Fundamentals of a Good History Day
Project
Provided by National History Day in North Carolina
Office of Archives and History
N. C. Department of Cultural Resources
www.nchistoryday.org
Contents
Basic Information, 3-4
 Getting Started, 5-6
 Developing a thesis, 7-8
 Doing Research, 9-13
 Creating a Bibliography,
14-17
 Creating a Process Paper,
18
 Developing Your Project,
19-22
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Narrative v. Analysis, 23
Categories, 24
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Papers, 25-26
Web Sites, 27-29
Documentaries, 30-32
Performances, 33-34
Exhibits, 35-40
Judging, 41-45
 Key Terms, 46-48
 Contacts, 49
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Basic Information
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Students will compete in either the junior or the
senior division
Junior Division is grades 6 through 8
Senior Division is grades 9 through 12
In all categories except historical papers, which
is only for individuals, you may choose to
participate as an individual or in a group of 2 to
5 people
Students from different grades may work
together, but they must be in the same division
Basic Information
Working in Groups
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If you decide to work in a group, you need to think
about whether those you are considering working
with have the same work ethic and similar study/work
habits. (For example: some students like to be ready
way in advance while others prefer working right to
the deadline.)
Make sure potential teammates have the same vision
for the project. Will everyone want to continue to
work on the project as long as it advances to another
level or will they quit when the basic requirements
are met?
Getting Started
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Begin by reading the rules for all categories. You
may download them at
http://www.nhd.org/images/uploads/2010rulebook.pdf
With approval of your teacher, you may choose
a topic from world, national, state, or local
history
 Your topic needs to relate to the annual theme.
You may find theme information at
http://www.nchistoryday.org/themes.html
 As you explore topics, make a list of how they
may relate to the theme
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Getting Started
Begin by doing preliminary research on a topic
that interests you
 As an example we will use the Wright Brothers
flight
 Examine some secondary sources* such as a
book about the Wrights or about aviation
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*Secondary sources are ones that were written or created by
someone who was not present at the event. They are important
because they provide context and varied opinions of the event.
Developing a Thesis
You need to develop a main idea that will
serve as the point or points you will prove
in your project. The rest of your project
will support your thesis statement.
 Your thesis may begin as a question: for
example, why was the first flight so
significant?
 Eventually this question will be made into
a statement—your thesis statement
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Sample Statement
On December 17, 1903, Orville and
Wilbur Wright accomplished the first
powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina. Even though it lasted only
12-seconds, it was the foundation for
the development of aviation as we
know it today.
Doing Research
Use both primary* and secondary sources
Use a wide variety of sources—not just the
internet
 There is no minimum or maximum number of
sources required. You should use as many as
you need to prove your thesis statement and
present various viewpoints. It is important to
have some good primary sources.
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*Primary sources are ones that were created or in use during the
period being studied. They may include diaries, documents, oral
interviews, published speeches, photographs, maps, music,
newspapers, magazines, etc.
Doing Research
There are many good sources on the
internet as well, but be sure to use reliable
sites, such as those from government
(.gov), university (.edu) or reputable
organizations (.org)
 Evaluate all web sites, as well as all other
sources, as to their reliability or their bias
 Do not rely on unsupervised sites like
Wikipedia
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Doing Research
As you examine your sources, keep track
of them in a notebook or on note cards
 Record the information you will need to
create a bibliographic entry
 Note whether it is a primary or secondary
source
 Write down what important things you
learn from the source
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Doing Research
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Write down questions it raises for you
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Ex: Does the author have a bias or a particular point
of view? Does it contradict another source you’ve
seen?
Write down quotations or main thoughts you
might use in your project, and be sure to include
page numbers
 In secondary sources, check the bibliography to
see what other sources the author used that you
might also examine
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Doing Research—Places to Look
School, public, or college libraries
 Archives
 Museums
 Historic Sites
 Local, State, or National Organizations
 Personal Papers or Photographs
 Personal Interviews
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Creating a Bibliography
You will create an annotated bibliography
using either MLA or Turabian style guide
 Divide your bibliography into primary and
secondary sources
 Create an annotation for each source—the
annotation should tell how that source
was useful in understanding your project
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 It
should not be an overview of everything in
the source
Sample bibliography
entries
Primary Sources
Edmonston, Catherine. Diary of a Secesh Lady: The Diary of
Catherine Ann Devereaux Edmonston. Raleigh: North
Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1979.
From this source I learned how Mrs. Edmonston
viewed slaves on her plantation. It helped me see how
they were viewed as property rather than people.
Secondary Sources
Franklin, John Hope. From Slavery to Freedom. New
York: A.A. Knopf, 1947.
This provided me with a good overview of the
history of African Americans.
Creating a Bibliography
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Tips
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Provide a complete citation. Someone reading your
bibliography should know where to go and find that
source based on the information you give.
If you pull a primary source document from a
secondary source, the main source should be listed
under secondary sources. Use your annotation to
explain that it included some primary source items.
Do not list single photographs in your bibliography.
List the source or website where the photo was
found. If you have many instances of using a single
photo and nothing else of substance from a source,
create a separate section of the bibliography entitled
“Photo Sources” and list them there.
Creating a Bibliography
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Tips—sample photo bibliographic entry
 “The
Nineteenth Century in Print.” American
Memory, Library of Congress. Online
collection. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/moahtml/mnchome.html
This source provided a number of primary source images about
19th- century life that I was able to use in my documentary.
 Photo
Sources
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“Ku Klux Klan Parade,” 1926
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“We Serve Whites Only,” http://blog.joehuffman.org/content/binary/WhitesOnly.gif
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32912172
Creating a Process Paper
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Your process paper should be stapled to your
bibliography. It should not exceed 500 words
and it should tell:
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How you chose your topic
Where you did your research (in general terms). You
might say “I started at my school library and went to
a university library, looked on the internet, etc.”
How you put your project together: some basic facts
like how you made your exhibit board, how you
designed your props, what editing program you used,
etc.
How your topic relates to the theme
Developing Your Project
When you have a good grasp of your subject,
and a sufficient number of good sources, you
will choose how to present that information
 You may choose one of 5 categories: historical
paper, exhibit, performance, documentary, web
site
 In all categories except historical papers, you
may choose to participate as an individual or in
a group of 2 to 5 people. Papers are individuals
only.
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Developing Your Project
Create an introduction that includes your thesis
statement
 The body of your project should include the
main ideas that you learned from your research
and that support your thesis
 Demonstrating historical significance requires
you to show change over time
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Include context (what the situation was before the
event), describe the event itself, and explain how
history was changed because of the event
Developing Your Project
Demonstrate that you have considered different
views, including opinions that may differ from
your own, about this event. Indicate why you
think they are right or wrong.
 Remember to make the connection to the theme
wherever you can without overdoing it. It is not
good enough to mention it only in the
introduction.
 Draw a conclusion that re-states the main ideas
from your thesis statement
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Developing Your Project
Create an interesting title, preferably one
that indicates the connection to the theme
 If needed, use a subtitle to further clarify
your idea
 Use the body of your project to show the
evidence that supports your thesis
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Narrative vs. Analytical
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Your project must show analysis. It is not
sufficient to just tell that things happen.
You must explain why they are important.
 Narrative:
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor.
 Analytical: On December 7, 1941 the
Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, which
brought the United States into the conflict and
changed the outcome of the war.
Categories
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Tips
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In choosing a category, think about your own
strengths and interests; but also think about which
category best suits your topic. For example, if your
topic does not lend itself to many images, you might
want to think about a historical paper or performance,
which do not need images, rather than documentary,
which needs many.
Once you decide upon a category, read the rules for
that category periodically to make sure you are
following them. Knowing and following the rules is
your responsibility.
Individual Category--Papers
Historical papers are for individual
participation only
 The title page should have only the title,
the student name(s), and the category
and division
 Do not put art or other things on the title
page, and do not use a binder
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Individual Category--Papers
Be sure to include footnotes or citations within
your paper to give credit to the ideas of others
 The paper must be no less than 1,500 words
and no more than 2,500 words
 Tips
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Proof, proof, proof your paper. Ask others to read it.
Try reading it out loud to see how it sounds to you
Be consistent in the tenses you use. Do not switch
between past and present.
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See sample:
http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/CategoryPaper.htm
Individual and Group Categories—
Web Sites
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May contain no more than 1200 student
composed words
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Quotations, illustrations, charts, etc. not created by
the student are not included in the word count
Create the web site using the web site editor
accessed at the NHD web site
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Home page should include student name(s), title,
category, division, and a menu that directs the viewer
to other parts of the project
Individual and Group Categories—
Web Sites
All pages must be connected with hypertext
links; automatic redirects are not permitted
 The bibliography must be included on the web
site but will not be included in the word count
 It may contain multimedia clips
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No clip should be longer than 45 seconds
Clips should not contain student composed words
Individual and Group Categories—
Web Sites
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Tips
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Be sure that the project contains all of the elements
of any good History Day project—thesis statement,
body, conclusion
Use images, charts, interviews, etc. to illustrate the
points you will make using your 1200 words
Organize your web site so people may go to any of
the tabs and still understand your point—in other
words, they don’t have to go in a particular order to
understand it.
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See sample:
http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/CategoryWebsite.htm
Individual and Group Categories—
Documentaries
Documentaries may be no longer than 10
minutes
 Your thesis statement should be obvious in the
presentation. It should also have all the
elements of any good History Day project.
 Include a brief list of sources at the end of the
project
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Create a story board that shows what illustrations will
be used with each part of your script
Individual and Group Categories—
Documentaries
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Tips
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The strongest documentaries will have a voice narration and will
make good use of documentary photographs and film clips (like
those documentaries you see on PBS or History Channel)
It is good to incorporate interviews with people who experienced
the event or with experts
However, use only as much of a clip as you need to support your
point. The judges want to know what you know.
Use all the time allotted to you. A 10-min documentary will have
more info than an 8-min one.
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See sample: http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/CategoryDocumentary.htm
Sample Story Board
Sketch or Describe scene
Outline script or
voiceover
Production Notes
Opening shot of a bird in flight
For hundreds of years man
dreamed of being able to
soar like the birds…
Fade to next shot
Sketch or Describe scene
Outline script or
voiceover
Production Notes
Sketch or Describe scene
Outline script or
voiceover
Production Notes
Sketch or Describe scene
Outline script or
voiceover
Production Notes
Sketch or Describe scene
Outline script or
voiceover
Production Notes
Individual and Group Categories—
Performances
Performances may not be longer than 10
minutes in length
 Students are responsible for writing the script
and creating any backdrops
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Plan movements for each part of your play. Know
where you will be standing, sitting or stooping for
each part of the script. Think about facial expressions
and gestures. You may want to use a story board
similar to the one for documentaries to track these
things.
Individual and Group Categories—
Performances
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Tips
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Keep sets (backdrops, props) as simple as possible.
Remember you must be able to set them up and take
them down by yourself.
Costumes can be simple as well. For instance, if you
change characters within your play, you might use
just a hat or a shawl to indicate a new character.
Transitions should be as quick as possible.
To be successful in performance you must act.
Project your words and show emotion!
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See sample: http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/CategoryPerformance.htm
Individual and Group Categories—
Exhibits
Exhibits may be no more than 6 ft. high,
40 inches wide, and 30 inches deep.
Circular exhibits may be 30 inches in
diameter.
 They may not have any more than 500
student-generated words
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 Brief
citations citing sources and direct
quotations from others do not count in the
500-word limit
Individual and Group Categories—
Exhibits
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Tips
 Begin
by writing five 100-word paragraphs
that describe the significance of your topic.
One should be your thesis statement, another
your conclusion. The other words can be
distributed among your labels to interpret
your project.
 Do not use excessive quotations in your
exhibit. Use only those items that will help
you make your point.
Individual and Group Categories—
Exhibits
 Tips
Do
not use large blocks of text. An
exhibit is a visual category, so you
use a minimum of words and good
illustrations.
Make sure your exhibit is organized
logically to make it easy to follow
Individual and Group Categories—
Exhibits
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Tips
 Choose
words and illustrations carefully. Your
board should not look cluttered.
 While tri-fold designs are most often used,
you may use other designs as long as they do
not exceed size limits.
 Use all the space allotted to you. A 6-ft exhibit
will allow for more information in an attractive
layout than will a 4-ft board.
Sample Exhibit Layout
(Tri-fold design)
Section Header
Thesis
Statement
Section Header
This panel
This panel
Photos, pictures,
documents,
newspaper headings,
etc.with labels that
provide context.
What were things like leading
up to the event?
Photos, pictures,
documents,
newspaper headings,
etc . with labels
describing the historical event.
Conclusion
Photos, pictures,
documents,
newspaper headings,
etc.with labels explaining
how things
changed as a result of the
event. Mention
current issues if
applicable.
Judging Projects
Projects will be reviewed by qualified judges at
each level of competition. Their primary purpose
is to help you continue to learn from your
experience.
 They will read your paperwork and view your
project
 The judges will ask you questions about your
project. They may ask specific questions about
your topic or they may ask questions such as
“What was your most useful source?”
 The judges will provide feedback to suggest
ways to improve your project
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Judging Projects
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Your project will be judged on the
following criteria:
 Historical
 The
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Quality—60% of the score
project must demonstrate:
Historical Accuracy and Historical Significance
Analysis and Interpretation
Historical Context and Perspective
Balance
Solid Research using both primary and secondary
sources
Judging Projects
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Clarity of Presentation—20%
 Original,
creative, well organized, interesting
 Written material is clear and grammatically
correct
 Meets criteria for individual categories
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Adherence to theme—20%
 Clearly
demonstrates a relationship to the
theme throughout the project
Judging Projects
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Tips
 Know your topic well. If you do, you
should be prepared to answer judges’
questions; however, the project should
be able to stand on its own. Judges
should be able to get all the essential
information by looking at your project
without you explaining it to them.
Judging Projects
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Tips
 Participants in groups should be sure to contribute
equally to the discussion. Don’t let just one group
member dominate the conversation. Judges want to
know that all members participated and learned from
the project.
 Know the rules and follow them. Points may be
deducted for rules violations. For a copy of the rules
see http://www.nhd.org/images/uploads/2010rulebook.pdf.
Key Terms
Historical Significance—demonstrates change
over time. In order to know if something is
significant in history, enough time must have
passed for people to evaluate its significance.
 Primary Source—a source that was created or in
use during the time period being studied
 Secondary Source—a source created by
someone who did not experience an event firsthand
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Key Terms
Bibliography—a list of source materials that are
used to research your project.
 Annotation—an explanatory note that describes
how each source in the bibliography was useful
in learning about your topic. (Note: it should not
be a description of the content of the source.)
 Thesis Statement—declares what you believe
and what you intend to prove
 Plagiarism—using the works of others without
proper attribution
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Key Terms
Bias—a particular way of looking at things that
prevents unprejudiced consideration.
 Perspective—a particular point of view. Historical
works should attempt to look at multiple
perspectives.
 Context—background information; what things
were like before the event took place
 Student Composed—text the student has
created to explain the project. Includes titles,
subtitles, captions, etc. It does not include brief
citations showing where an illustation came from
or direct quotations.
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Need Assistance?
Contacts
If you have questions about rules or topics
or need help finding sources, feel free to
contact the state coordinator Laura
Ketcham at laura.ketcham@ncdcr.gov or
by calling (919) 807-7395.
 Additional information may be found at:
www.nchistoryday.org
www.nhd.org
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