National History Day Project

Historical Website

A historical website is a collection of web pages, interconnected with hyperlinks, that presents primary and

secondary sources, interactive multimedia, and historical analysis. Your website should be an accumulation ofresearch and argument that incorporates textual and non-textual (photographs, maps, music, etc.) description,

interpretation, and multimedia sources to engage and inform viewers about the chosen historical topic.

How is this option different from other projects?

Websites building requires digital resources. Websites are also interactive experiences where viewers can play

music, solve a puzzle, or look at a video or click on different links. Viewers can move through the website in various

undirected ways. Websites use color, images, fonts, documents, objects, graphics and design, as well as words, to

tell your story.

NHD Rules (look at the project rubric for additional guidelines)

0 You create web site entries no larger than 100MB.

You must use the development tools available at the NHD Web Portal (watch the demo at

mmbecom/watch?v=JzSROchLe4). The you may use professional photographs, graphics, video,

recorded music, etc, within the site, but such items must be integrated into the web site, and proper

credit must be given within the site as well as in the annotated bibliography.

Web site entries may contain no more than 1,200 visible, student-composed words. Excluded are words

used credit sources of illustrations and quotations; recurring menus, titles, and navigation instructions;

words within primary documents and artifacts; and the annotated bibliography and process paper that

must be integrated into the site.

There must be a home page. All pages must connect to the home page.I

0 Each multimedia clip be stored in the site and may last no more than 45 seconds.

. The page and content must be viewable on all web browsers (IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari).

0 Projects are entirely online, even during the construction process. Projects are entirely judged in this

online environment

Planning the ProjectYou need to create a sitemap, which is a web of interconnected circles. In each circle is a topic of content, and

lines between the circles show how content is connected. Remember that the website needs not only text, but

also artifacts like maps, timelines, images, and videos, and these should be listed on the sitemap planning page.

Creating the ProjectYou MUST use the NHD content editor to create your website, which can be accessed at nhd.weebly.coml. You

will have to create an account to create the project. Though the Web Editor has a help feature, your teacher can

still answer your questions on web content. Remember, keep the web design simple and functional.

HANDOUT: USING THE NHD WEBSITE EDITOR

FOR HISTORY DAY WEBSITES

The Bg§ics

1. Log on to wwwnhdorg. (Rick on the left-hand iink “Start your website entry at the NHD

You can also go there directly: http:/lnhd.weebly.coml.

web portal."

2. Fill in a usemame and password. Choose “student” or “teadier” from the dropdown menu.

3- Give your site a title. This title will appear on all of your website pages.

ur website grows, but it is

coming together.

names of ail the pages.

at at any time on this

4. Click on the "Designs" tab and choose a design. This might change as yo

helpful to have a design in place so you can visualize how your websne is

ays start with “Home.” Add the5. Click on the “Pages” tab to add pages. Alwthese pages can be changeincluding a page for the bibliography. The order of

page.

6. The "Home" page must include students‘ names, entry title and division.

The “Process Paper" page should include the entire SOD-word document.

8. The “Bibliography” page must include the entire annotated bibliography. It works well if this is the last

page. instead of pasting your bibliography into your website, try saving your bibliography as a PDF In

your word processing program and then uploading the PDF to your website as a tile. This way, y0uwill only have to format your bibliography once.

9. To edit pages, either click on “Edit this Page" on the “Pages” tab, or click the “Elements” tab and

choose a page from your navigation bar. Click on an element and drag it down into the body of the

page. The element icon will appear; double-click on the icon and you will be able to start addingcontent. You can add multiple elements to a page.

10. Double-click on dummy text to start adding content. Once you start editing text, a new menu will

appear to let you change font color, size, alignment or boldlitaiidunderiine. Remember that you

cannot link to pages outside of your History Day websrte.

11. its best to write and save your text in a word processing program — not in the NHD Website Editor,

which doesn’t have a spell-check, grammar-check, or word count You can then copy and paste your

text into the NHD website editor when you’re ready. To avoid problems with formatting, be sure to

paste as “plain text."

12. When adding images, students can only upload from the computer they are working on or from a

disk. The image size can be changed, but changing it within the NHD Website Editor may make the

image look unclear.

13. At any time, you can delete an element by clicking on the red X in the upper right-hand corner of the

element box. You can also move any element to another page by choking the green arrow in the

upper left-hand corner of the element box.

14. Under the tab “Settings,” students should not create a site password. This may disable some viewers,

including judges, from viewing the site. Students can choose to change the footer message, but itshould be something appropriate to the project.

15. Every time students return to edit their site, they can go straight to httpzllnhdmeebiycoml.

National History Day in Minnesota98

The Bells and Whistles

33$:an Eliments," click on the “Multimedia” tab on the upper left-hand side of the page. There are a number atg ' a “WWW require previous research or saving of documents into a file.

Photo Gallery - Students can add a number of photographs in one section. They can change the space

between images, the borders and do minor cropping. There is not an option to add text to the images.File — Students can add a hie, such as a primary document era PDF of their bibliography. Once the file is

added. students should be sure to change the File Name to something that adequately describes the file.Audio and Video - Students can add audio or video files, such as the recording of a speech,

commercial, historic liim footage, or interviews. Audio and video clips should be saved to a disk or

computer first, then edited to the appropriate length before uploading to the website. Students have four

minutes total time for all multimedia clips together. Students can choose how to divide up this total fourmm es.

Flash — Students can add a SWF file, which is an animated graphic. This function may not be entirely

appropriate for History Day projects.

Google Maps - Students can add a Google Map of a particular place to orient their viewers. SanFrancisco is the default location. To change the location, click next to the map once its embedded, and a

navigation bar will appear that will allow students to change the location and the width, height and zoomlevel of the map.

Slideshow — This is similar to the Photo Gallery, except viewers can sift through images, much like Flickr.

Video — Students can embed a video by downloading the file from their computer. Videos may be a total

of 4 minutes long throughout the website, broken up into multiple videos or a single one.

Another advanced element they can use is the “hidden page." Hidden pages do not appear in the navigation bar

but can be useful as places to store more primary documents. Students can then link to these hidden pages from

other pages. On the “Pages” tab, just select “no” from the “Show in Navigation?” dropdown menu. To link to a _

hidden page, highlight text or a picture and click the chain icon. Choose the correct hidden page to link to. To edit

these hidden pages, choose the page on the “Pages” tab. The navigation bar will continue to be visible on the

hidden page.

®

National History Day in Minnesota

BIBLIOGRAPYWebsite Organization HOME PAGE:

THESIS

BACKGROUND/BIG PICTURE

CONTEXT

SUPPORT

SUPPOR

SUPPOR

SHORT-TERMBUILD-UP IMPACT

HEART OFSUPPOR _ SUPPOR

E STOSUPPOR

SUPPORT suppon

LONG-TERM

IMPACT

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WEB SITE PROJECT GRAPHIC ORGANIZER STORYBOARD

You may want to make each of these ’pages’ a separate sheet of paper, to help you have your project super—

creating your web site — keep media in a separate file on desktop, so it's easy to find and insert

organized, before

Leadersig

DescriptionZAnalysis. . L L» .. ,—

Satori out bur/,0: HM, J c u

caraornahs Harsh 1554,63,

Context

Sketch out where gnu we wt to putWEE Background

_ Sieetch out where you want to

Tltle put paragraphs (facts).ptctures,WMSIO,‘/Ld£{.‘ ciips, etc.

pammnp‘ns (facts), pictures,

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Mil/4.3m, 7515‘"

Thesis Statement

Media:

Photos, music, video

Student Name

Category

Division

Immediate Impact Long-Term Significance - Process Pa per BI bl iogra phy

Sketch out where goat war/u: to put Legacyi r r . , 4" , ,.’

FW'QQWPV‘S \TWJ)’ “XV-“5' “Lb” smear; m. where 14%. Want t:-\ i «I' r a“ _ , ,“~d5‘9'n'v?=' M- put paragraphs (facts), pictures,

music, video clips. eta.

QMy Name

My Topic

National History Day Websites

To create your National History Day website:

1. Log into https://www.nhd.org/categories

Z. Click on Website; read the information!

3. Under Getting Started, click on the link after the statement that says Create your website with the

NHD Site Editor

4. Read carefully the information titled HOW TO CREATE YOUR NHD WEEBLY ACCOUNT. Once you

have read the information, start with Step 1. Click on the link http://nhd.weebly.com. This link will

take you to this screen:

8.

9.

Create a username

Create a password

Provide a working email address

Click Student

Check box and then click Sign Up

10. You will be given your URL address:

My Site:

11. To save any work you do, ALWAYS click on PUBLISH

12. To log in the next time you work, go to nhd.weebly.com to reach the following screen:

n ‘xcaw O hirer “ Log in with your username and your password

ALWAYS click on PUBLISH before you log out

Click on the Log Out button to close your website; if you don't

your site will remain open and others could adjust your work

NHD Website Evaluation Rubric Student Name:

l ollonina Directions

NHD V» eehl) \\ ebsile Yes

Creator was used

0 I200 wordsMaintains 1,200-word Between MOI and Between 1,000 and Between 801 and 999 verORlimit. 1,200 words. 1.100 words. words. Under 800 words

Homepage contains:

title. name. division.

website word count.

process paper word

count. main menu

Annotated Bibliography is electronically attached to

website.

Process Paper (with cover page) is electronically

attached to website.

All elements appear on

homepage.

Only 5 of the elements

appear on the homepage

Only 3 or 4 elementsfrom list.

Only I or 2 elementsfrom list.

IIlliCIIllC\\

Website is ready more.2 I-4 . . n . .Deadline Read\ before due date. Read\ ON due date. Rt ld) dd’“ 3 u than one school week

' ' due date. .

after due date.lndi\itln.il \\ eh Primes

Main Argument: All elements are present , ’ only one webpage doesn't exist

Background: All elements are present I Z l t only onenara; uh. visual. cation and well written . on y e emen S element

wcbpage doesn’t existOR nara uh is irrelevant to nro'ect

Impact:n_nararah. visual. cantion

All elements are present only one webpage doesn‘t exist

and well written . only 2 elements OR nara- anh is irrelevant to nro'ect

Legacy: All elements are present only one webpage doesn’t existand well written . only 2 elements OR n_uararah is irrelevant to nro'ect

extra credit: All elements are present only one webpage doesn‘t exist. . . only 2 elements

n-araranh. VISUaI. ca lion and well written . ' elementOR nara anh is irrelevant to «den

Historical ()nnlil}

Detail is limited to what

could be found in an

enc Clo nedia.

Entry is historically

accurate and detailed.

Lots of detail explains the history behind the events:

who, what. when. where. why.

lnaccuracies are found.

We know exactly what

did or didn‘t happen

Writer makes no attempt to

explain how history wasinterpretation. historically because of changed due to the events

the events in the nro'cct. this woken is about.

Places topic in historical We know what is going on historically along with . . .

context. the events of the ro'ec t. All we know is date. No context IS given.

>Shows wide research. . 15 sources (not I} — 14 sources 10 — 12 sources .< 10 sources (not

includln- Visuals includtn_ Visuals

50%+ of sources are 35-49% of sources are 25-34% of sources are < 25% of sources are

nrima sources. nrim ' sources nrim sources nriman sources

lliemt“ [I‘l'lJIII/I/I<\ llama/1 In Hum/'1'

Project clearl) relates tothe Mil) theme.

x Z

t Lil’ii} ol'l’resentution

Website is original.

Shows analysis and Vague references ofhow history was

changed.

Uses primary sources.

(x Z) Hie connection of

triumph AND tragedy areobtious to the reader.

(x 2) Only triumphOR tragedy are

obvious.

(X 2) 'I‘hcme is merely

mentioned.

Theme is on er

mentioned.

Good. but poor font and,“. messy

.. . . . . . Ve rood but not . . t ‘clear. apprgprldém Visually amazing! r) \Evoweii) or color choices make contusing.

organize ~ d" ' difficult to ex aluate. disorganizedarticulate.