Doing the Decades:
Group Investigations in Twentieth Century U. S. History

Family Scrapbook Requirements

Content:

1. Answer all investigative questions about group themes in the final presentation.

2. Use a minimum of 10 secondary and 15 primary sources in each individual's research. The 15 primary sources must be represented in the final presentation, along with documentation of a sampling of the secondary sources.

3. Use a minimum of 10 American Memory primary sources in the final presentation.

4. Hand in a complete works cited list for each individual's section of the presentation on the day of the final presentation.

5. Sources gathered from electronic media (Internet, CD-ROMs, online databases, computer software, videotape, audiotape).  For Internet sources (photos, maps, audio recordings, documents, movies), use Citing Electronic Sources, Learning Page, Library of Congress.

6. Content must represent accurate information from the time period of your investigation.

7. In constructing the scrapbook, consider how many families (one or more), but also the locations of their homes/residences.

8. Broaden the emphasis of the scrapbook to include all themes by making it a record of not only local events, but travel, military service, overseas business, and other more distant trends and events.

Design:

If you choose to make an electronic family scrapbook, follow these guidelines.

1. Make font styles and sizes easy to read from the rear of the room.

2. Create good contrast between background colors and text.

3. Illustrations, photos, and graphics should be understandable, appropriate and easy to read from the rear of the room.

4. The presentation should reflect clear organization and synchronization with narration.

5. Use audio and video excerpts as illustrative sources, not as narration.

6. Use creativity in design. Avoid clutter, unreadable text, and poor use of color combinations.

7. Buttons and arrows, if present, should be highly visible, clearly labeled and functional. Establish color contrast and use readable sizes and effective placement.

8. Place citations on slides in a section below graphics and other main text entries.

If you choose to create a hard copy scrapbook, keep these guidelines in mind.

1. Clear organization should be present, using visuals and text to tell the story and answer the questions for investigation.

2. Make it personal. Remember, this is a memory book that tells a ten-year story about one or two families. What would they put in it that would respond to your questions?

3. Citations should be included in the text.