homework I ask them to explore some of the projects on the
NHD website, so they can appreciate what is possible.
We block off a five-to-six-week window for this activity in
between the Science Fair and our January exam period. During
that time students work in teams, and they are expected to
spend about 30 minutes on the project per night outside of
class as well as working in class. Most teams schedule some
after-school work sessions, either at school or on weekends
in a student’s home. During the first week, the students
explore potential topics, usually beginning with a list that
I give them. They are limited to the time period covered by
our course; my list includes appropriate topics that I believe
can be supported by resources available to them through our
library, the internet, and our own community. However, they
aren’t limited to topics on my list.
The research phase lasts two to three weeks. After that,
they move into project design. As they plan and carry out
they have read, and because we have usually worked together
earlier classes: They amass a collection of 3-by-5 cards with
quotas—which they often exceed. Often they do not do the
their projects, they often need to do additional research, so
of course the research phase is ongoing. During the research
phase, they practice the techniques they’ve been taught in
the information they’ve found, and they maintain separate
primary and secondary source bibliographies using an online
site. Because they do much of their research in class, they
can ask questions when they do not understand something
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NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2015
on research in prior years, they are comfortable asking.
Each week I ask them to report in writing on what they
have accomplished, and they are required to meet note card
annotated bibliography or the process paper until March.
That is partly because once they begin project work, they find
that everything takes longer than expected. That first minute