Once students become interested in a broad topic, they should
consider a how to limit or refine it. Here is where a teacher sets
the parameters. Some might choose to give students choices,
while others will put limits based on the curriculum (e.g.,
students must choose a U.S. history topic, or students must
choose a topic based on Europe in the twentieth century).
As students refine their topics, they should begin to consider
why the question they’ve chosen to research is important.
By going through this process, students will practice a
meaningful indicator in the C3 Framework: D1.1.9-12. Explain
how a question reflects an enduring issue in the field. The hope
is that the teacher will guide students to consider the ways
in which historians continue to struggle with the same or
similar ideas embedded in the question. For example, is the
student considering a historical perspective? Are they trying
to uncover the causes and effects of decisions in history? Is the
student trying to assess the historical significance of an event
in the past?
At this point, students need to begin committing some
questions to paper. Students could post questions on a
discussion blog, on Post-it notes or poster paper around the
classroom, or on a white board. Other students might then be
encouraged to post comments, ideas, and feedback. Students
love to see what other students are thinking, and this can be
a particularly effective exercise if the students’ names are
not included on the posted material, and also if students can
comment on ideas posted by members of a different class.
NHD allows students a choice, to work independently
or to work in groups of two to five individuals. If a
teacher allows the group option, it is important for
potential groups to come together at this point to discuss.
Sometimes students who want to work in a group find
that one member’s interests do not align with the others.
In this stage of the process, groups are often fluid, and
alliances will shift. Allow these shifts early in the process.
When students get “stuck,” here are a few tips:
• Toss out some ideas for them to consider. This should
be a back-and-forth process. You might want to
redirect students to think about a different aspect of
a topic. For example, Jackie Robinson is known for
breaking baseball’s color barrier, but students might
also be intrigued to learn about his 1944 court-martial
for refusing to move to the back of a bus at Fort Hood,
Texas.
• Make students curious. For example, ask, “Have you
ever heard of Grace Murray Hopper?” Say, “She was
cool—check her out”—and then walk away. Drop
ideas, but leave it up to the students to seize on an idea
or walk away from it.
• Bring in a local resource. This could be a guest speaker
from a local library, regional NHD coordinator, or
a local historical society. He or she might offer the
students suggestions, either about local history
connections or topics where research resources are
available locally.
After another brainstorming session, require students to submit parts 1, 2, and 3 of the research proposal (Figure 3). This
is a good time for feedback. The proposal process provides an opportunity for teachers to encourage students to narrow
or expand their scope as needed. This assignment could be turned in on paper, posted to a blog, or put into a shared word
processor document.
Figure 3: NHD Topic Proposal Form
Part 1: Proposal Description—Who / what do you want to study?
Part 2: Personal Interest—Why are you interested in studying this person / event / idea? Submit three research questions
that you hope to answer in the course of your research.
Part 3: So What?—Why is this important enough for you to research and present? How does your question represent an
enduring issue in history?
62
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2015