes.
Listens to others Presentation	Listens intently. Does not make distracting noises or movements.	No Middle Ground	No Middle ground	Sometimes does not appear to be listening and has distracting noises or movements.
Total ___/50pts

Final Product:

The work itself will be graded off the tasks given earlier. Note, the more creative the better your grade will be. This section is worth 50 points as well to make a total grade of 100 points for the total project.

Conclusion

Make it personal. Make it relevant to you, and find yourself discovering a piece of history through your own life experience. Make sure you follow the few guidelines that have been placed, and find a process that best suits you. Read the Rubrics for both the presentation and the content, it will help you get the best out of this project. Finally, have fun, it has been a long year, and i would like to end it with a great student event.

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