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EXPLORATION, ENCOUNTER, EXCHANGE IN HISTORY
What is National History Day?
ational History Day (NHD) is a nonprofit organziation that creates opportunities for teachers and students
to engage in real historical research. NHD is not a predetermined by-the-book program but an innovative
curriculum framework in which students learn history by selecting topics of interest and launching into a year-long
research project. The purpose of NHD is to improve the teaching and learning of history in middle and high schools.
When studying history through historical research, students and teachers practice critical inquiry: asking questions
of significance, time and place. Through careful questioning, history students become immersed in a detective story
too engaging to stop reading.
Beginning in the fall, students choose a topic related to the annual theme and conduct extensive primary and
secondary research. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’
significance in history, students then present their work in original papers, exhibits, performances, websites, and
documentaries. These projects are entered into competitions in the spring at local, state, and national levels, where
they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates with the national competition
held each June at the University of Maryland at College Park.
Each year National History Day uses a theme to provide a lens through which students can examine history. The
theme for 2016 is Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History. The annual theme frames the research for both
students and teachers. The theme is intentionally broad enough that students can select topics from any place (local,
national, or world) and any time period in history. Once students choose their topics, they investigate historical
context, historical significance, and the topic’s relationship to the theme by conducting research in libraries, archives
and museums, through oral history interviews, and by visiting historic sites.
NHD benefits both teachers and students. For the student, NHD allows control of his or her own learning. Students
select topics that meet their interests. Program expectations and guidelines are explicitly provided for students,
but the research journey is created by the process and is unique to the historical research. Throughout the year,
students develop essential life skills by fostering academic achievement and intellectual curiosity. In addition,
students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that will help them manage and use information now
and in the future.
The student’s greatest ally in the research process is the classroom teacher. NHD supports teachers by providing
instructional materials and through workshops at the affiliate and national levels. Many teachers find that
incorporating the NHD theme into their regular classroom curriculum encourages students to watch for examples
of the theme and to identify connections in their study of history across time.
NHD breathes life into the traditional history curriculum by engaging students and teachers in a hands-on and
in-depth approach to studying the past. By focusing on a theme, students are introduced to a new organizational
structure of learning history. Teachers are supported in introducing highly complex research strategies to students.
When NHD is implemented in the classroom, students are involved in a life-changing learning experience.
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