Doing Research: The National History Day Way

Review of NHD Project-based Appeals to various learning styles Can be incorporated into class Teaches history core content (primary sources, secondary sources, timelines, and artifacts are used to interpret history and historical perspective) Teaches literacy Teaches creativity, problem-solving, analysis, critical thinking

Categories Documentary Exhibit Paper (individual only) Performance Web site Students may work in groups for performance, exhibit, website, and documentary (up to 5 students)

History Day Project It is not a book report Students will have to think about their topics, ask questions, find answers, and develop their own conclusions.

History Day Rubric

Research Explain research to students It is natural and all humans are curious. Tell students that they will become detectives and search for clues and then share their knowledge. Activity: Have students research about an athlete they like or a band they like.

Getting Organized for Research Students will need a way to manage their paperwork Pocket folders, Binders, Accordion folders Students will need to pick a note-taking system Note cards, Looseleaf paper, Spiral notebook, Computer files

Selecting a Topic Students should choose a topic that… INTERESTS them Relates to the THEME Has a NARROWED FOCUS Topic Activity: Give students a current newspaper. Ask them to choose articles that they think relates to the current theme. It will help them see what kinds of topics are out there. Common Mistakes! Topic is too broad, too recent, and too complex

Background Reading Have students begin with secondary sources (have them read only books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and articles for two weeks and NO INTERNET!) Tell them to read as much as they can. They are detectives gathering information. Tell them to cast a wide net and read as much as they can about their topic.

Historical Context Topic needs to be narrow, but students still need to touch on historical context. Activity: Have students do a timeline of historical events before and after their topic to illustrate context Civil War 1861-1865 American Revolution 1776-1783 War of 1812 1812 World War I 1914-1920

Gathering and Recording Information Where should students go to do research? Libraries (school, public, and University) TIP: Ask the reference librarians for help! Historical societies and/or museums. Come to KHS! Contact college professors Archival Collections at organizations (i.e. corporations, YMCA, etc.) Have students use source sheets to help them organize their sources.

Identifying, Analyzing, and Interpreting Sources Discuss the difference between primary and secondary sources. Use identification and analysis worksheets for primary sources. Activity: Provide students with an assortment of different primary and secondary sources at different stations in the classroom. Ask students to work with a partner to identify each source, using the worksheet.

Secondary Sources Secondary sources are not created first-hand. History Textbook Encyclopedias Books or articles written by scholars about a topic Oral interviews with scholars.

Primary Sources Primary sources are materials directly related to a topic by time or participation. Letters Speeches Diaries Newspaper or magazine articles from the time Oral History Interviews Manuscripts/Paper collections Songs and Hymns Photographs and artifacts Court Proceedings Government records, including census data

Sources for Primary Materials Internet Sources: Compilation Books: Eyewitness to America: 500 Years of American History in the Words of Those Who Saw it Happen by David Colbert Living History America: The History of the United States in Documents, Essays, Letters, Songs and Poems Kentucky Historical Society: http://history.ky.gov/ National Archives: www.archives.gov Digital Classroom (on NARA Web site): http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/index.html Library of Congress, American Memory Web site: http://memory.loc.gov History Matters: http://historymatters.gmu.edu University of Idaho listing of repositories: http://www.uidaho.edu/special-collections/Other.Repositories.html Listing of Primary Source Material Web sites: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listdocumentpa.html Gilder-Lehrman: http://www.gilderlehrman.org/ Our Documents: http://www.ourdocuments.gov Digital History: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/ US Historical Documents: http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/ Ad Access: http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/ United States Holocaust Museum: http://www.ushmm.org/ Kentucky Virtual Library: http://kyvl.org ABC-CLIO (this one isn’t free): http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/login.aspx

Developing, Improving and Finalizing a History Day Project Students should choose the best category for them (although some topics may lend themselves better to certain categories) All categories (except the paper) require a process paper. All categories require an annotated bibilography All projects can be improved between contests

Developing a Thesis NHD projects make a point about a topic. A thesis statement makes an argument about the historical impact of the person, event, pattern, or idea you are studying. Often, it answers historical questions. Questions like: Why is my topic significant? Has my topic influenced anything else of historical importance? What changed as a result of my topic? What causes led up to my topic?

Annotated Bibliography All History Day projects require an annotated bibliography Example: Banker, Grace. “I was a ‘Hello Girl’. Yankee Magazine, March 1974. This article is an almost diary-like look at the day by day events of life in France. This was one of my first sources and it gave me a clear picture of what France looked like to the girls at the time of their service.