History Fair 2011 What is History Fair? *Our school district holds an annual event where you can display a history project and have it judged for its historical quality, its relation to the theme, and the clarity of the presentation. When is our History Fair? Our History Fair is; Thursday, Feb. 10, It will be in the Central School Cafeteria. It will be after school; 3:30 to 7:00 pm. Judges begin judging at 4:00. Middle School students can compete at the Regional History Fair Day. Saturday, March 5, :00 am to 2:00 pm UW-MilwaukeeLubar Hall The top 3 entries from grades 6, 7, & 8 can compete. Your History Fair Project must be related to the National History Day Theme. What is the theme? This years theme is; Debate and Diplomacy in History; Successes, Failures, Consequences. How do you relate your project to the theme? You will need to examine, research, and ask questions about your topic. Then you explain the historical consequences (results) of; the debate or the diplomatic event. What is a debate? A debate is defined as an argument, a dispute or a deliberation. Debate There are famous debates such as the Lincoln/Douglas debates over slavery. And there are many other areas that have been debated; voting rights, Supreme Court cases, Constitutional Amendments, censorship, land use, social issues, etc. What is diplomacy? Diplomacy refers to the practice of negotiating an agreement or compromise between two parties that have different opinions or goals. Diplomacy International affairs usually come to mind when we think about diplomacy. Example; in the 1980s, President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev met to negotiate what should be done regarding the Berlin Wall. Dont forget, though, diplomacy exists in local and state matters as well. The second part of the theme; Successes, Failures, & Consequences. These words are designed to help direct your project to the historical impact of the debate or diplomacy. Remember; your job is not to argue the pros & cons of the topic but to talk about how your topic impacted future policies. In other words, what were the consequences? How to pick a topic There are lots of ways to pick a topic but you might want to check out the list of Wisconsin topics provided by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Not all of these topics will easily relate to the theme but they are there to give you ideas. witopics_2011.pdf (This 25 page document is available on Mrs. Porzkys website.)witopics_2011.pdf What do you do after you pick your topic? Research it! Gather as much information as you can about your topic. Keep a list of your sources of information. Your research is very important. Keep track of your sources of information. You will have to write a bibliography. A word of Caution! History Fair projects should be about historical events so do not choose a present day topic. Try to choose a topic that occurred at least 20 years in the past. The next step is to choose how you will present your topic. Create an Exhibit board. Write a research Paper. Prepare a Documentary (TV style). Present a Performance (play). Develop a Website. How to get started Complete the permission slip and turn in. Select a topic and submit your topic. Research your topic. Choose a project type and submit by Jan. 1. Construct your project according to the directions for your project type. Write your process paper & bibliography. Finish and prepare for History Fair~Feb. 10. Get permission slips and sign-up information from the main office. Once completed, give them to your teacher and they can send to Mrs. Porzky at Central. How to get help Go to Mrs. Porzkys website for History Fair information. Go to Central schools staff directory, scroll down to Porzky and click on website. Central Home - School District of HartfordMrs. Porzky Call her ext. 1170