Farmingdale High School
Grade 11
US History Research Project
Fall 2013
What is the goal of the US Project?
• To
allow individual students to think
deeply about enduring questions in US
History.
How will I present my Research?
• Students
will choose to present their
research in one of three formats.
The Traditional Term Paper
A Documentary
A Website
What are the topics for me to choose
from?
•
The Overarching theme of this year’s project is Rights
and Responsibilities
•
Some selected topics include: (See the student handout
for a full list)
 Busting the Trusts: Progressives and the Government Duty to
Ensure Competition
 Jefferson, War and Embargo? The Embargo Act of 1807 and the
Constitution
 Eisenhower and the Integration of Central High: Civil Rights and
Federal Responsibilities
 Truman’s debate to end the war quickly or save Japanese lives
How and when will I get this work
done?
 September 30- October 16 – Classroom visits to the library.
All classes will spend two days in the library learning research techniques and
exploring topics.
 October 25- All students must have selected a topic and submit a thesis statement.
 November 6- All students must submit written evidence of research in four sources.
 November 25- All students must submit an outline and choose a format (paper,
website, or documentary).
 December 16- All students must submit a first draft.
(Note: Your Format cannot be changed after this point.)
 Traditional Paper should have a minimum draft of 3 pages completed.
 Documentary should have storyboards, timeline, script and /or first two minutes
completed
 Website should have a completed homepage and site outline.
 February 10- DUE DATE FOR ALL COMPLETED PROJECTS
Rubric Scoring for all Projects
•
For all projects, the following scores will be used:
RATING CRITERIA:
SEE BELOW
EVALUATION :
Level A- Scholarly - 10
Level B- Exceeds grade level - 9
Level C- At grade level – 7.5
Level D- Below grade level – 6
Level E- Below minimum standards- 5
Rubric for all Projects
•
For all projects, the following criteria will be used to determine Historical
Quality:
Historical Quality (60%)
. Entry is historically accurate
. Shows analysis and interpretation
. Places topic in historical context
. Shows wide research
. Uses available primary sources
. Research is balanced
A
B
C
D
E
Rubric for all Projects
•
For all projects, the following criteria will be used to determine relation to
theme:
Relation to Theme (20%)
. Clearly relates topic to theme
. Demonstrates significance of topic in
history and draws conclusions
A
B
C
D
E
Rubric for Traditional Term Papers
•
For all Traditional Term Papers, the following criteria will be used to
determine clarity of presentation:
Clarity of Presentation (20%)
. Paper is original, clear, appropriate,
organized, and well-presented
. Text is clear, grammatical and spelling
is correct; entry is neatly prepared;
proper use of MLA citations.
A
B
C
D
E
Rubric for Documentaries
•
For all Documentaries, the following criteria will be used to determine
clarity of presentation:
Clarity of Presentation (20%)
. Presentation, narration is original,
clear, appropriate, organized and
articulate
. Entry is organized, visual impact is
appropriate to topic
A
B
C
D
E
Rubric for Websites
•
For all Websites, the following criteria will be used to determine clarity of
presentation:
Clarity of Presentation (20%)
. Web site, written material is original,
clear, appropriate, organized and
articulate
. Web site has visual impact, uses multimedia effectively and actively involves
viewer
A
B
C
D
E
Specific Rules – Term Paper
. Maintains length requirement of 57 pages, 12 pt. font - Times New
Roman
. Includes works cited
. Includes title page
Specific Rules- Documentary
. Maintains time requirement
(7-10 minutes) and is narrated
by student
. Includes annotated
bibliography
. Available on flash drive or
DVD
Specific Rules- Website
. Maintains word limit (500-1000
words)
. Maintains size limit (100 MB)
. Multimedia clips maintain time
limit (1.5 minute max)
. Includes annotated bibliography
as separate tab on site
Exemplars:
•
Paper
•
Documentary
•
Website