Modern History Research Topics

1950s
Television in the home
Rock n’ Roll
Polio Vaccine
Rosa Parks
Little Rock Desegregation
Space Race

1960s
Kennedy assassination
Man on the moon

1970s
President Nixon resigns
Microsoft founded
Mother Theresa

1980s
Rubik’s Cubes are big
Personal computers!
Michael Jackson’s Thriller
“Black Monday”
Berlin Wall falls
MRS KEMPTON BORN

1990s
Gardner Heist
World Trade Center bombed
Dolly the Sheep- cloning
Harry Potter huge success
Princess Diana dies

1.  Get in a partnership and select your Modern History Project topic.
2.  Conduct your research, taking notes on the following:  WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY
3.  You may present your findings in one of the following formats:
     -Poster with bullet points and pictures.  A detailed paper answering the who, what, when, where, why questions will be taped to the back.
     -Informational essay with pictures about your topic.
     -Newspaper using the tool you worked with for your Holocaust research.  Make sure you include pictures!
     -Powerpoint
4.  Regardless of the format you choose to write your findings, you will present your information to the class.  That presentation should cover all of the key details and use a visual of some kind.

Atomic Bomb Essay

STEP 1:  Watch these two videos while taking notes.
Should The US Have Dropped The Bomb?- 5 min
Hiroshima- A Survivor's Story- 5 min

STEP 2:  Write an argumentative essay in which you answer the question, "Should America have dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan?"

REMEMBER:  An argumentative essay will include the following essential components:

Intro paragraph
1. Grabber
2. Background on the topic
3. Thesis statement (CLAIM)

Body paragraphs (there are three)
1. Topic sentence (REASON)
2-4. Prove it (EVIDENCE)= three supporting details that can come from text or personal experience
5. Clincher

Conclusion paragraph
1. Restate thesis (CLAIM)
2. Tie up loose ends
3. Finish with a powerful statement

Publication

Using the notes that you took during your extended learning research project, you are now going to present your findings in a polished newspaper format.

This Newspaper Rubric will help clarify your expectations for this assignment.  This is the site you will use to create your newspaper:  Printing Press

Extended Learning Groups

Now that you have had a chance to get the gist of the Holocaust, we are going to study this event in history in more detail.

You will divide yourselves into small groups and choose a topic from the Holocaust to study extensively.  Possible topic choices might be Jewish laws, propaganda, Hitler youth, Kristallnacht, Non-Jewish Holocaust victims, Ghettos, concentration camps, liberators, and the aftermath.  Using the Online Holocaust Inquiry page and the Text Resources for Groups list, conduct your research.  You will be presenting your findings later in a polished newspaper format.

Your research should be guided by inquiry.  In other words, ask a question that you are curious about, and search for the answer.  Chances are, if you're wondering about it, so are your peers.

Remember that the most powerful sources are going to be primary sources.  Don't know what that means?  Check out this information:  primary and secondary sources.

KWL Research Groups

-Get into a group of three and make a KWL chart.
     -Fill in everything you already know about the Holocaust, and everything you want to know.
-Using these Holocaust Websites, fill in what you learn in the "L" section of your chart.

Innocent Bystander

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

-MARTIN NIEMÖLLER

Childhood

What do you remember most about your childhood?

Did you have a special place?

What kinds of things were you afraid of?

What helped you feel safe?