History Mystery #2

(originally written on Thursday, June 26)

What does this deerstalker hat have to do with a History Day Project?!  Ideas, anyone?!!

Tour of the History Museum

 

(originally written on June 25)

The people at the Minnesota History Museum call this the "Indiana Jones" room (think Raiders of the Lost Ark!).  The room is 3 stories high, and every box in it hides secrets from the past.  If you go to the Reading Room at the library, you can request one and dig through the maps, documents, and photos left by people in history.  I actually touched a scrapbook over 70 years old, kept by a woman during World War II recording her life on the home front.  After the tour, I wrote research questions, searched for sources on the mnhs website, then requested MY VERY OWN BOX. I had a great time gathering information about a feisty woman who organized Civilian Defense Activities on the home front.  Then I found another interesting source about women journalists during the war. Now I don't know which way to go. I have to go home, quietly contemplate, then commit to one direction or the other. There are just TOO MANY BOXES...

It's Not a Castle in Spain

Oh, to be conducting primary research in sunny Spain!  Instead, I spent the day in a basement-actually a sub-basement-at the Wilson Library on the U of M campus fighting through the haze of possibilities.  My final topic choice?  Women on the Home Front.  The difficulty?  I need to do a little research before I can narrow it down, but there is SO MUCH INFORMATION that I need to narrow it down before I can begin.  So I started at the computer screen with a blank look on my face for about 30 minutes, randomly trying search terms and data bases that yielded NOTHING.  Then inspiration kicked in, and I FOUND COOL STUFF!  Now I should sort through the cool stuff, but it's a beautiful evening, my lilac tree by my patio is blooming, and I have a really good book club book for the month...

History Mystery #1

 

Here's a brilliant illustration from our first day of the History Day Summer Institute.  What does my squishy puffer fish have to do with choosing a good topic for History Day?! Please submit your best guess in the "comments" section!

Map Making

Any good trip involves a map, so I got my sharpies and a big piece of butcher paper and went to work narrowing down my topic.  For the fully illustrated story, check out my "Choosing a Topic" page!

Trying to Focus

(originally written on June 16, 2014)

It's official-the instructions are to focus on a Minnesota history topic.  So, I'm going back to my list and keeping 4 things in mind:

1.  What kind of materials am I most interested in working with? 
     I want the inside story-from memoirs, diaries, artifacts, and stories.

2.  What kind of project do I want to do?  (assuming I have a choice?)
     A topic like Women on the Home Front in WWII would lend itself to a website, especially if I can
     find 90+ year old women with clear memories to video.  There has also got to be interesting
     archival footage from the war effort-both radio and tv.

3.  What topic sounds the most exciting?
     Coya Knutsen interests me as a person, but I'm not really into polictics.  This circles back to  
     question 1-I don't want to dig through congressional records.  I'm not sure I care about what she
     cared about, and I want to get inside my topic.

4.  IT HAS TO FIT THE THEME!!! 
     Which topics on my list naturally lend themselves to Leadership and Legacy?

Next Steps:  Do a little web surfing and also see what's available from the public and mnhs libraries.  It's also time to get out the sharpies...

Some People Have All The Luck

(originally written on June 13, 2014)

I just got an email from one of my 8th graders.  He is in Barcelona, visiting an amazing church, and thinking about focusing his History Day project on the architect.  Imagine collecting primary sources while visiting cool places in Spain!  I can only hope the mnhs library holds something equally amazing for me...

On the Road

(originally written on Sunday, May 25th)

It's Memorial Day weekend, I'm in the car on the way home from Nebraska, and I'm thinking about my topic.  I could either go with something from my previous list, or expand my search to something more unique and try to find a Minnesota connection.  The problem with expanding is the HUGE EXPANSE of people and events throughout ALL TIME.  Where to start?!?!  Time to make more lists:

Things I Care About:
faith
music
art
education
science/environment

Periods in History I Like:
WWII
Jazz Age
Ancient History?!
Renaissance
Pioneers/Westward Movement

Cool Place I've Been:
Greece (Santorini, Parthenon, Delphi)
London
Italy (Florence, Rome, Venice)
Grand Canyon
Boundary Waters
Mad King Ludwig's Castle in Bavaria
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome

I also need to choose a topic with a significant impact on history-the SO WHAT?!-got to keep that in mind!  Narrowing this down feels like launching a major expedition, and I'm not sure I want to go there now...more fun to try with a giant piece of butcher paper and multi-colored sharpies on my porch.  So, back to staring out the window at the farmer's fields...

Jumping the Gun

(Originally written on on May 13, 2014)

OK, I have no idea what the mnhs people will require, but I'm excited about my project.  Staring the vast expanse of history in the face, I now know how my students feel trying to pick a topic.  So I'm taking my own advice and starting with the topics list on the mnhs website.  Here's what appeals to me so far:

• St. Croix River Valley:  interesting combination of environmental issues and the story of the     Dakota, plus, I could go there
• Hinckley Fire of 1894:  fairly contained topic, as I have issues narrowing things down to a manageable focus; not sure how it fits the theme, but there has to be a legacy in there somewhere
• Woman on the Home Front during WWII:  different from other topics I've studied, sounds like it fits the theme
• F. Scott Fitzgerald:  As an Language Arts teacher, this surely needs to be on my list!
• Recreational Sailing:  personal experience sailing with the Minnetonka Yacht club for over 20 years, and easy access to primary sources
• Harriet Bishop:  pioneer + teacher = interesting!
• Coya Knutsen:  fellow Concordia grad, Julliard, U.S. Congresswoman

That's enough to mull over for now...must let ideas incubate!

Congratulations!

(originally written on Thursday, May 8, 2014)

The letter was on the counter when I got home today..."Congratulations! We are excited to have you join us for the 2014 History Day Summer Institute..."  I've been haunting my inbox all week waiting for the email accepting me into the teachers program.  I'd given up hope, then the notice finally arrived via the U.S. Post.  My 8th graders think I'm nuts-hope to do a History Day project?!  During the summer?!! Yes, dear students, it's GAME ON!