World War Two Project

 

Assignment to be Turned In

Due Date

Choice for project: Which project will you be doing? What is your topic? Whom will you be interviewing?  Give as much info. As possible about what you’re planning on doing.

Weds., Apr. 24

Extra Credit begins for Outline: two pts. per day for turning it in early

Mon., Apr. 29

Detailed Outline:

1. Research paper: thesis statement and detailed outline

2. Interview: detailed outline of research section of your paper with an indication how you’re going to weave the interview in with the research; summary of interview

3. Web site: detailed outline of what will be on your site; list of proposed pages with summary of what will be on each page

Mon., May 6

Quiz Grade

Extra Credit begins for final project: two pts. per day for turning it in early

Mon., May 13

 

Final Project Due (20 pts. off per day it is late.)

Mon., May 20

Counts as 150% of a test grade

 

A. Research Paper

 

For your paper, you should select a topic dealing with some aspect of World War Two.  You will research that topic thoroughly and then decide what aspect of that topic you want to focus on.  I advise you to narrow your topic to a manageable size.  For example, it would be hard to write an adequate paper on all of D-Day, but you could decide to focus on one aspect of the landing. You must have a thesis statement for your paper that you will argue and prove throughout your paper.  Your paper must do more than merely summarize the history of an event or the biography of a prominent person. 

 

For one person: 5- 8  pages; for a two-person paper: 10-12pages.  This is a minimum.

 

Requirements

Possible Points

1. Introduction: Does it engage the reader's interest, state a provable thesis, and introduce the major points you will be making?  Do you make it clear why this is an interesting and important question to study?

8

2. Body of the paper: Does your paper support your thesis with sufficient historical information?  Do you prove your thesis?  Is your information correct and comprehensive (showing extensive understanding)?  Do you present your material in a logical and coherent (sticking together in an orderly way) manner?

60

3. Conclusion: Do you reestablish your thesis, summarize and/or evaluate your main points and end with a powerful finish?

7

4. Bibliography and Citations: Do you include a complete bibliography with correct citations of all materials used?  Have you followed the requirements on sources for the paper? Have you correctly cited all quotes or paraphrases of other people’s words within your paper?

5

5. Style and Mechanics: Do you employ accurate, appropriate language, and well-designed sentences?  Do you avoid spelling, punctuation, and grammar/usage errors?  Do you employ logical transitions between paragraphs? If appropriate, do you use section titles?

20

 

 

B. Oral History Project

 

What To Do

You may work in small groups (2-4 people) for the actual interview, but to write the paper,  either write individually or have a  group with only two people in it.

 

For one person: 5-8  pages; for a two-person paper: 8-12 pages.  This is a minimum.

 

 

            Find someone who is willing to be interviewed by you about either the Depression, World War Two or the Holocaust.* Try to find someone who was at least 15 years old during the time period.  People who served in the military are the best subjects.

 

            If you don't know someone in your family to interview, other resources might be your friends' relatives, members of your church or temple, a senior citizen center, or veterans' organizations. Arrange a date for you to interview that person.  You may wish to ask permission to tape or videotape your interview. I would prefer that you do your interview in person, but you may speak to me separately about doing it by e-mail.  If you are interviewing a stranger by e-mail, you must have the written permission of a parent.

 

           

            Prepare your questions in advance and provide a copy to the interviewee. When the interviewee is given a chance to think about questions, you will get clearer facts, dates and information. You will need at least 10 questions about the historical subject for this project.  Of course, you may (and should) think of additional questions as your interviewee talks. but this will be a good starting point. In addition, you will need a series of biographical questions to get to know your subject and his/her personal history.

 

Do research on the place and period that your interviewee tells you about.  For example, if your subject participated in a certain battle, do research on that battle; if your subject talks about historical figures, do research on those people.

For the Final Product

 

A. Write a paper that includes your version of this person's story. Make this person come alive for me. Try to give me some sense of who this person is and what he/she experienced.  What were your subject's feelings about the historic events he/she lived through? What did he/she think about the important people of the era? Has your subject changed his/her views now that time has passed? How was this person changed by these experiences?

 

            B. Use the historical research you did to provide background on any people, places, or things that came up in your interview.  Seamlessly interweave your subject’s personal history into a discussion of the events occurring at the time.  Show me that you learned something beyond what we covered in class by going into depth on the history of this period. Look at my web site for examples of good papers from previous years.

 

            C. Also, in your paper, please include your reflections on what you learned.  What surprised you? What was new? Please don't just give me unctuous platitudes, but sincerely express what you were thinking as you listened to your interviewee. Why did you feel the way you did? This is one time when you may use the first person.

 

             

A detailed, thorough, and well written paper about your person's story. Include the person's personal biography, memories of significant events and feelings about those events and the famous people of the day. 

30

A detailed, historically accurate of the real events and people that relate to your interviewee's story.  This should be woven into your paper at the appropriate points.

30

Discussion of your personal reflections on this experience.

7

Interesting, powerful introduction and conclusion

8

Good grammar and spelling. Beautiful English. Well written paragraphs with topic sentences and good use of transitions between paragraphs

20

Bibliography with correct format

5

 

 

 

For both the research and oral history projects, your paper has the following requirements.

 

 

C. Web Site

If your web site were printed out in a 12 pt. font without any graphics, it would total 5-8 pages (1 person) or 8-12 (2 people.).  I realize that the printout of your site may have several different pages of differing lengths and include graphics that take up space.  But remember that I am grading you mostly on content, not the flashiness of your site.

 

 

            Research some aspect of World War Two and then create a web site devoted to that topic.  Your web site should be informative and comprehensive. Try to display all that you have learned about your particular topic.  You should include appropriate images and graphics.  You should provide links to other sites of interest.  You may choose to insert polls, quizzes, animations, or other interesting and relevant extras.

 

Is your website well designed and easy to navigate? If you include links, are they all active and correct? Do you use appropriate graphics?  Do you include some nifty extras?

20.

Is your information on your topic correct and comprehensive?  Does it show evidence of research?  Do you demonstrate that you have learned a lot about your topic and haven’t just repeated what we did for class?

60

Is all the writing on your website correct in grammar and spelling?

15

Bibliography with correct format

5

 

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