Parents

Some of you may have students who are already thinking about primary sources for their History Day projects. But even if that step is far in the future for you and your students, it’s not a bad idea to start compiling a list of reliable websites where students can access some excellent primary sources. Of course, we always encourage students to get their hands on actual primary sources at libraries and archives, but the Internet is becoming a better and better resource for young researchers.

Here are a few sites that have some excellent primary sources available:

Library of Congress American Memory: Encourage your students to narrow the field as much as possible by choosing specific collections. The Teachers’ section of this website also has some excellent, subject-sorted sources.

National Archives History Day Resources: The Archives assembled some of their sources related to particular Innovation topics, as well as connections to other topics within the subject areas.

Harvard University Library Open Collections: Harvard has collected some intriguing sources based on four different topics — Women and Work, Immigration, Diseases and Epidemics, and Expeditions and Discoveries. Women Working is particularly helpful.

Yale Law School Avalon Project: The documents from Yale Law span several thousand years, although more are available in recent centuries. The topics are mainly law and diplomacy.

Famous Trials: A law professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City has assembled documents and context about more than 50 famous trials, from the Trial of Socrates to the Trial of Zacarias Moussaoui.

American Journeys: This collection contains thousands of documents related to the exploration of America, from 1000 to 1844, including the journals of Lewis and Clark.

There are many more fantastic websites with extensive primary sources, but these are a few reliable sites with vast holdings. If you encounter others, feel free to pass along the tip!

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Parents, as the holiday season is nearing we all know that the calendars book up pretty fast. I want to let you in on a few events that are held around the metro to help your students expand and improve their history day projects.

The Hennipen County Libraries have been a fabulous partner in encouraging research through visits to the their facilities. They are providing four opportunities throughout the winter to visit their libraries and receive personalized help with almost any aspect of a History Day project. Bring your students who are curious about narrowing their topics, developing a thesis, identifying primary sources, and using library materials.

History Day staff will also be on hand at the events so feel free to come and ask us the tough questions.  Below you can find the dates and locations of the Hullabaloos, so make sure to mark one of them on your winter calendar now!

Central Library - 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis

Saturdays: Dec. 12th, Jan. 16th, Feb. 13th   11 AM - 3 PM

Ridgedale Library - 12601 Ridgedale Dr., Minnetonka

Tuesday: Jan. 12th  5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

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Parents, as many of you are experiencing your students are well on their way to creating the final product for History Day in Minnesota. I have had many calls in the past couple of weeks asking if we have any of those famous poster boards that you can normally find at craft stores.  And the answer is YES!!!

This is a popular time of the year for students to be completing projects for science fair and other academic competitions so many of the stores are sold out of these background boards. But here at the History Center we have some great boards that teachers through out the state order to help push their students to the next level.

Unlike the typical science fair boards, these exhibit boards have proportional panel and more height. This creates a more balanced display of images, sources and text. The double-thick, corrugated boards are 48 inches tall and 72 inches wide. When displaye there are 23.5 inch wide side panels and a 25 inch wide center panel. We are also offering a title panel this year to complete the exhibit.

If you are interested in purchasing an exhibit board please contact me at (651)-259-3426. The cost of the board is $7.00 and the title panel is $2.00. Unfortunately in smaller quantities we can not ship the boards so they will have to be picked up here at the History Center in St. Paul.

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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!

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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.

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