Virginia History

Historic Site Paper Instructions

The student will virtually tour a historic site on Encyclopedia Virginia, or, if the student lives in Virginia, he/she may physically tour a historic site of his/her choosing within the state. Note things like the architecture, layout, or notable aspects of the site’s physical appearance, and think about how those things connect to its historical significance. 

Based off this tour, the student will write a 2-page paper that focuses on the history of the event, issue, or topic commemorated by the site, what he/she learned, and why that site is important. If the student virtually toured the site, he/she will need to read Encyclopedia Virginia’s entry on that site or topic to help answer those questions. If the student tours a site in person, be sure to talk to educators or interpreters on site, as the student will be able to answer most of those questions from such conversations. To fully answer these questions, the student may supplement the tour with additional research from scholarly sources, if needed. 

Cite all resources consulted, including the Encyclopedia Virginia’s virtual tours page, with citations in proper Turabian formatting with footnotes in the body of the paper and a bibliography at the end of it. The bibliography does not count toward the paper length. See the Turabian Quick Guide in the Additional Information folder in Module 3 for citation examples. For more information on Turabian formatting, visit https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/turabian/turabian-notes-and-bibliography-citation-quick-guide.html

Review the Historic Site Paper Grading Rubric before submitting, to be sure the submission fulfills all the assignment requirements. The paper must be 2 pages long (points will be deducted for papers that are longer or shorter than that), be submitted in 12 pt font, and be double spaced.