History Day in a Nutshell

Studentsselect a topic that relates to the

annual theme (Conflict and Comprimise)
Studentsresearch the topic using primary and
secondary sources to develop a bibliography
Students develop a thesis that they support
with their research
Students develop presentations from one of
five possible categories: Exhibit, Documentary,
Performance, Historical Paper, or Web Site
Students can work as individuals or in groups
 http://nhd.org/
National History Day in Georgia Georgia
Humanities Council
http://LaGrange.edu/nhd

National History Day Web Links

Presentation
Categories
Exhibit
Documentary
Performance
Historical
Paper
Website
Exhibits
 Like a Museum
Exhibit
Maximum Size
6 ft. x 40 in. x 30 in.
Word Limit
500 Student-
composed Words
The Challenge: To
Blend Graphic
Design with Written
Script

Exhibit
 The Exhibit is in 6 parts:
Introduction
Background
Historical Context
Body of Argument
Beginning
Middle
End
Conclusion

Exhibit: Format Suggestion

 Background Introductory End of Argument
paragraph with
thesis statement

Beginning of Middle of Argument Conclusion

Argument

3 panel exhibit in 6 Parts

 Background Introductory Middle of Argument
paragraph with
thesis statement

Beginning of Conclusion End of Argument

Argument

6 Part Exhibit: Cheraw Variation

Documentary
 Like watching the The Challenge:
History Channel Blending historic
images (still and
10 Minutes or less moving) with narrations
and background music)
Video, Power Point,
Imovie, Movie
Maker, Slide
presentation,etc
Can mix programs
Photo Story 3 with
Movie Maker

Documentary
Performance
 A Dramatic TheChallenge: Fill
Portrayal up the 10 minutes
with solid history
10 Minutes or Less and good theatrical
presence
Students Write
Script NationalHistory Day
Contest | Student
Find Project Examples
Props/Costuming http://education.mn
hs.org/historyday/sa
mple-projects

Performance
 Original productions
constructed using the NHD
web site editor The Challenge: Use
http://nhd.org/CategoryWebsite.ht
web site design
m
software and computer
Maximum of 1,200 visible, technology to
student-composed words communicate the
topics significance in
Entire site may use no more history
than 100MB of file space
No Outside Links: Students National History
may not use embedded Day Contest |
material hosted elsewhere
Student Project
Site must be viewable in a Examples
recent version of a standard
web browser
Web Site
 1,250 to 2,500 The Challenge:
Words Writing to Prove a
Point
Usually 6 to 10 Organization
Pages Double- Verb Tense
Spaced

Historical Paper
Bibliography (Works Cited)
 Bibliographies
Every scholarly work needs a bibliography (also called works
cited)which is a list of sources used during the research process.

NHD bibliographies are annotated.

An annotation either tells how the source was used in the final
product or how it was used to bring a complete understanding
of the topic.
 Citation (example):
Bates, Daisy. The Long Shadow of Little Rock. 1st ed. New
York: David McKay Co. Inc., 1962.
Annotation (Example):
Daisy Bates was the president of the Arkansas NAACP
and the one who met and listened to the students each
day. This first-hand account was very important to my
paper because it made me more aware of the feelings of
the people involved.

Citation and Annotation

 Citation (example)
Army Reveals Use of Ghost Army in War;
Pneumatic Decoys Misled Foe, Won Battles. New
York Times 5 Dec. 1945: n. pag. Print.

Annotation (Example)
This article written shortly after the Ghost Army
was deactivated, showed us how much the public
was able to know. We realized that the people of
the United States were not allowed to know all the
details of the Ghost Army. The article also gave us
a brief overview of the Ghost Army.
Citation and Annotation
 Citation (example):
"Diary entries: September 17, 1918; September 18, 1918;
September 19, 1918; September 25, 1918." The Miriam and
Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs:
Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. The
New York Public Library Digital Collections. 28 Jan
2016.<http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dd-
f288a3d9e040e00a18064a99>
Annotation (examples)
These diary entries by an unknown author showed us how
overcrowded hospitals were because of influenza. For
example, it states that no matter how many times or
whether night or day the receiving ward is full of boys
waiting their turn to be treated or given a place to sleep.
Citation and Annotation
Process Paper
1st paragraph of process paper example.
How you chose your topic?
We are both interested in World War II and
we came across a documentary about the Ghost
Army. After watching the documentary we knew
that this unique topic was something we were
interested in. We contacted Rick Beyer, the director
of the Ghost Army Documentary, we were able to
have a phone interview with Mr. Beyer. Talking with
him only increased our desire to do our project on
the Ghost Army. Mr. Beyer also helped us get in
contact with Ghost Army veterans Private Arthur
Shilstone and Private Gilbert Seltzer.
2nd paragraph of process paper example
How did you conduct your research?
We conducted research at the Washburn Mabee Library
where we found many valuable primary resources. We also
found books at the Topeka public library concerning our topic
and deception during World War II in general. Interviews
were certainly our most valuable sources. We were able to
interview four Ghost Army veterans: Jack Masey, Arthur
Shilstone, John Jarvie, and Gilbert Seltzer. Their accounts
and personal stories were a valuable part of our research. We
interviewed Rick Beyer, a filmmaker and author who has
studied the Ghost Army for more than ten years. We were
also able to interview Elizabeth Sayles, the co-author of a
Ghost Army book and daughter of Ghost Army veteran,
William Sayles. Dr. Christopher Hamner, a professor of
history at George Mason College and currently a visiting
professor at the Army War College was another valuable
interview we conducted.
 4th paragraph is about how your National
History Day Project relates to the theme
which is Conflict and Compromise