English II - World War II Research Assignment

The Task:
Individual students will be given a topic and asked to complete three assignments. The first requires that each student conduct their own research and prepare a two-and-a-half page, MLA-formatted research paper. The second requires that the students creates a five minute presentation to deliver to the class on their subject matter (note: This is not simply reading your research paper). The third requires students to either create or procure a visual aid that will help other students gain an appreciation for the subject matter that is being discussed.

Topics:

The following items will be available for selection.

The Nazis
Allies
Jews
Swastikas
Concentration Camps
Final Solution
The Manhattan Project
The Treaty of Versailles
The Battle of Normandy
Yalta Conference
Anne Frank
Adolf Hitler
The Gestapo
Ghettos
Axis Powers
The Holocaust
The Marshall Plan
Hiroshima
Pearl Harbor
D-Day
Propaganda
Kristallnacht
Elie Wiesel
Auschwitz
Concentration Camps

What must be included:

Students must present basic information on their topic including who, what, why, when, where, and how the topic became significant. The research must be done either during the assigned research time in class or at home, but NOT HAVING A COMPUTER IS NOT AN EXCUSE for not completing the assignment. The paper must be MLA-formatted - for information on this style, go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/. The presentation must be in your own words and must be appealing to a class of high school students. Your visual aid is a stimulus used to help understanding of the topic. It may be in the form of an activity, a poster, a slide show, or another type of media, and MUST RELATE DIRECTLY TO YOUR TOPIC.

How you will be graded on the assignment:

The information you present, and the way in which you present it, will be worth 100 points. Your visual aid will be worth 50 points. The paper will be worth 100 points.