As our economic situation becomes darker, it may become necessary to search outside schools and distrcits for sources of funding. I was poking around on the internet for grants and came across this website for teachers seeking grants: http://www.grantwrangler.com/.  The website appears to feature 135 different grants for teachers and schools. I didn’t delve too deeply, but if anyone finds any helpful grants or applies for any of them, let me know and I’ll post your helpful hints.

Other places to seek out grants are technology corporations, such as Apple, Hewlett-Packard or Best Buy.

One more interesting site that might be helpful, especially since we have so many Unsung Heroes in our History Day teacher network, is ING’s Unsung Heroes award program. If you have a class project that needs some additional funding, apply for this grant. This past year, in Minnesota, the Winona Area Learning Center received one of these grants: http://www.ing-usa.com/us/aboutING/CorporateCitizenship/Education/INGUnsungHeroes/index.htm

Parents, join us in supporting your students on their History Day adventure!

For those of you who are new to History Day, or would like more information, we wanted to give you and your students the opportunity to come to the History Center and get acquainted with the process, as well as ask us any questions you may have. On Tuesday, January 27th from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM we will be holding an Open House! This is your chance to come at any point during the night to meet the staff, receive help on your project, or just explore the museum!

Open House Activities

• Short History Day Staff Presentations- 5:15 PM & 6:15 PM
• View example projects
• Free museum admission for all (open till 8:00 PM)
• Specialized History Day Library help at the History Center Library (open till 8:00 PM)
• Snacks to enjoy
• Your students chance to ask History Day staff their tough project questions
• Purchase a high quality exhibit board ($7.00)

Join us on the second floor of the History Center in the MacMillan Education Center to find out more about the nights events and opportunities. For questions contact Ali Kappes (651)-259-3426. We hope you see you all there!

As you all head off for a few weeks of much-deserved time off, consider a History Day assignment for your students over the break. In January, research is much more intense and in February, students are frantically trying to assemble their projects, and then all of a sudden, it’s March. Having students complete a History Day assigment over their holiday break keeps their topics fresh in their minds and allows them to make some headway. Here’s a couple ideas:

• Require them to visit a library, whether it’s a public, university or historical society library.
• Charge them to set up or prepare for a personal interview.
• Have them draft a first version of a thesis statement, if they have completed some research.
• Ask them to begin seeking out primary sources, starting with the Internet or sources they may have at home, such as old yearbooks, family photo albums, or old newspapers.

When you arrive back at school in January, you will be receiving your “Winter Bundle” packet of information from us, which includes your Participation Survey. This is the most important information we need from you – an accurate count of the total number of projects in each category being created at your school. It is very important that you provide an accurate total, as these are the numbers we use to determine how many projects you will be allowed to send to the regional events. Your surveys are due to us by January 23. If you have questions about how we determine the number of projects allotted in each regional event, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We try to be as fair as possible, without making the regional events overwhelming in size!

Have a happy and safe holiday season!

Well kids, it’s that time of the year again. That means History Day! Over here at the History Center we are excited and working hard at making this year our best ever. This year we thought we’d get caught up on technology, so we created this blog. We hope you enjoy this portal over the coming weeks and months as we post important information and insider tips for making your History Day project the best it can be.

A bit about myself, I am Matt and I work with St. Paul Schools. I am a life-long St. Paul kid and a National History Day finalist from 1999 in the group performance category. I was also a History Day mentor during my college years at the U of M. I will be writing the student section of this blog and hope that you guys join in for some fun discussions and follow along with what is going on over here at History Day headquarters. I will try to post every other week for now, with plans to make it a weekly production as competition season nears.

As the season is underway, you all should be choosing topics and finding something that interests you. Remember you don’t want to do a boring topic, find that person who you want to investigate and learn a lot about.

So, with this year’s theme of the Individual in History: Actions & Legacies, I start off with the first insider tip of the season: DON’T DO A BIOGRAPHY! It’s going to have to be a bit deeper than that

Maybe this classic History Day clip will help…
National History Day: What’s your point?

Welcome parents, and thank you for taking time to catch up on whats new in the world of History Day. We hope this blog becomes an open arena for any questions and discussions that come up through all stages of your child’s journey. My name is Ali Kappes and I am a program associate with History Day and will be managing the parent blog.

This year’s theme, “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies”, has been a fun topic of discussion for students. We always encourage students to use all forms of resources, including parents, when choosing a topic, so get ready!

This is normally the time of the year when students begin asking you what you know about their topic, whether it be their great-grandfather or Abraham Lincoln.  If you are running out of answers I would encourage you to help your child get in touch with a local librarian or even a county historical society for local topics.

History Day Parent Tip - Metro Library Days

There are a number of days in January, February, and March when the History Day staff and local libraries have teamed up to offer students that extra help in their research they might need. Whether its researching, thesis writing, or general project help your child is looking for, we are there to provide it.  Below is a list of local libraries and dates.

Ridgedale Library; Minnetonka 5:30 PM-8:30 PM - Jan. 12

Central Library; St. Paul 3:00 PM-6:00 PM - Jan. 12, 26, Feb. 2, 9, 23

History Day Hullabaloo, Central Library, Minneapolis 11:00 AM-3:00 PM - Jan. 31, Feb. 21, Mar 7

Rondo Library; St. Paul 11:00 AM- 3:00 PM - Jan. 24, Feb. 7, 14

The library at the History Center is always an option as well for students.  They can just call or email us and we would be happy to meet up with them at the History Center. Library Hours

*There is no charge to access the History Center library.

Just in time for 2009, History Day is taking one of the final steps into the new millenium and has launched a blog. We have put aside our Luddite tendencies and realized that even historians can be hip to new technology. Welcome, then, to the inaugural blog for History Day teachers across Minnesota; we hope that you will find it helpful, amusing, thought-provoking, and a portal to all the answers you seek.

My name is Jessica Ellison, and my background with History Day goes back 16 years. I participated in the program in the performance category for four years while attending Osseo Public Schools. After high school, I kept my foot always in the History Day waters, until I came here in 2004. Although I won’t admit it when March rolls around and I’m up to my ears in regional registrations and judge forms, I love History Day and the opportunities it offers students.

I will be managing the teacher category. We will have two other blog categories — one for students and one for parents — and we encourage you to venture into these other categories as well. In this blog, we will be sharing important information about History Day events, updates, topics, and categories, as well as providing advice and sharing the wealth of knowledge that we encounter in History Day classrooms around the state. If you have a suggestion for a blog feature, I’m always looking for new material.

I have never been a History Day teacher, but I have worked with some of the most outstanding HD teachers that Minnesota, and the nation, have to offer. They are an amazing group of people with an unshakeable faith in their kids’ abilities, and I am consistently moved by the time, talent and tears that these teachers pour into History Day. They are among the most outstanding people I have ever met. I hope, in this blog, to highlight the work of some of these teachers and pass along their words of wisdom.

Keep checking in for more updates along the way. I hope to update every two weeks, and then every week once the event season looms. And since I don’t want to send you away empty-handed, here are some tidbits to take along.

Reminder: Category-specific workshops will be held at the History Center in January. Sharpen your exhibit, documentary and performance skills! Sign up online: http://shop.mnhs.org/category.cfm?Category=221.

Topic idea: It would be interesting to research how the fates of several individuals were linked in with proving Einstein’s theory of relativity. His proof was first dependent on the charting of an eclipse, but his colleagues were captured in Russia at the outbreak of WWI; after the eclipse project collapsed, Einstein realized his math was faulty and should the eclipse project been successful, he would have been a public failure. His family was also affected; he promised his estranged wife the prize money when he won the Nobel Prize for his theory. And a mathematician proved the theory at the same time Einstein did, but he deliberately stepped back so Einstein could take the credit.