Public History Project: A Grad School Level Historical Research Project

Give your students the chance to become Junior Professional Historians and turn your school into a museum with Mano Koa Enterprises' Public History Project. 

In this project, students will follow detailed instructions in which they will research, design, and build their own museum exhibit on the history of anything they want, provided the topic is school appropriate. 

This project comes with a four stage curriculum:

• Stage 1: Exhibit Prospectus (Rules, Expectations, and Preliminary Narrative Design)
• Stage 2: Principal Research (Examining credible sources, writing 70 word maximum copy, annotating sources).
• Stage 3: Fabrication and Installation (Creating professional grade panels and setting them up in an exhibit space you choose)
• Stage 4: Development Paper Writing and Curatorial Interview (Students will finalize all their research and defend it in a one-on-one interview with a teacher).

These procedures are professional grade and state of the art for the Museum Interpretation Industry. They are designed by a public historian who has installed exhibits for museums including the Oregon State Capitol Building and the Oregon Historical Society. 

Collaborate with your local historical society and have your students take an active role in advancing historical research by interviewing . If they manage to land an oral history interview as a source, your historical society may archive it. (It looks great on a resume). Since every historical society has their own policies regarding interviews, consult your local curator. 

End your school year on a high note by giving your students a chance to make the past come alive! 

Good luck!