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National History Day Project & Competition
Click on the National History Day Logo above to go directly to the National History Day Web-Site or click on the Pennsylvania flag to go to the National History Day in PAClick here for a timeline for 2007-2008What is National History Day?from nationalhistoryday.org:National History Day (NHD) is a highly regarded academic organization for elementary and secondary school students. For more than 25 years NHD has promoted systemic educational reform related to the teaching and learning of history in America’s schools. The combination of creativity and scholarship built into the organization's programs anticipated current educational reforms, making NHD a leading model of performance-based learning.
Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers nationwide participate in the NHD contest. Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, exhibits, performances and documentaries. These products 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 in a national competition each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park.History of National History Day
In 1974 Dr. David Van Tassel, a history professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, wanted to reinvigorate the teaching and learning of history in elementary and secondary schools. With the help of his colleagues in the department of history, he created a one-day contest for students to showcase their historical research called National History Day. Over the next few years, the contest expanded throughout Ohio and into surrounding Midwestern states. By 1980 NHD had grown into a national organization and in 1992 NHD moved its headquarters from Cleveland to the Washington, D.C., area.
Initial support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and subsequent funding from foundations and corporations allowed NHD to reach thousands more students each year. Today, 2 million students, teachers, parents, and volunteers from across the country are engaged in NHD annually. While the contest remains the core of NHD, the program also offers workshops, seminars and curricular materials for teachers and summer internships for students.
National History Day at Steel-High
Steelton-Highspire High School began its particpation in National History Day in the 2005-2006 school year. Students in Honors and Advanced College Prep classes in grades 10-12 were the first to compete. Local winners were sent to Messiah College in April to compete in the regional competion. Two students placed in the Senior Division, Performance Category: one for 2nd place, and the other, an Honorable Mention. In May, our 2nd Place winner competed in the State Championships held at Penn State University, University Park.For the 2006-2007 academic year, the National History Day curriculum has been extended to include the top sections of 7-9 grades.Find out more about National History Day by clicking on the link to watch anStudent resources
Below is a list of Resources that may be helpful for you during your work on the project.Please remember to visit the National History Day Web-site for additional help.You can also visit the Steel-HIgh Online Writing Center for resources on writing, including information on preparing your Annotated Works Cited List and using MLA format.Parents
Teachers
Slide Show
updates and NHD news
The Following is a list of THEMES for upcoming years:-
2008: Conflict and Compromise in History
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2009: The Individual in History
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2010: Innovation in History
