National History Day Research Competition

2015

National History Day (NHD)

Web Sites• National History Day contest

http://www.nhd.org/

• National History Day in Missouri http://www.nhdmo.org/

Specifics

• Theme: Leadership and Legacy in History

• Students can choose to research any topic that fits the annual theme.

• Students can choose to work alone or in groups of up to 5.

• Students can choose what product to create to show what they learned.

Regional Competition

Documentaries, Websites, and Papers – begins February 17, 2015Documentaries, Websites, and Papers due at

regional office by COB on February 13, 2015Performances & Exhibits - February 25,

2015Performance and Exhibits judged “live” on

February 25, 2015, 4-7 PM at Columbia College.

I have an idea for a topic, now what?

• Selecting a National History Day topic is a process of gradually narrowing down the area of history (period or event) that interests you to a manageable subject.

• For example, if you're interested in the History of Monarchies and the theme is Leadership and Legacy in History, a natural topic would be Queen Elizabeth I. Now from there, you would consider the resources you have available to you—perhaps www.royal.gov.uk the official website of the British Monarchy- where you can access facts and even speeches.

Narrow down the topic and connect it to the theme...

• Your process might look something like this:

• Theme: Leadership and Legacy in HistoryInterest: MonarchiesTopic: Queen Elizabeth IIssue: The Defeat of the Spanish Armada – England’s Rise to World Power

More sample topic ideas

For Topic ideas related to the current theme…

•http://www.nhd.org/images/uploads/web%20version.pdf

Benefits of NHD

Students learn in depth about a topic of their choice. Students choose the topic, group, and product that best

fits their needs/learning styles. Students learn how to conduct research using primary

sources. This project will give students an advantage in the

upper grades when doing research projects. Students learn how to manage a long-term research

project. Students can learn new technology and skills needed to

create a web page or documentary. Students improve critical thinking and processing

skills.

Primary resources

• Research must focus on locating primary resources.

• Primary sources are original materials. They are from the time period involved and have not been filtered through interpretation or evaluation.

• Primary sources are original materials on which other research is based. They present original thinking, report a discovery, or share new information.

Examples of Primary Resources

• Artifacts (e.g. coins, plant specimens, fossils, furniture, tools, clothing, all from the time under study);

• Audio recordings (e.g. radio programs) • Diaries; • Interviews (e.g., oral histories, telephone, e-mail); • Journal articles published in peer-reviewed publications; • Letters; • Newspaper articles written at the time; • Original Documents (i.e. birth certificate, will, marriage license, trial

transcript); • Photographs • Proceedings of Meetings, conferences and symposia; • Records of organizations, government agencies (e.g. annual report, treaty,

constitution, government document); • Speeches; • Survey Research (e.g., market surveys, public opinion polls); • Video recordings (e.g. television programs); • Works of art, architecture, literature, and music (e.g., paintings, sculptures,

musical scores, buildings, novels, poems).

Possible NHD Projects

• Paper

• Exhibit

• Documentary

• Performance

• Web Site

Exhibit Example

• What a Book Can Do - Rachel Carson's Silent Spring Launches the Environmental Movement

• What a Book Can Do - Process Paper and Bibliography

Documentary Examples

• It's a Jungle Out There: Upton Sinclair Turns the Tables on the Chicago Meatpackers and the Food Industry

• The Gray Wolf Reintroduction: A Scientific Approach to Protect the Yellowstone Ecosystem

Performance Examples

• Weakening the Wall: Hidden 20th Century Turning Points

• Weakening the Wall - Annotated Bibliography

• The Golden Age of Radio: Turning Points in American Culture

• The Golden Age of Radio - Process Paper

• The Golden Age of Radio - Annotated Bibliography

Web Site Examples

• The Camp David Accords: Foundation for a Middle Eastern Peace

• The Camp David Accords - Process Paper

• The Camp David Accords - Annotated Bibliography

• Solving the Enigma: Legacies of a Secret World War II Code

• Solving the Enigma - Process Paper

• Solving the Enigma - Annotated Bibliography

Additional Examples

• Additional examples of papers, exhibits, documentaries, performances, and web sites may be found on the following page. http://www.nhd.org/StudentProjectExamples.htm

How to proceed.

• Pick a topic you are interested in.

• Ask for help when you need it.

• DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.

• Plan your time wisely.

• Use class time wisely.

• Meet your deadlines.