Museum Help!
This page is a place for you to get some help on researching and creating your Museum Exhibit (on weebly).
- Where do I go to keep all my research organized? Scroll to the "Museum Exhibition Research Organizer" section below.
- How do I know the difference between primary and secondary sources? Scroll to the "Identifying Primary versus Secondary Sources" section below.
- How do I cite my sources? Scroll to the "Cite my Sources" section below.
- How do I create a weebly site? Go to Weebly.com, register, click on "Site," and then create a subdomain. After that, you can build your site using the tools to the left!
- How is my weebly site (my online museum exhibit) supposed to be organized? Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see how your Museum should be organized.
- What am I being graded on? You are being graded on your ability to perform THREE SKILLS successfully: 1) ability to adequately summarize (objectively - facts, not opinions); 2) ability to produce clear and coherent writing (it is organized, purposeful, and has a clear audience); 3) ability to provide AND cite great evidence.
To get help with specific skills, click on the sections below:
Museum Exhibition Research Organizer
Keep your research organized using this Google Doc. Open it here, but to make sure you can edit it, you need to make a copy for yourself. Go to "File," drop down to "Make a Copy," and click on it. It will prompt you to title your new document. Make sure you add your name in the Title ("Museum Exhibition Organizer for (your name)"). Make sure you shared this document via the Museum Exhibition Basic Information Form that she emailed to you!
Identifying Primary versus Secondary Sources
To identify the difference between Primary and Secondary Sources, click here to see a really helpful chart courtesy of the Borough of Manhattan Community College Online Library.
Cite my Sources
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) from Purdue University is especially helpful when trying to figure out how to cite sources on a Works Cited page (the last tab on your website) and "in-text" (embedded throughout your website - the short version). You can also go to easybib.com to create one big Works Cited page for your website.
- For in-text citation help (the stuff in parenthesis), click here.
- To cite a book on a Works Cited page, click here.
- To cite an article in a magazine or newspaper on a Works Cited page, click here.
- To cite an entire website or just one page on a website on a Works Cite page, click here.
- To cite interviews, photographs (images), documentaries (films) or movies, or TV and radio programs on a Works Cited page, click here.
How to Organize your Online Museum Site
You need six tabs (or pages) for your museum site:
- Home - Create a Hook, provide an objective summary of the information that will be explored in your museum, and create a thesis statement (let your audience know that they will be exploring 3 big ideas through your museum - background information, the event itself, and the impacts/effects the event had).
- Big Idea #1 - Background Information - Cite your evidence and provide commentary for it. Name this tab something CREATIVE (like, "How did it all start?" or "How it began" or "A Place in History" ... and so forth).
- Big Idea #2 - Event Itself - Cite your evidence and provide commentary for it. Name this tab something CREATIVE (like, "The Disaster Strikes or "Everything Goes Wrong" ... and so forth).
- Big Idea #3 - Impacts/Effects because of the Disaster - Cite your evidence and provide commentary for it. Name this tab something CREATIVE (like, "The Aftermath" or "When the dust settled" ... and so forth).
- Conclusion - Add a reflection piece to help your audience reflect on the information they've just explored. What should they have gotten out of this trip to your museum? What should they have learned? Why should your museum matter and make a difference?
- Works Cited (last page) - Complete this using easybib.com. Compile ALL your sources together on ONE page from easybib.com, then copy and paste it into the last tab.