Summer Research Projects

REMEMBER, you are only responsible for completing ONE of the following assignments. It is entirely up to YOU, which assignment you complete. You can do this assignment whenever you want, and hand it in as early as you like, as long as it is completed by the first day of school. Assignments can be handed in either in person (you can bring it to school), or you can email it to me at mtesler@wjps.org.

OPTION #1
Compile a list of the TEN most influential Americans (in your opinion, of course). For each individual include a brief justification as to why you included those individuals. Your justification should explain at least ONE action taken by that person that led to some sort of change in America, as well as changes that came about as result of their actions.

You may use any important person from your study of United States history. Some suggestions you might wish to consider include:

• Frederick Douglass
  (slavery),
• Andrew Carnegie (industrialization)
• Jacob Riis (urban life)
• Upton Sinclair (consumer protection)
• Henry Ford (automobile industry)
• Margaret Sanger
  (reproductive rights)
• Martin Luther King Jr.(civil rights),
• Cesar Chavez (migrant
  farmworkers)
• Bill Gates (software industry).

YOU ARE NOT LIMITED TO THESE CHOICES!

FORMAT - Typed (Times New Roman 12 Font)

Support links for option #1

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200612/influentials;

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200701u/influentials-comments

OPTION #2 The Decades Project
You are responsible for creating a presentation on a chosen decade between 1950 and 1990.
Different formats that may be used (but are not limited to): Graphic collage, scrapbook, display boards powerpoint, photostory, Windows Movie Maker, VoVux)

Focus your decade analysis on areas such as: film, T.V., pop culture,
fads, fashion, food, music, technology etc. This project should provide the audience with an overall idea of what happened during
that decade and what it would be like to live during that time period

FORMAT - Digital

Support links for option #2

http://www.authentichistory.com/

http://www.pomperaug.com/departments/social_studies/ushistory/ush-dp.htm

OPTION #3 The Interview
Your task for this option is to interview a member of your family, a neighbor, or teacher who can provide a first person account of their experiences
as they relate to a significant event or events in U.S. History

The following is a list of sample questions and historic events. Feel free to create your own questions, and to discover your own important dates.

You might want to give an advance copy of these questions to your interviewee. Have her/him choose questions s/he would like to answer.

Ideally you and your interviewee would collaborate to select the most appropriate questions. Be certain to get the most basic information
(e.g., full name, date of birth, etc.). You will need it for your introduction and timeline.


1. What is your full name and why were you named it? (Maiden name for females)
2. When and where were you born?
3. Were there any fads during your youth that you remember vividly?
4. Where did you attend grade school? high school?
5. Do you have a college degree? If so what was your field of study?
6. How did you decide on a career?
7. If you served in the military, when and where did you serve and what were your duties?
8. What would you consider the most important inventions made during your lifetime?
9. How is the world now different from what it was like when you were a child?
10. What US. President have you admired the most and why?
11. Ask a question (or questions) about a particular historical event.
12. Are there other important events (local, national, international) that have affected you?
13. Was there a person that really changed the course of your life by something s/he did?
14. Was the most stressful experience that you ever lived through? What helped you get through it?
15. Have you ever met any famous people? Describe what happened.

OPTION #4:
Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs addressing the task below, and a conclusion.

Theme: Change — Turning Points

Background: Major historical events are often referred to as turning points because they have led to important political, social, and economic changes.

Your task: Identify two major events in United States history that were important turning points and for each:

• Describe the historical circumstances that led to the event
• Discuss the political, social, and/or economic changes that resulted from the event.

You may use any major event from your study of United States history. Some suggestions you might wish to consider include the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1776), end of Reconstruction (1877), Henry Ford’s use of the assembly line (1913), United States entry into World War I (1917), Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964), and the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989).

REMEMBER, you only have to complete ONE, and it is due no later than the first day of school!