Teacher Resources

Classroom Pages for Teachers

These pages are designed directly for educators that are teaching National History Day in their classrooms.

Connecting National History Day in the Classroom

NHD Blog

Top Ten Reasons for Students to Participate in National History day

Top Ten Reasons to participate in National History Day

 

1. Teaches History

  • Builds an understanding that history is not static and contains multiple perspectives

2. Engages Students

  • Excites students by asking them to choose a topic and explore resources

3. Energizes the Curriculum

  • Provides a framework for hands-on, student-centered learning

4. Promotes High Academic Standards

  • Assists teachers and schools in meeting educational standards by offering a portfolio-building and outcome-based activity

5. Encourages Literacy

  • Adjusts their reading for different types of print and non-print texts (including fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works)

6. Enhances Assessment

  • Provides a multilayered performance-based assessment tool

7. Teaches Critical Thinking

  • Promotes life skills, analytical skills, comparative perspectives and models of critical judgment—essential for work in any field

8. Inspires Curiosity

  • Ignites student interest in learning about history by integrating social studies, art, sciences, literature, language, and music into their presentations

9. Recognizes the Student Strengths

  • Allows students to become experts

10. Activates Civic Engagement

  • Encourages students to become involved in their communities

Articles on National History Day

The following articles provide information on National History Day and teaching National History Day in the classroom.  They can all be found using the EBSCOhost database on Badgerlink (www.badgerlink.net):

Manzo, Kathleen Kennedy. "Documenting History." Education Week 23.42 (2004): 3. 

 

Kim, Teresa, and Russell Olwell. "Making National History Day Their Own: The Rewards Of And Barriers To Bringing Project-Based Learning To Urban Students." OAH Magazine Of History 19.6 (2005): 60-61. 

 

Dabel, Jane. "NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2010 PRIZE ESSAYS: Introduction." History Teacher 44.1 (2010): 93-94. 

 

Scheuerell, Scott. "National History Day: Developing Digital Native Historians." History Teacher 40.3 (2007): 417-425.