Sunday, September 12, 2010

Family History Assignment

The following outlines the requirements for the personal history assignment we discussed on Friday. The purpose of this study is to get you to immerse yourself in the process of writing history and experience firsthand the challenges faced by the historian. In doing so, you will be a better reader of history - as you will be able to examine historical writing with a more critical eye. Hopefully, you will also learn something more personal about the history of Canada through your family experience. Lastly, you will be introduced to some of the practical methods of historical research; another important aspect to being a discerning reader of history.

There are some general parameters to remember when doing this assignment:

  • use standard margins (don't change the page margins in Word)
  • use 12 point Times New Roman
  • text pages are typed, single spaced
  • use standard paper 8 1/2 x 11
  • the project is to be submitted in a duo tang folder (no three ring binders)
  • pictures and other items may be included by will NOT count as part of the page requirement as outlined below

The Assignment...

  1. Overview
  2. Family Tree
  3. Personal History
  4. Family Spotlight
  5. Your Family History and Canada


Overview

This section should be about half a page long and should offer a synopsis of your family history. In this portion of the assignment you will discuss how many generations you were able to track, what you will be focusing on in your personal history, and who you will be spotlighting in your family and why.

Section Value - 10 marks (7 marks for the written work, 3 for a relevant picture or family artifact such as a coat of arms)

Family History

This section should cover at least a page. You may choose to use a fold out page if 8 1/2 x 11 paper provides you insufficient space. This is your family tree. Have the most recent generation at the bottom of the page and work up from there. You will want to include everyone. Find an organizationally efficient and consistent manner for doing this. I have provided you with a few examples below to get you started. There are others available online.



Section Value - 25 marks (5 marks for neatness; 10 marks for effective and clear presentation of information; 10 marks for depth and breadth of research)


Personal History

This section will include your personal history. This is the first place where you are going to have to make some tough decisions about what you will include and what you will not have the space to write about. You should begin either at birth or over the nine months of your mother's pregnancy, whichever you prefer. You should end at present day - our entry into your current grade. This section may not exceed two pages and may not be less than one and a half pages.

Section Value - 35 marks (5 marks for spelling; 5 marks for organization; 20 marks for content; 5 marks for grammar)


Family Spotlight

This section features a selected member of your family whose story you are going to tell. You may want to focus on a particular momentous event that they were involved in or you may deem their full life story worthy of coverage. Although you have already stated why you have chosen to spotlight the individual selected in the overview, you are required to do it here again. However, this time your explanation should be in greater detail. Devote a short introductory paragraph at the outset to this task.

This section may not exceed two pages and may not be less than one and a half pages.

Section Value - 35 marks (5 marks for spelling; 5 marks for organization; 20 marks for content; 5 marks for grammar)


Your Family History and Canada

This section represents the closing of your project. It is not a summary, as the overview already provides a place for that. It is part reflection and part application. You are to reflect on what you have learned about your family history and apply it to help you make some sense of Canada's history. Think about how your family history fits into the Canadian experience and what you think Canada is about and what it stands for. What are the values that are inherent in our national thinking and how does your family experience fit into that? This section may be no longer than a page and no shorter than three quarters of a page.


Section Value - 20 marks (5 marks for spelling and grammar; 15 marks for content)

Total Value - 125 marks

Due Date - Monday, October 4, 2010 at the beginning of class

You will have two work periods in class in which you will have additional support from me. The dates are as follows - Friday, September 17 and Friday, September 24. You will be graded on the following on those dates:

  1. General Progress 10 marks
  2. Work Ethic 10 marks
I am available to discuss this project outside of class if you make an appointment. Otherwise, the remainder of class time will be used for progressing with the course.




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