NATIONAL HISTORY DAY IN WASHINGTON

Lauren DannerWashington State Historical Society

Agenda The Context:

Washington History Day: The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How

The Meat-and-Potatoes Bit: Sample Projects and Student Stories

The Point of It All: History Day Meets Educational Goals and Builds Critical Intellectual and Life Skills

Getting Started

The Context:What is History Day?

Pick a historical topic related to an annual theme: 2010: Innovation in History: Impact and

Change 2009: The Individual in History: Actions and

Legacies 2008: Conflict and Compromise in History 2007: Triumph and Tragedy in History 2006: Taking a Stand in History: People,

Ideas, Events Research using primary and secondary

sources

The Context: How Does History Day Work?

The Context: How Does History Day Work?

Students then: Analyze their findings and

draw conclusions about their topic’s significance in history

Create projects that shares their research and findings: Historical Paper Exhibit Documentary Performance Web Site

The Context: How Does History Day Work?

Students can: Enter their projects

in a series of competitions, from local to the national level, in one of two divisions: Junior - Grades 6-8Senior - Grades 9-12

The Context: History Day Judging

History Day Judges: Are historians, educators, and

professionals from related fields

Judge based on three criteria: Historical Quality 60% Clarity of Presentation 20% Adherence to Theme 20%

Ensure that students follow the rules

The Meat-and-Potatoes Bit: What Are students creating?

The Point of It AllWhy Should I Do History Day?

National History Day: Provides teachers with an

assessment tool that engages students in history and makes them excited about learning.

Can give students a new experience with their learning

Gives a context for the study of history in students’ lives

The Point of It AllWhy Should I Do History Day?

National History Day: Meets Washington State GLEs

in Social Studies, History, Writing and Communication

Can fulfill CBAs in social studies, civics and more

Gives the possibility of awards at the regional, state, and national levels

Showcases student achievement to the larger community

NHD Builds Academic and Life Skills Communication – both oral and written Critical Thinking - allows for historic

interpretation, not repetition Problem-Solving Research - builds understanding and use

of primary and secondary sources Organization – develops time and

resource management ability Teamwork

The Point of It All:How Does History Day Benefit Students?

The Point of It All:How Does History Day Benefit Students?

Authentic Assessment Focuses on the student’s ability to

use analytical skills in the application and integration of content.

Demonstrates their learning in a way that is more meaningful to the learner than a simple paper and pencil test.

Enables students to demonstrate their learning through the performance of a real-world task.

Real students, real stories Anthony Zendejas placed fourth at the state

contest with his performance on the Bataan Death March.

A Japanese-American reconciliation group heard about his project and asked to post his script on its website.

The Bataan Death March Survivors’ Group saw the script and asked Anthony to perform at their annual meeting in 2006. And 2007. And 2008.

In 2009, Anthony performed at the last meeting of the group; there aren’t enough survivors left to continue.

At the meeting, he saw a Japanese diplomat issue a formal apology to the veterans for the Bataan Death March.

Anthony gathered more than 500 letters of support to send to veterans of the march, and continues to be involved with veterans issue today.

Real students, real stories Nathan Maris created a History

Day documentary titled The Battle of Wake Island: Conflict and Compromise of the Marine Credo

He placed second at state and went to nationals, where he won the Marine Corps History Special Prize

Nathan was honored at the Marine Corps annual gala in Washington, DC, later that year.

Last year, his documentary on geologist J. Harlen Bretz placed 11th in the nation

Real students, real stories Rebecca Smith was an introverted 8th-

grader when she began her first History Day project, a paper on Wenatchee World founder Rufus Woods

Using extensive primary sources gleaned from libraries and archives, Rebecca showed how Woods used the newpaper to promote building the Grand Coulee dam, setting the stage for agriculture in Eastern Washington.

As a sophomore, her paper on Big Hugh Bennett and the Soil Conservation Service won the gold medal at nationals.

This summer, she headed east to study history at Yale.

Getting Started:Choose a Strategy Can take place in one classroom Can be shared between two or more social studies teachers An interdisciplinary teaching team (Social Studies, Language

Arts, Art, etc.) can be developed to make History Day a seamless part of your curriculum

Getting Started:History Day Calendar

October/November Begin initial lessons

Research techniquesSourcesDefining the programExploration of Theme

Getting Started:History Day Calendar

End of November Narrow topics to specific people, events,

etc.Innovation in History

Civil Rights

American South, 1950s

Nonviolent Protest

Theme

General Interest

Broad Topic

Narrow Topic

Getting Started:History Day Calendar

Provide students with guided research activities, including note taking and annotated bibliography lessons

Select a project category Conduct in-depth research with

primary sources

December

Getting Started:History Day Calendar

Build Write Edit Act Bleed Sweat Cry

January -February

Getting Started:History Day Calendar

Complete projects Complete process papers Hold class, school or

district competitions Register for regional

competition

February

Getting Started:History Day CalendarFebruary - March Regional Competitions

Late April/Early May State Competition Puget Sound area

June National Competition College Park, MD

Getting Started:Where to Begin Start with what kids need to know Let them do the research after developing

the questions Begin a classroom pattern of student inquiry

Getting Started:Teacher Handbook and online resources

Washington History Day Teacher Handbook and online resources provide what you need to get started:

Worksheets Research Organizers Bibliography Sheets Constructing the Project Evaluation Rubrics

Getting Started:Toolkit Lesson Example

Lesson: Introducing History Day Count off by five Assemble in your groups, and send

someone up to the front to get the goods Read your section of the Rule Book, making

sure you highlight main ideas Create an informative poster about the

main ideas you have identified Present your poster to the group

Getting Started:A Review: 5 Steps to Success

1. Introduce History Day 2. Help students choose

topics3. Mentor their research

and analysis4. Guide them as they

create projects5. Evaluate their work

Getting Started:Teacher Resources

Getting Started:Teacher Resources

National History Day Published Resources

Annual Theme Book Contest Rule Book Making History Set - available

for order online at www.nhd.org

Getting Started:Online Resources

The End

Questions and Answers

See you at Washington History Day!