Creating Award-Winning History Fair Projects: The Complete Handbook for Teachers, Parents, and Students [Paperback]

Helen Bass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2007 | ISBN-10: 1593632363 | ISBN-13: 978-1593632366 | Edition: 1

Thousands of students across the nation each year participate in history fairs at the local, regional, and national level. Until now, however, these students and their parents and teachers have had to rely on their own ingenuity and skill to develop history fair projects. Creating Award-Winning History Fair Projects: The Complete Handbook for Teachers, Parents, and Students fills that gap by offering guidance on conducting historical research; tips for creating quality, award-winning projects using a historian s approach; advice for writing historically accurate papers and developing exciting, eye-catching visual projects; and tools for organizing students research and planning their projects step-by-step.

The only comprehensive guide of its kind, Creating Award-Winning History Fair Projects also gives teachers and administrators tips for organizing and conducting history fairs at the local level to showcase their students work. The author, an experienced regional history fair coordinator, judge, and coach, provides teachers, parents, and students everything they need to ensure blue-ribbon success!

Editorial Reviews

Review

History fair contenders have not, until now, had a guidebook for their efforts. All that is changed . . . Bass offers teachers details on how to organize their own local history fair, and how to guide their students through each step, including the research, writing, constructing visual displays, and creating interactive dialogues. Worksheets and keys, sample judging forms, and many more reproducible handouts are also included. --Hoagies' Gifted Education Page - January 1, 2010

About the Author

Helen Bass, a retired history and English teacher, has conducted history fairs at several levels of competition. She also has served as a social studies specialist for Education Service Center Region VI in Huntsville, TX, and as a staff developer of the Texas Social Studies Center for the Texas Education Agency. She has written social studies materials for teachers and conducted workshops for educators across the United States. Bass has received the Leon Jaworski Award for Texas Teachers who teach law-related education in secondary schools. As a social studies consultant, she continues to promote innovative learning by assisting teachers in developing vibrant history experiences for their students.

Product Details

• Paperback: 195 pages
• Publisher: Prufrock Press; 1 edition (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593632363
• ISBN-13: 978-1593632366
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,244,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know to create all kinds of history projects!, January 28, 2008

By 

Lorel Shea (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Creating Award-Winning History Fair Projects: The Complete Handbook for Teachers, Parents, and Students (Paperback)

Creating Award Winning History Fair Projects by Helen Bass is appropriate for teachers, parents, and students. This handy guidebook contains everything you need to know to get a history fair or festival started at your school, with your homeschool network, or in your scout unit. History fairs are not as common as science fairs and spelling bees, but they can be just as exciting! They can be competitive or cooperative, and lots of fun either way. Make the past come alive with the help of this book.

The book is full of step by step instructions that are easy to follow. The author's "CATCH" method is designed to help students through the process of writing a historical paper and completing a companion visual project as well. The student can select from a broad range of options for the visual component, including scrapbooks, posters, models, dioramas, computer presentations, plays, and speeches. Some examples of the reproducible worksheets included designate positions and responsibilities for a group project, assist the student with scheduling, and provide professional looking worksheets for judging competitive events.

An excellent chapter specifies how to conduct historical research. Another outlines the art of writing thoughtful historical papers. Primary sources are emphasized, as is balanced research. The student is encouraged throughout the book to think like a historian.

The guide book is promoted for kids in grades 6-12, but can also be adapted for use in lower and middle elementary grades. There are sample scripts of performances and mock trials as well as some exercises to measure the student's understanding of what is historically significant.

My family loves history and we are really looking forward to initiating a history fair in our area!