Maryland Humanities Council

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Tips for Successful History Day Projects

Veteran students, teachers, and judges share what it takes to win

Congresswoman Donna Edwards and student Rachel Knobel at Maryland History Day 2011

Rachel Knobel, a junior at Atholton High School in Howard County, spoke about her History Day experience at a workshop for social studies teachers on September 10, 2011. In her remarks she discussed her research process, what kinds of sources she used, how teachers have guided her, and how History Day has benefited her:

I’ve been participating in National History Day since I was in 6th grade, and I’ve loved every minute of it. My past topics include: Title IX and how it affected women’s soccer, women’s suffrage, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense, the Erie Canal, and this past year I researched the landmark Supreme Court case, Tinker v. Des Moines. All of my projects have been historical paper entries.  I’ve always loved to write, and with a topic I’m interested in, writing comes especially easily for me.

To any student, a project as massive as NHD can be daunting, but after completing so many NHD projects, I’ve found a way to mitigate the stress of such a huge project. After choosing a topic, I use the internet, or even a history textbook to find out the background, and maybe some basic facts about my topic. After this, I visit the library to pick out a few books. I always try to pick out a few simpler books in addition to books with more analysis and interpretation of events.

I begin by reading the simpler books because before I can begin to understand analysis, a thorough comprehension of the facts is necessary. While reading books and looking at other sources, I am able to determine who some of the prominent, but contactable people in the topic area are. Usually these people are professors of history. Other people I have contacted are: Mary-Beth Tinker and her brother John Tinker, attorneys, and museum guides. Contacting Mary-Beth Tinker and her brother John Tinker was an especially valuable experience for me because they were the plaintiffs in a landmark Supreme Court case that altered students’ free speech rights. Being able to discuss my topic with someone who had such a profound impact in history was amazing.

A big challenge with the interviews is coming up with knowledgeable questions worth having answered. For example, with my NHD projects, I analyze the information about my topic and draw my own conclusions. I then ask some of the historians and professors I talk to what they think about my conclusion and if they have any other ideas. Most of my interviews are conducted via e-mail, but sometimes I’ll get the opportunity to speak on the phone to an expert.

Interviews are especially important to me because they provide me with original content to include in my paper. Also, they give me a chance to have more specific questions about my topic answered by the best in the field.

In addition to the secondary sources, I have also found numerous primary sources. The most helpful of these have been newspapers and magazine articles. And this past year, when I researched a Supreme Court case, the transcript of the oral arguments was an especially valuable resource. What I have learned about primary sources for NHD is to take advantage of any there are for your topic.

For the past two years, I’ve done my NHD projects independently. My high school teachers have not included NHD in the curriculum. I’ve just had good experiences with history day, so I chose to work independently on projects. I plan to do so again this year.

In middle school, NHD was part of the curriculum, and my teachers were very helpful. In 6th grade, my teacher provided us with lots of resources about history day and did a very good job explaining different phases of research and how to create a good final product. In 7th grade, my teacher did an excellent job of providing due dates for us – so nobody would get so far behind. She would check to make sure we had completed different phases of research, like taking notes, or starting the bibliography. My 7th grade teacher also sent me a very nice e-mail after the national competition congratulating me on making it that far in the competition.

My 8th grade teacher was probably the best editor of my 3 teachers in middle school. Any time she’d look at our project she had insightful comments and always offered her help outside of the classroom. She was very approachable. But what really resonated with me was her interest in the higher levels of the competition. She met up with me at UMBC right before my judging at the state competition. And she intended to join me for the national competition awards ceremony, but she couldn’t get a substitute and had to stay at the school.

NHD has provided me with valuable lessons which have been very helpful. The obvious thing NHD did for me is improve my writing skills. Completing a long essay for NHD with extensive research and to be forced to say it concisely to fit the word limit is an excellent exercise for a writer. Now, any essays I do in school are so much easier because I know how to research and write efficiently. (And I have maintained good grades on essays in advanced high school classes – something I think is partly due to NHD.) Another aspect of NHD that has helped me, and will continue to help me – something that was stressed by my 7th grade teacher – is time management. An NHD project is a multi-month process, it’s important to stay on target – otherwise it becomes unnecessarily difficult.

For instance, when I do interviews – I have to keep in mind that people have busy lives, so I have to give them time to respond. I always try to start conducting interviews by November because by then I have done enough research to ask insightful questions – and because I allow for much time for people to respond efficiently. Additionally, NHD has helped me with becoming devoted to one particular topic. It’s great to have some areas of expertise in addition to possessing general knowledge. For instance, I have a friend who knows almost anything there is to know about the Civil War, and I have another friend who just happens to have great knowledge with computer programs. NHD is great for students because even after their project is completed – they will still retain at least some of the things they have learned from their projects. Those who devote more time to their projects will be the ones who benefit from long-term knowledge about their topics.

As I mentioned, NHD has helped me with essays, which will be important for college applications and for college classes. NHD has been an incredible experience for me – and I hope that it is for you and your students as well.

 

 

What do judges look for?

We asked Maryland History Day judges to share advice for students and these are just a few of their responses.

 Think creatively about potential topics. Every element of our society and culture - sports, fashion, science, the arts - is a product of history. Choose a topic that relates to something meaningful to your life. If you do, you will derive much more pleasure from the research and presentation process. Consider researching a topic a local history so you have the opportunity to connect to your community, draw upon local resources, and, potentially, illuminate an aspect of your community's past that may be largely overlooked by present-day community members.

Select an unusual topic or develop a novel approach to a popular topic. Incorporating a local angle into a presentation seems to heighten the interest of the judges, especially if the effort is well done.

I would encourage students to pay attention to *evaluating* the sources they use; too often I've seen Wikipedia rather than more reputable sources show up on the bibliographies.

Don't over-rely on internet sources! The web is a great place for getting leads on material. It's a valuable tool, but there's no editor and no fact-checker. There is a web site, for example, that maintains the world is flat. I wouldn't rely on it being factual. Good rule of thumb: no more than 1/3 of your sources should contain "html://". Go to the source unless it's impossible, and don't forget that Maryland has inter-library loan!

Know your subject as thoroughly as possible. Sometimes students present massive bibliographical collections which they have not really used very deeply or at all. I am much more impressed by the student or student group which can demonstrate depth of knowledge.

Always treat the subject as an historical investigation, and provide as much evidence as possible to support your thesis. The historical context, analysis, evaluation and investigative process are more important than the "glitz" and "glam."

Make sure you practice your presentation, out loud, in front of somebody who is paying attention.

For the performance category, I suggest that students research not only the history and facts, but also costuming and props. It can be very distracting to see a fake beard and inappropriate costume, sometimes badly in need of ironing, a sorry looking "set" that detracts from the performance. Remember that the judges are looking at the whole piece. See yourself as a professional and you will act as such.

Read the judges' comments carefully. Discuss them with your teachers. Get as many readers as you can before turning in your work. Don't forget to use the spell-check. Judges want to know you've managed your time well enough to turn in a "clean" piece of work.

Take it seriously, be competitive, but also have fun. Simply participating is an impressive goal for students (and teachers) in this current educational environment. 

Check out some of our past blog posts to read more tips: