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, well detailed 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!