HISTORY DAY IN MINNESOTA

Judge’s Orientation

Thank you!

Thank you for answering the call to judging!

30,000 students+ 13 regional events+ 1 state event= hundreds of

volunteers!

History Day

Five Categories Paper Exhibit Documentary Performance Website

Two Age Divisions Junior (6-8 grade) Senior (9-12 grade)

Annual Theme:Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History

The Contest

Regional Events: 4,500 studentsDefined by ECSU boundaries, contests occur

throughout the month of March

State Event: 1,200 studentsUniversity of Minnesota, Twin Cities

April 29, 2012

National Event: 55 students

Univ. of MD, College ParkJune, 2012

School Events: 30,000 studentsTake place in individual schools, organized by a lead teacher or coordinator—occur in February or March

EVALUATION

Assessing History Day Entries

Judge Ratings

History Day evaluates entries using the relative terms of:

“Good”

“Excellent”

“Superior”The goal is to focus on the relative merits or areas for improvement in each entry.

In your set of evaluated projects, focus on ranking them against one another based on the provided criteria.

Judging Criteria: Historical Quality

Judging Criteria: Relation to Theme

Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History

Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History Revolution, Reaction and/OR Reform “in History” = proof of Historical Impact

Judging Criteria: Clarity of Presentation

Judging Criteria: Rule Compliance Exhibits

500 student-composed word limit 6’ tall, 40” wide, 30” deep

Performances 10 minutes in length

Documentaries 10 minutes in length

That Empty Column

Through thoughtful comments you can: Provide positive, but

critical evaluation of each entry

Suggest improvements for future participation or other research projects

Support the students’ interest and encourage future research and study

[something positive]

You may want to…

Did you consider…

Other issues important

to this topic are...

…would strengthen your

bibliography.

…might help support

your thesis.

[something positive]

Final Checklist

Does the student’s work demonstrate historical research and scholarship?

Does the student present an argument about their connection to the theme “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History” (thesis)?(Remember, the student’s views may differ from your own, consider the evidence they have provided rather than their beliefs)

Is the student communicating his or her ideas in an organized and effective way?

Has this student done careful and reasoned work?

JUDGING PROCESS

History Day’s Contest Logistics

Begin with a Smile

Start with a smile and a handshake

Brief students on the judging process to set them at ease

Request copies of the student’s Process Paper and Bibliography

Performance and Documentary judges: Encourage students to begin their presentation set-up

Read through the Research

Skim the student’s Process Paper and Bibliography

Note any questions you might have about their process or sources

Retain one copy of this paperwork for your team to use during the deliberation process

View the Presentation

The judging rooms are open to the public

Exhibit Judges: Read the text of the display (students should not give you an oral presentation)

Performance and Documentary Judges: Give students the go-ahead to begin their introduction and presentation.

Performance and Documentary Judges: DO NOT start early

Take careful notes for reference during the deliberation and comment writing process

Ask Questions Asks students at MINIMUM 3 questions

About their topic About their History Day journey Clarification from the content or

paperwork Questions might include:

How did you choose your topic? Which of your sources was most

helpful? What is the most interesting thing

you learned? What was the most challenging

aspect of your History Day project and research?

Try to end the conversation with: Is there anything else you would

like to tell us that we haven’t thought to ask?

Do NOT use this time to: Provide Feedback Lecture the student about their

topic Tell the student how they stack up

against the competition

Discuss

After you have viewed all your projects, return to the judges’ room to discuss

Avoid discussing projects in judging areas where students, teachers, and parents eagerly await your opinions

Make sure that all members of the judging team have room to offer their perspective and feel good about the final decision

The BIG Decision

Before drafting comments, determine which projects stand out as the strongest

Exhibit Judges: Elect one judge to collaborate with other team representatives in viewing the category’s top entries and selecting the state qualifiers

Performance and Documentary Judges: Seek out the other teams reviewing the same category and discuss as a large group which projects should advance

Draft your Comments

Each member of the judging team should write his or her own comments

Comments do not need to be identical, but should not be contradictory

Record check marks and an overall rating that demonstrate consensus on the student’s overall evaluation

Did you Bring a Laptop?

When typing your comments: Save all your comments as ONE document Create one page for each project Include the Teacher Number (located in the

upper right corner of the comment forms) Include the student(s) name(s) and project title HD staff have a zip drive, once saved your

comments will be printed and attached to the HD form

Note the original form with your check marks, overall rating, and a message about comments on the attached sheet.

Submit the Paperwork

History Day professionals will be standing by to accept your paperwork. Please make sure you leave us your:

Contest Result Forms

Completed Comment Forms

Student Bibliographies (please separate those advancing to State

from the stack)

Unwanted event papers for recycling

Our Thanks

Your judge ribbon will earn you: Food Clothing Shelter

Take your judge ribbon to our concession stand and trade it in for a mug or T-shirt

CEU’s are also available upon request