Wisconsin Historical Society National History Day in Wisconsin Update

April 2012
National History Day logo Greetings!

With four of our six regional events complete, we are looking forward to the 2012 National History Day in Wisconsin State Contest. Keep reading for important information about this event.

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Judging at Events
GET READY FOR THE STATE EVENT
The 2012 Wisconsin State Event will take place in Madison on Saturday, May 5. All state finalists receive registration packets and materials at their regional event awards ceremony. Teachers can request additional packets from the state office or view materials on our website. Be sure to check our website out and:

Check back to see the tentative student presentation schedule, posted on Thursday, April 26. The final schedule will be posted on Wednesday, May 2. 

TEACHER UPDATES FOR THE STATE EVENT
Registration Deadline: The registration deadline for the state event is Monday, April 23. Materials must be received at the state office in Madison by this time. Please help your student to remember this important date! You can check to see if their forms have been received by checking on our website.

Best of School Entries:
Schools that did not have entries advance to the state event as state finalists are eligible to select a Best of School entry. You must notify the state coordinator by Monday, April 16 if you are taking advantage of this opportunity.

Category-Specific Notes
  • Papers: Four copies of historical paper entries must also be submitted by the registration deadline, Monday, April 23.
  • Websites: Website students will be locked out of editing their websites on Wednesday, April 25. All edits must be completed by this time.
  • Exhibits: The National History Day in Wisconsin program is part of a pilot project to test a potential update to the History Day rulebook. At the Wisconsin State Event, all exhibit entries MUST follow this rule related to documenting the number of student-composed words on an exhibit. All exhibit category title pages must include the following information:  
    • Title of entry
    • Student name(s)
    • Entry division and category
    • Number of student-composed words in the exhibit. "Exhibit contains _____ student-composed words."  
    • Please note that this word count only includes student-composed words in the exhibit, not the process paper. You can find more information on how to count words in the NHD Rulebook or by contacting the state office for clarification. 

Awards Ceremony: Because of space limitations, we were unable to reserve a room large enough to hold everyone for the 2012 Wisconsin State Event Awards Ceremony. This means we will be holding two simultaneous awards ceremonies nearby on the UW-Madison campus. 

  • Junior Division Awards Ceremony
    • 4:30 - 5:15 PM
    • Memorial Union Great Hall
    • 800 Langdon Street 
  • Senior Division Awards Ceremony
    • 4:30 - 5:15 PM
    • Humanities 3650
    • 455 N. Park Street 
NHD Rulebook
HAVE A RULE QUESTION?
As your students are finishing up projects and preparing for regional or state events, remind them to take one more look at the NHD rulebook (PDF). This document can answer many questions about size, time limits, and process papers/bibliographies. Students are also welcome to email us for help at any time. 
Student in Wisconsin Historical Society Stacks
PROJECT WORKSHOPS FOR STATE FINALISTS

Students are allowed and encouraged to improve their projects between NHD competitions. Most students will use the feedback from judges at regional events to make changes before the state event. If students are looking for additional feedback, they can join NHD in Wisconsin staff members at one of several workshops throughout the state. Students are welcome to attend any workshop, even if they did not attend that regional competition.

  •  Eau Claire: Tuesday, April 10 from 3:30-8:00 PM
  •  Madison: Thursday, April 12 from 3:30-8:00 PM
  •  Appleton: Thursday, April 19 from 3:30-8:00 PM

Students must RSVP at least two days in advance. Students will sign up for a 20-minute meeting with a staff member and will not need to be present for the entire duration of the workshop. Students will receive specific location and time information after they RSVP to Sarah Aschbrenner.  Information on these workshops can also be found in the registration packets distributed to each state finalist at their regional event awards ceremony. 

WHS Logo
SCHOOL SERVICES POSITION OPEN AT WHS

The Wisconsin Historical Society seeks a full-time school services director. The position assists schools and K-12 teachers in teaching Wisconsin history. The position provides direct program services statewide to schools at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, but with primary focus on 4th grade education. The school services director assumes primary responsibility for:

  • creating instructional materials for classroom use;  
  • initiating teacher training opportunities in researching and presenting state and local history;  
  • developing a network of educators interested in teaching state and local history; and  
  • coordinating Society-wide educational initiatives in conjunction with all Society programs to ensure the inclusion of educational perspective.

The School Services director produces instructional materials in print and other media developed specifically to meet the social studies curriculum guidelines for Wisconsin schools. The most prominent of these is the 4th grade Wisconsin history textbook, Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story, which is used each year by more than 30,000 Wisconsin 4th graders. The School Services director also develops and presents demonstrations, classes, workshops, seminars, lectures, and special events for educators. In a typical year, the position meets with and makes presentations to educators in 20 communities around the state.

 

For additional information and instructions on how to apply, visit our website. Completed online applications materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 16, 2012.

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DISCOVER MORE SOCIETY NEWSLETTERS

Stay on top of the latest information about the Society, our historic sites and museums, historical image collections, bestselling publications, and varied programs. Pick one or pick all! Sign up for more newsletters and email updates. 

  • Society Weekly E-newsletter
  • Historic Sites and Museums Monthly E-Newsletter
  • Wisconsin Historical Images Monthly E-Newsletter
  • Wisconsin Historical Society Press Periodic Email Updates
  • National History Day in Wisconsin Monthly E-Newsletter 
  • Educator Update Monthly E-Newsletter
Sarah Michele and SarahTHANKS FOR READING!

Be the first person to respond to this e-mail and win a copy of "A People's History of the American Revolution" by Ray Raphael. We appreciate your support of National History Day in Wisconsin. We are excited to have you as part of our program!
 
Sincerely,

Sarah Aschbrenner, State Coordinator
National History Day in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Historical Society 
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