National History Day (program)

National History Day (NHD) is a national American competition for students in grades 6-12. Students construct entries as an individual or in a group in one of five categories (Documentary/Exhibit/Paper/Performance/Website) and compete at regional, state, and national contests. The annual national competition is held at the University of Maryland, College Park, where cash prizes and/or college scholarships are awarded to the national winner, runner-ups and special awards.

The mission of National History Day is to provide students with opportunities to learn historical content and develop research, thinking and communication skills through the study of history and to provide educators with resources and training to enhance classroom teaching.

About National History Day

National History Day (NHD) is a well-acknowledged academic organization for middle and high school students. For more than 25 years, NHD has promoted systematic educational reform related to the teaching and learning of history in American schools. The combination of creativity and scholarship built into the organization's programs anticipated current educational reforms.

Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers nationwide participate in the NHD contest. Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, interviews and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, exhibits, performances and documentaries. These products are entered into competitions in the spring at local, state and national levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates in a national competition each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park.

More than 5 million students that entered NHD have gone into a professional career.

Teaching Critical Skills

The NHD organization teaches various critical thinking skills and engages them in the use and understanding of research. NHD programs inspire students to study local history, and then challenges them to expand their thinking and apply knowledge of local events to the national, or even worldwide scene. The programs also instruct students to become technologically literate through the use of computer and Internet research methods, and the use of such advanced applications in their presentations.

Objectives

The objective of National History Day is to:

*Motivate students through intense competition and recognition for their work.

*Provide students with the opportunity to work with and analyze historical documents and other primary-source material.

*Provide a framework for interactive learning for students that guides classroom teaching as well as professional development.

*Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will help students manage and use information effectively now and in the future.

*Develop student research and reading skills and to refine student presentation skills.

*Encourage students to investigate history.

*Assist teachers and schools in meeting educational standards by encouraging student participation in portfolio-building and outcome-based learning activities.

Divisions

There are two divisions: the Junior Division (grades 6-8) and the Senior Division (grades 9-12).

Each of the five categories - Exhibit, Paper, Documentary, Performance, and Website - is split up into two divisions: group (2-5 students working on the project) and individual (1 student).

Exhibit

Exhibits are designed to display visual and written information on topics in an attractive and understandable manner. They are similar to exhibits found in a museum. People walking by should be attracted to an exhibit's main idea and, therefore, stop to learn more about the topic. To be successful, an exhibit must create an effective balance between visual interest and historical explanation.

The most common form of exhibit entry is a three-panel display. This style is the least complicated to design and build but is still a very effective way to present information. There is a 500-word limit for student-composed written materials, and dates count as one word.

Documentary

Another choice for presentations is by producing a documentary. Students may create documentaries using slides, film, videos and computers. Whatever presentation format is chosen, students must be able to operate all equipment, both during production and at each level of competition.

The most important aspect of any entry of this form is its historical quality. Aesthetic quality is valued less than the quality of the data presented. The most common forms for making a documentary is by film and video presentations and computer-based presentations. Due to the proliferation of computers, slide-form presentations are very rarely produced by students. In addition, in some states, such as California, any presentations which require manual progression (i.e. slide-form, un-automated PowerPoint) can be disqualified.

Performance/Acting

This is the only category in which students present their research live. Entries in this category must have dramatic appeal, but not at the expense of historical information, so aesthetics are almost as valued as the historical data. Students must make effective use of their 10-minute time allowance.

Use of music, set and costumes is allowed, though contestants are given a limited amount of time to set up all amenities that they wish to include with their performance. Dramas are usually memorized and must be performed with diction, clarity and volume.

Contestants cannot reset their 10 minutes if any sort of spectacle (sound, set, etc.) goes wrong. Many contestants do not do as well because of this.

Website

The website is the newest of all of the categories,(originated in History Day 2008) with its rules still being revised. A student must create their own website on a topic of their choice, pertaining to that year's theme. The websites must be sent in early, similar to papers. Students must make the whole website themselves, but as of now there are not many restrictions on the website category. The website category was introduced in 2006, where it was available only at the state level. In 2007 regional competitions were added; and in 2008 the addition of a national competition will make the website a full-fledged category.

There is a 1200-word limit on all websites, and the website itself must be optimized for Trident-based browsers such as Internet Explorer.

Annotated Bibliography

A bibliography is required for all topics. The list is then followed by a short description of each source and how it helps to relate one's main topic to the theme of the year for National History Day. Most students have a 20 to 30 source or more bibliography that includes primary and secondary sources.

Awards

Students who place first, second, or third at regional competitions receive small trophies and/or medals. First and second place students in each category advance to states, and the third place serves as an alternate if one of the two cannot make it. Students who place first or second at state competitions receive small trophies and/or medals and are allowed to advance to the national competition. Additionally, students may win a large variety of cash awards at state. The awards for first, second, and third place at the national level are much more rewarding: $1000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place. The second and third place amounts are rewards for all categories, but the first place reward for a documentary is $5000 instead of $1000, due to a contribution from the History Channel and The American History Society.

External links

* [http://www.nhd.org National History Day official website]
* [http://www.nhd.org/Rules.htm National History Day Contest Rule Book (PDF)]