[Ohiogift] My 2 centsRe: A History Option

[Susan Rakow]

True - but they get thousands of entries which are all read by volunteers (teachers, professors, historians). As an author myself, I am well aware that different publications have different length limits. Your publication allows for 32,000 words. History Day doesn't. This is a valuable lesson for this young scholar. But National History Day also has categories for dramatic presentations, artistic presentations, technological presentations, etc. And Shannon's question was about grades 4-8, where 2500 words might be a challenge, even for gifted learners. Not impossible of course, and a valuable challenge. Remember - not all our gifted kids are headed for Stanford - nor should they be, nor could they be. The IB culminating essays may or may not (I don't know) have a word limit. But a word limit in and of itself should not be a negative or a criticism of an entire program. 

-----Original Message-----
>From: Will Fitzhugh <fitzhugh at tcr.org>
>Sent: Sep 17, 2012 10:03 AM
>To: Susan Rakow <susanrakow at earthlink.net>
>Subject: Re: [Ohiogift] My 2 centsRe:  A  History Option
>
>
>A History Option:
>
>I recently published this Emerson Prize-winning, 32,000-word paper
>on the 18th Century Regulator War in North Carolina. The author, headed for
>Stanford this year, had to cut it down to 2,500 words to win first place
>nationally this year in the National History Day competition, which does
>not allow papers longer than 2,500 words.
>
>I once asked them if they would consider longer papers,
>and they told me: "We don't want anything that takes longer
>than 10 minutes to read."
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Will Fitzhugh
>
>
>
>“Teach by Example”
>Will Fitzhugh [founder]
>The Concord Review [1987]
>Ralph Waldo Emerson Prizes [1995]
>National Writing Board [1998]
>TCR Institute [2002]
>730 Boston Post Road, Suite 24
>Sudbury, Massachusetts 01776-3371 USA
>978-443-0022; 800-331-5007
>www.tcr.org; fitzhugh at tcr.org
>Varsity Academics®
>www.tcr.org/blog
>


Susan R. Rakow, Ph.D. 
Clinical Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Program in Gifted Education
Department of Curriculum and Foundations 
Cleveland State University
2485 Euclid Ave., EB374
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
216-523-7296
s.rakow at csuohio.edu

“Modern cynics and skeptics see no harm in paying those to whom they entrust the minds of their children a smaller wage than is paid to those to whom they entrust the care of their plumbing.” -John F. Kennedy