Update of assignments ASAP

Hi guys,
I am printing off your paragraphs for the expo, so, for those of you to whom I sent editing directions, please complete the updates and return them to me. :-) If you already sent me your updated "Why" paragraph, then don't worry about it.

Okay, I also need e-mailed versions of everyone's biographies. I'm not going for absolute perfection. I'll even label them as "rough drafts", so..no worries.

For those of you who have changed your projects, just put together the best you can. Everyone has to start somewhere. :-)

Anyone who has questions can call me at 651-5049 (home) or my cell at 247-8992. Please feel free to do so.

You've all done excellent work so far! The Pre-regionals will be....
Either the Last week of January or the first week of February.

Also, at the pre-regional, there will be a separate exhibition of just students' history "stuff". For those of you who may not wish to compete, this would be a good alternative.

UPDATED ASSIGNMENT LIST

After some consideration, I've decided to revamp your assignment list.

Some of you received e-mails back from me with suggestions for your paragraph. If you did, please have the new one ready by this Friday. Oct 24th

Your rough draft Biography is due next Friday Oct 31st

Your "list of resources" (ie..bibliography) will be due Nov. 7th in time for the Expo.

This will give each of you time to do a little more reading on your person, to collaborate if you are on a team and by the time of Expo, you'll have most of your raw materials for your project pulled together.

Have a great week!
Mrs. Gayer

Assignments!

Okay folks,
By cob (close of business) tomorrow, your paragraph on "why" you picked your topic is due.

The main theme of the paragraph should tell a perfect stranger why you selected your "person". It should say why, of all the people in the world, you thought this person was interesting enough to devote months of research into their lives. What is it about this person that is interesting to you, and why do you think this person could be interesting to others.

I plan on posting everyone's paragraphs on the blog, but don't worry, I'll do any necessary copy-editing for grammar and spelling.

Mrs. Gayer

M. Antoinette stuff

Found these M. Antoinette sites
please view them WITH your parents.

Excellent start - the pbs site
http://www.pbs.org/marieantoinette/

Gobs or portraits
http://www.batguano.com/VigeeMAgallery.html

Good life summary & resource list
http://www.royalty.nu/Europe/France/MarieAntoinette.html

Children, Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right...

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,439624,00.html

I didn't know this was a possibility.....yikes!

A Nigerian father has taken his “lazy” 20-year-old son to an Islamic court for refusing to participate in productive activities, asking that he be imprisoned, the state news agency NAN said Friday, Reuters reported.
"He is not listening to words and he is bringing shame to my family,” Sama'ila Tahir, a market trader, told NAN. “I am tired of his nefarious deeds. Please put this boy in prison so that I can be free."
Tahir claims his son dropped out of school and is in a gang, Reuters reported.
Siding with Tahir, the court sentenced the young man to six months in prison and 30 strokes of the cane for being disobedient.

Research, Research...Focus

Hey, everyone!

I heard your general information presentations went quite well. Congratulations!

For this week, I need each of you to bring in ALL your materials, references, ideas for project, etc. I am going to sit with each of you (As there are 6 projects, that comes to 10 min each). We will disucss a roadmap to where you want to take your project, what you plan on doing.

Rough drafts of all projects will be due by Expo. They don't have to be completely perfected, but they must be "good".

While I am talking with each person, the others are to be reading, discussing their projects with each other and getting ideas, critiques, etc..

We will do a lot of this between now and the end of co-op.

Mrs. Gayer

IT'S TIME - who's your person?

Okay! It's Thursday and if you don't have your person, you need to get that done. Just pick someone, already.

Now, please realize that getting your person named today doesn't mean that you are "married" to that person from now until Spring. If, in the course of your reading and research, you follow a trail to someone else, please feel free to explore, explore, explore!

As I've been helping Reagan with her McCarthy person, she'll NEED to know all about Alger Hiss (Soviet Spy-unrepentant) and Whitaker Chambers (Soviet Spy who came"clean") and the evidence for and against them. She could easily switch to either of those men in the course of her research, see?

Please respond either via posting or e-mail to me who your person is. This way, I can help you begin sourcing information.

Regional History Day Pics

This is Reagan's Regional entry. Our neighbor was a collector of military memorabilia and loaned her tons of stuff. All this stuff (the uniform, flags, finials, coins, etc..) counted as primary sources. :-)

The large box on the right spun around. Two sides were blue and two grey representing the North and South quite well.

This was the Junior 2nd place winner. Wait until you see the transformation from Regional to State!

While a fascinating topic of the movement in industry, I couldn't find the "Triumph" and "Tragedy" of the story being told. This one didn't relate itself well to the theme of that year.

REMINDER

Just a reminder that this Friday, I would like all of you to have your "short" list of people you are considering. Please bring in any initial information you may have gathered, also. If you have your short list already, then respond by posting a "comment" to the blog with your thoughts.
Mrs. Gayer

Wikipedia as a source? Legally?

My Dear Students,

If you will click on the title of this blog entry, you will be taken to a news article I found today - about Wikipedia. For those of you who have had Fallacy Detective, I'm sure you'll recognize the "faulty appeal to the masses" that's going on. Apparently, persons in the legal profession, from lawyers to judges and more, are relying on Wiki as a PRIMARY AND RELIABLE SOURCE. As you can see, this has led to legal appeals and marks a disturbing trend.

Now, I know that we all discussed using Wiki as a 'good place to start'. It is a good place to start. It gives great summary, usually. In addition, it often has direct links to genuine primary information. Using it for that is all good.

I just hope you will be struck with the sad humor of this situation. The internet is a tool, not an authority...LOL.

(This reminds me of when my neice went to see a new neurologist to confirm a condition called Neurofibromatosis. The doctor was not familiar with it -how did he pass medical school?- and went and looked it up on the internet. My niece is now looking for a second opinion from a doctor who would know enough to even have an opinion....GOLLY!)

Please post responses, I'd like to get an idea of how everyone's thought processes work. Consider the posted responses as like a message board. BUT, remember, it IS the internet, so..use your netiquette. :-)

Mrs. Gayer

Welcome to Academic Competition

I thank you all for looking at this site. The "Helpful Links" section to your right is all NHD information from their official website. Please note: this blog is not affiliated with NHD and does not represent the interests of NHD.

No, this blog is to represent the interests of Godly young men and women who will, hopefully, use this competition as a vehicle to learn more about the Lord's providence and man's gifts and failings - Soli Deo Gloria!

While I'll try to keep wry comments to a minimum, there can be a conflict between pleasing man-made rules (like in this competition) and making sure we are working to please God and be His instruments. I hope to address where these issues lie and propose solutions.

Since it IS a contest, there ARE rules and standards of which one should take notice. It's a voluntary action to decide to put one's work and research into such a format, but I believe it is a good excercise for two reasons: 1) It can give the work and research focus, teaching good tools, techniques and discipline; 2)that most work in this world is fenced in by some restraint or expectation, so practice in staying true to principle while fulfilling obligations is an excellent excercise!

The first scripture I would offer all participants, parents and teachers is Galatians 1:10; Do I seek to please men or to please God? For if I please men, I cannot be a bondservant of Christ.

Gratefully in Him, Charly