Students will select and develop one topic from Texas History that is of special interest to them.  You are a potential contributor to the Concise History or the Virtual Reader.

Choose a contemporary person or a historical figure. and write about it.

Write at least 500 words and include pictures or graphics as necessary or available.  Include what your sources are and at least two block quotations from your written sources or your oral interview.  You may use whichever writing “style” you are most familiar with, but for easy identification of the quotes, be sure to put your citation for these quotations in parentheses and in all caps at the end of the relevant paragraph. For example, your citation might look like this:  (SMITH, ALLEN. How I Dug the Houston Ship Channel, p. 139).

The grade will be based on the quality of the writing (proofread carefully and include the block quotations), the relevance to a study of Texas History, and the credibility of the sources.

Note:  One of your sources can be from an artificial intelligence source, such as ChatGPT.  If you use the AI chatbox, you will need to frame your prompt questions very carefully.  There is an old saying:  “Garbage in; garbage out.”  If you use superficial, uncreative prompts, ChatGBT will generate something similar to an encyclopedia response.  You are also responsible for cleaning up the AI material.  Ensure that it has its facts correct and that its writing is logical, well-organized, and correct. While you may use ChatGBT as one of your resources, it cannot be the only resource.  Blend the AI material in with your other research.