National History Day Project by Ross Farmer

 National History Day Project

by: Ross Farmer

In the following post, Belle Vernon School District teacher Ross Farmer describes how he uses the National History Day project as an opportunity to introduce students to research best practices and to collaborate with ELA teachers and school librarians. If the NHD project sounds like something you'd like to try at your school, check out the site here. Read Ross's post below:

The National History Day Program (NHD) is a program dedicated to academic rigor in the social studies curriculum for students in grades 6-12. For 50 years, students around the country have participated in NHD. 

Begun at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, the program took root in Pennsylvania in 1978, and has since grown to be one of the largest, most successful programs in the country. Students investigate various topics in history related to an annual theme, conduct in-depth research, and present the information in a variety of formats.

Research about the chosen topic is the foundation of the History Day project. Students should understand that they will be investigating a topic over a period of time in order to complete a quality, thorough, unbiased investigation of the topic. Students will be asked to gather, analyze, and present the relevant information of their topic. The lessons provided are intended to build understanding of the research process and how to effectively use research. The process is clearly outlined to emphasize identification of bias and using appropriate resources.

After students begin to understand the basic narrative of their topic, they will begin to develop their argument, or thesis statement, which describes the significance of their topic in history. In this step, students will also look at historical context, understanding how their topic is connected to larger issues in history.

From my own personal experiences with NHD I've found that a collaborative effort across the curriculum works best. In our district, the ELA teacher and I work hand-in-hand to ensure that all aspects of the students’ projects are met. With the enormous amount of paperwork involved with an NHD project (process paper, annotated bibliography), along with the writing components involved in each project (performance script, documentary script, research papers, websites, and the written requirements for exhibits), involvement from an ELA teacher is vital to our students’ success.

Over the past 14 years, our students have benefited greatly from this type of collaborative effort. We have had at least one win a state championship each year from 2010-present, we have had 7 students place as national finalists, and have had 3 projects place at the national competition (1 bronze medalist, one silver medalist, and one national champion).

While it is possible for one teacher to manage the program, having the support from ELA teachers, and even librarians, has been a proven formula for success in this program.