History Senior Project Guide

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Overview

Georgia 4-H Project Achievement empowers young people with skills for a lifetime. Through a competitive process, students explore their interests, unleash their creativity, share their work, and celebrate their achievements! This guide provides 9th—12th graders with examples for getting started with their project exploration.

Overview of Project Achievement Process

1) Choose project
2) Develop skills in leadership and service
3) Prepare portfolio for work completed from January 1 – December 31
4) Prepare presentation
5) Practice
6) Compete
7) Reflect

Description of History Project

4-H’ers may explore the past as it relates to our present culture and influences. Through this project 4-H’ers may:

• Gain knowledge of historical events, places, figures, clothing, architecture, etc.
• Develop an understanding of various movements of the past, including but not limited to the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement, and industrialization
• Evaluate key political, social, and economic changes in our state, nation, and other countries, as related to historical events
• Acquire knowledge concerning periods in history and their impacts on today’s societies
• Explore historical developments relative to different regions of the world, including civic, cultural, economic, and historical elements
• Explore career opportunities in fields of historical preservation and study

Examples of Project Development Experiences

• Attend a related exhibit or visit a museum to gain greater knowledge of a historical period, place, person, or event (e.g., if interested in the civil rights movement, visit the King Center, Albany Civil Rights Center, or National Center for Civil and Human Rights)
• Visit the library and research books, articles, newspapers, and videos pertaining to your topic
• Consult with a local librarian or history teacher on primary resources available to you for research (e.g., journals, documents, manuscripts, and artifacts from the relevant time period)
• Visit state or national historical sites to witness where historical events occurred.
• Interview individuals who lived through significant events in U.S. history

Project Sharing and Helping Examples

• Organize a history club or historical society within your community or school
• Share a history presentation or workshop with younger 4-Her’s and community members.
• Set up a booth at a local fair and showcase historical artifacts pertaining to your topic
• Host a game of historical trivia at a community festival or 4-H night
• Plan a field trip for youth to visit a museum, history center, or historical landmark in Georgia (e.g., Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, Augusta Museum of History, Georgia Museum of Agriculture, Atlanta History Center, forts, homes of historical figures, historic buildings, etc.)
• Create a unique pamphlet or infographic about a historical topic and share it with club members, teachers, or younger 4-H’ers, explaining how your topic has shaped society today
• Serve as teen docent or volunteer at a local museum, history center, or landmark
• Host a historical speeches reenactment contest

Special Considerations

• All historical information you are sharing and presenting should be supported by credible primary and secondary sources.
• Youth should practice internet safety when communicating with new people online or in-person. A best practice is to take a friend or parent to shadow your interview or copy your parent/ guardian on online communications with adult mentors.
• Youth should be respectful of other individuals and cultures.
• Individuals should ask permission before photographing, taping, or quoting someone.
• Live animals and weapons are not permitted in any project.

Recommended Resources

• Project Achievement – Georgia 4-H
• National Archives | Home
• About this Collection | World Digital Library | Digital Collections | Library of Congress
• Home | Library of Congress
• Avalon Project – Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
• Smithsonian Institution | Home
• JSTOR Home
• HISTORY | Topics, Shows and This Day in History | HISTORY

At Competition

History 4-H projects may use posters, artifacts, biofacts, and/or technology to support their presentation. The time limit for these presentations is 12 minutes. Computers, projectors, screens, and other technological devices may be used.

Prepared by: Taylor Madgett
Reviewed by Sue Chapman, Keri Hobbs, and Jason Estep