The students' compliance to these rules are noted on the score sheet, but the sites are graded much more heavily on their historical content (60%), relation to the History Day theme (20%), and on the look and feel of the site (20%). This means that sites that look pretty but are very weak on historical content will not win the competition.
The Interviews
With my pre-judging done ahead of time, my job during History Day as a website judge was to interview the students. The schedule of interviews was posted outside my conference room door, with student interviews scheduled every 15 minutes throughout the day except for an hour lunch. On my first day of judging, I interviewed junior division groups, which meant I had two to five students at a time; on my second day of judging, I interviewed senior division individuals, which meant I had only one student at a time.
I was very nervous on the first morning. Without a partner until the very last minute, I contemplated what I was going to ask these students. I was told to make them feel comfortable, but even I felt nervous. The "Judges' Handbook" offered a few example questions, but I wanted some advice from people with experience. After asking around, I discovered that there are a number of judging styles. One judge suggested I have the students take me page by page through the website. Another judge suggested asking hard-hitting questions to challenge the students. I chose to ask open-ended questions to get the conversation rolling.
I found it amazing what students were willing to tell me when I asked them a few open-ended questions. Perhaps the most surprising piece of revealed information was when I asked a student group about their experiences researching their topic as part of a school field trip at a college library. During their response to my question, they started to giggle and literally pulled out a photocopy of their faces flattened against the copier screen as proof, I can only assume, as to how little they learned on their field trip. I continue to be flummoxed as to why these students would even bring this photocopy with them to History Day, let alone why they thought it appropriate to show it to me.
Other responses were equally interesting, although perhaps less shocking than the photocopy. I found out that for some students, making a website was easy, while others found it an incredible challenge. One student admitted that the whole process had made her cry. Another explained that she didn't own a computer and had to travel to a relative's house 45 minutes away to work on it.
Students also talked about how they chose their topic. A few randomly picked the topic from the sampling listed on the History Day website. Others discussed topics with their teachers and chose one the teacher recommended. Still other students chose a specific topic in history that had piqued their interest.
Interestingly, a number of students chose topics that would help them learn about their own family history. Many of these students stated that they knew their parents had stories, but that the parents still felt the students were too young to hear about them. The projects based on family background were heart wrenching but opened doors of communication between themselves and their parents and grandparents. During one particular interview, I could barely keep from breaking out in tears as one student related some discoveries of her family's experiences and participation in major events of history. Although I thoroughly enjoyed both days of interviews, this one particular interview in and of itself made all the time and effort I put into History Day worth it for me.
