Welcome To The New Education Resource!

This Week We Feature Research Tips for your Students

In many classrooms at this time of year, students are beginning major research papers or History Day projects, or will be using the holiday break to work on projects.  For Washington, HistoryLink.org is obviously a great place to start. HistoryLink.org features nearly 6000 essays covering all aspects of the history of the Evergreen State.

One good way to help your students become oriented to HistoryLink.org and begin using the encyclopedia most effectively is by showing the specially prepared Power Point called A How To Power Point Presentation .  Both this Power Point and a document called Frequently Asked Questions are available through the links in the right hand column of this page, so students may access and review them as needed both in and out of the classroom.  The Power Point can be found by clicking on Tips for Using HistoryLink in the For Educators section of the column while the Frequently Asked Questions for students can be found by clicking on Tips for Using HistoryLink in the For Students section. Some important things to remind your students are that they need to determine specific keywords with which to search and those words need to be spelled correctly. Other tips are found in the frequently asked questions.  There is an Advanced Search feature on HistoryLink.org that allows students to search for essays not only by keyword, but also alphabetically, and by topic, author, geographic  region, or date.

Also in the For Students section of this Education Resource are  Study Aids which include guidance on how to determine accuracy of internet resources and quality of primary materials, and tips for developing an all-inclusive research plan. There is also a comprehensive Guide to Primary Sources which identifies dozens of venues that house primary sources (most of which can be accessed online) pertinent to Washington state history.  Finally, have the students check out the  Heritage Education Resources in the For Teachers section.  This category features a wide variety of resources, such as Documentaries,  Websites , and Museum Programs that can offer a fresh and unique look at certain research topics.

Even if research topics are not specific to Washington, students may find the  Timeline essays useful by examining what was happening in the state at about the same time as their subject and how lives of those in Washington were influenced either positively or negatively by their topic.  The Timeline essays are conveniently grouped in five-year increments and the search engine allows the user to move forward or backward in time easily.

Many students contact HistoryLink.org directly to inquire about what is available pertaining to their specific topics. Staff members at Historylink.org are hesitant to assist those students who write letters or send emails simply requesting that we provide them with all information that they need. Instead students are encouraged to become familiar with all of the resources available through HistoryLink.org and to learn appropriate and time-saving techniques to identify materials for their individual projects.  Members of the HistoryLink.org Education Team are available to come to your classroom to introduce your students to HistoryLink.org and how to use it effectively to learn about Washington state history and to find information specific to their individual projects.