HISTORY DAY IN MINNESOTA

Judges’ Training

Judging Criteria: Historical Quality

Central Argument: The Thesis The thesis statement should provide:

the basic who, what, when, and where. the topic’s relationship to the theme “Innovation in

History: Impact and Change.” why is this topic an innovation? what about this topic makes it innovative? how was this person acting in an innovative way?

an explanation on why the topic is significant in history. how did this innovation lead to impact and change? why is it important?

an argument that can be supported with evidence.

Central Argument: The Thesis

Be wary of “if not for this, than that” or “what if” analysis.

Have students supported their claims with evidence?

What is the theme?

2009 The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies Example

Central Argument: The Thesis

2008 Conflict and Compromise Example

The Annotated Bibliography

By the Rules: Primary and secondary sources separated MLA or Turabian/Chicago Style citations Annotations that explain:

how the source was used. how the source helped in student

understanding. why it is listed as primary if it is a “gray

area” source.

The Annotated Bibliography

Primary vs. Secondary Sources Primary: Sources that are created during, or a product

of, the time period being researched. They are often “raw” materials that require students to draw their own conclusions. Such sources include: Witnesses Diaries Letters Documents Newspaper Articles

Secondary: Sources created through research that include an author’s own analysis and interpretation.

The Annotated Bibliography

Things to look for: Are the primary sources really primary? Are the listed sources providing students

with a wide spectrum of information? How reliable do the materials appear?

www.worldofquotes.com vs. www.nara.gov Has the student located a reasonable

number of sources based on their topic?

Judging Criteria: Relation to Theme

Innovation in History: Impact and Change

Judging Criteria: Clarity of Presentation

(Paper Sample)