Student Historical Research Papers
Buffalo Public Schools
Department of Social Studies
Director: W. Charles Brandy
The Steps to Historical Research
What is a Historical Research Paper?
History research papers present information
and analyze an event, person, place or idea
from the past in writing. Although you might
attach a map, chart or photograph that you
refer to in your paper, you will rely mainly on
words. Writing a paper is a chance to tell what
you know and what you think about a part of
the past.
Connection to the Standards
All 5 NYS learning Standards for this course will be targeted, including all
performance indicators. In addition, the following standards from the NYS
P12 Common Core Learning Standards for Literacy in History/Social
Studies 6-12 for: Key Ideas and Details Standard
• RH. 6-12.1
• RH. 6-12.2
• RH. 6-12.3
• RH. 6-12.5
• RH. 6-12.6
• RH. 6-12.7
• RH. 6-12.8
• RH. 6-12.9
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/historysocial-studies/introduction/
Connection to the Standards
All 5 NYS learning Standards for this course will be targeted, including all
performance indicators. In addition, the following standards from the NYS
NYS P12 Common Core Learning Standards for Literacy in History/Social
Studies 6-12 for: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas Standard
• WHST. 6-12.1
• WHST 6-12.2
• WHST 6-12.3
• WHST 6-12.4
• WHST 6-12.5
• WHST 6-12.6
• WHST 6-12.7
• WHST 6-12.8
• WHST 6-12.9
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-artsstandards/history-social-studies/introduction/
The Eight Steps to
Historical Research
1. Getting Organized for Research
2. Selecting a Topic
3. Background Reading for Historical Context
4. Narrowing Your Topic
5. Gathering and Recording Information
6. Analyzing and Interpreting Sources
7. Developing a Thesis Statement
8. Developing a Finished Project
Insights on the 8 Steps to
Historical Research:
• Don’t have to be followed in a specific order;
research is messy and requires revisiting
earlier copies.
• Can make research seem overwhelming;
encourage students to just take it one step at
a time.
Why Teach History with a Theme?
Every year the National History Day project frames
students' research within a historical theme. The theme is
chosen for the broad application to world, national or state
history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more
recent past. This year's theme is Turning Points in
History: People, Ideas, Events. The intentional selection
of the theme for National History Day is to provide an
opportunity for students to push past the antiquated view of
history as mere facts and dates and drill down into
historical content to develop perspective and
understanding.
The NHD theme provides a focused way to increase
student's historical understanding by developing a lens to
read history, an organizational structure that helps students
place information in the correct context and finally, the
ability to see connections over time.
Previous NHD Themes to Consider
Past & Present
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 -
Turning Points in History
Frontiers in History
Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History
Rights and Responsibilities in History
Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History
Communication in History: The Key to Understanding
Taking a Stand in History
Triumph and Tragedy in History
Conflict and Compromise in History
The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies
Innovation in History
Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures,
& Consequences
2012 - Revolution, Reform & Reaction in History
2013- Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events
NYS Focused Topic Ideas
• The Statue of Liberty: Given to the United States by France
in the 1880s, Lady Liberty is a symbol of diplomacy
between the United States and France. Moreover, raising
money to build the pedestal on which she stands began a
great debate among Americans.
• The Federalist Papers: written between 1787 and 1788, the
Federalist Papers were published in several New York
State newspapers to persuade New York voters to ratify the
proposed constitution.
• The Erie Canal: Before construction could begin on the
canal that changed New York and America, Governor
DeWitt Clinton had to convince a skeptical legislature and
general public that it was a good idea.
NYS Focused Topic Ideas
• The Covenant Chain: Started in 1676 and continuing through
1753, the Covenant Chain was an alliance between the Iroquois
Confederacy and the British colonies of North America. Their
councils and subsequent treaties concerned colonial settlement,
trade, and acts of violence between the Iroquois and the colonists.
• 1786 Treaty of Hartford: In 1786, both New York and
Massachusetts claimed lands west of Seneca Lake as their
own. In discussions that lead to the 1786 treaty, both states
compromised and came to an agreement on the borders.
• Sir William Johnson: As the Superintendent for Indian Affairs for
the northern colonies, Johnson presided over diplomatic meetings
and debates between the British and the Iroquios
Confederacy. He often mixed his personal business with the job,
and acquired much native land through his diplomacy.
NYS Focused Topic Ideas
• 1932 Olympic Games - Lake Placid: In the early 1930s,
Lake Placid's population was only 4,000 people and it
seemed an unlikely place for the Winter Games. Despite
concerns that the town could not raise the money to host
the event during the Depression, the community rallied
together. Godfrey Dewey, the President of the Organizing
Committee, donated a large part of his family land for a
bobsled track, and Lake Placid was eventually chosen as
the host.
• Abolition of Slavery in New York: The road to
emancipation was long and littered with debates between
opposing viewpoints. In 1799, all sides agreed to a
gradual emancipation law which phased out slavery slowly
until 1827, when all enslaved adults became free.
National & International Topic Ideas
• Gorbachev, Glasnost and Perestroika: The Trifecta for
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
USSR
The Fall of the Berlin Wall & the Decline of the Soviet
Empire
Walt Disney & Mickey Mouse: A Cultural Transformation
Turning Points of the Korean War: China’s Entry
The Ayatollah Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution in Iran
The Effects of the Fall of Constantinople
Plessy v. Ferguson and the Growth of Jim Crow
The Beatles and the British Invasion
Breaking the Barrier: Jackie Robinson
Global Studies I Curriculum
Topic Ideas
• William the Conqueror and the Course of British History
• The Impact of Buddha’s Teachings on India
• Genghis Khan and the Pax Mongolia
• Consequences of the Recapture of Jerusalem by Salah
ah Din
• Ptolemy’s Conquest of Egypt and the Growth of Kushite
Civilization
• Belief Systems: Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Global Studies II Curriculum
Topic Ideas
• The Russo-Japanese War: Introduction of Japan as a
•
•
•
•
•
world power
The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Decline of the Soviet
Union
1492: A New World for America and Europe
Martin Luther’s 95 Theses and the Coming of the
Protestant Reformation
Effects of the Crusades on Medieval Europe
The Transformative Impact of the Printing Press
US History & Government Curriculum
Topic Ideas
• The Impact of the Erie Canal
• The Sinking of the USS Maine and the Beginning of
•
•
•
•
the Spanish American War
The Tet Offensive and American Public Opinion
Pearl Harbor Day: December 7, 1941
D-Day: June 6, 1944
The Interstate Highway Act of 1956 and the Growth
of Suburban America
P.I.G./ Civics Curriculum
Topic Ideas
• Watergate and the Weakening of the Presidency
• Ronald Reagan and the Resurgence of Conservatism
•
•
•
•
in America
Plessy vs. Ferguson and the Growth of Jim Crow
Brown vs. Board of Ed. And the Integration of
American Schools
Federalism: Dwight Eisenhower and The Little Rock
Nine
Rights of the Accused and the Case of Miranda v.
Arizona
Economics Curriculum Topic Ideas
• Henry Ford Changing the Production Model
• Sears Roebuck Catalogue and the Rise of Mass
•
•
•
•
Consumerism
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and the American
Labor Movement
Samuel Gompers and the Founding of the American
Federation of Labor
Invention of the Spinning Jenny and the Rise of the
Textile Industry
Curt Flood and Free Agency Baseball
Step # 1: Getting Organized
• Develop a paperwork
management system.
• Organization is a key
factor in successful
research.
• Put together a support
team.
• Social Studies Teachers
• ELA Teachers
• Librarians/Media
Specialists
Step # 2: Selecting a Topic
• Teachers could work with
students to select a topic
related to a theme
• Students may select
topics that are relevant to
them and fit within a
selected theme.
• Brainstorming ideas or
looking through the
course textbook are great
ways to begin think about
potential topics related to
a theme.
Step # 2: Selecting a Topic
• Understand the Theme
• Review strategies:
Interest, Theme, and
Narrow Focus
• Consider three
common mistakes:
Too Broad,
Too Recent,
Too Complex.
3 Common Topic Mistakes
• Too Broad: Topics must be narrow so that
everything about the topic, including it’s historical
context, can be covered in one product. Ex)
World War II
• Too Recent: Students should pick a topic that is
at least 30 years old. Topics newer than that do
not have enough historical perspective. Ex)
iPhone 5
• Too Complex: Students need to pick topics that
aren’t too difficult to understand. Ex) Thermo
Nuclear Dynamics
Step # 3: Background Reading for
Historical Context
Background Reading:
In the excitement of getting
started students sometimes
skip one of the most
important steps, building
historical context for their
research topic. Take time to
support students in reading
widely about their topic.
Look at several different
history books about the time
period in which the topic
takes place.
Step # 3: Background Reading for
Historical Context
Background Reading:
• How to begin
background reading that
connects the topic to
historical context?
• Help students frame
research questions to
determine whether the
topic fits with the theme.
• Come up with a working
title.
Step # 4: Narrowing Your Topic
Selecting a National History Day topic is a process of
gradually narrowing the area of history (period or event)
that interests the students. For example, if the student is
interested in Native Americans and the theme is Rights and
Responsibilities in History, a natural topic would be treaty
rights. After reading several texts and journals about Native
Americans and treaties, the process might look something
like this:.
Theme: Rights in History Interest: Native Americans Topic:
Treaty Rights Issue: 1788 Fort Schuyler Treaty
Step # 4: Narrowing Your Topic
If the student expressed an interest in Women's Rights and
the theme is the Individual in History, the student might
consider voting rights. After a library search and reading
several texts about the era, the students might narrow the
topic to the women's suffrage movement, and then a leader
in the struggle for the vote, Alice Paul. In this case, the
process looks like this:
Theme: Individual in History Interest: Women's
Rights Topic: Suffrage Movement Issue/Individual: Alice
Paul
Step # 4: Narrowing Your Topic
If a student is interested in science and the theme is
Innovation in History, the student might research medical
discoveries that changed the world like the discovery of
penicillin or isolating DNA. Resources to support the
research might be in libraries, excellent websites (link on
evaluating websites), and History of Science Museums.
The process for narrowing the topic and connecting with
the theme might follow this sequence:
Theme: Innovation in History Interest: History of
Science Topic: Medical Discoveries Issue/Discovery:
Penicillin
Gathering Background Information
• Purpose: Gathering general sources that provide a good
overview of your topic
• Appropriate background sources include:
• Encyclopedias (Wikipedia is a directional resource only!)
• Children’s Books
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• History Textbooks
• History Books on a Specific Topic (i.e. Civil War, World War II,
Biography)
• Important to look at several different sources to learn
about the topic and the time period in which it took place.
Step # 5: Gathering and Recording
Information
To be responsible
researchers, students
must credit sources from
which they gathered
information. To begin the
process, however, it is
important for the student to
collect the critical
information from each source
as they read: the author's
name, title, publisher, and date
of publication, and page
number for quotes.
Step # 5: Gathering and Recording
Information
Citations/Bibliographies:
To record the information the
two acceptable styles of writing
for NHD projects are Turabian
and MLA.
Historians use Turabian but we
know that many classes in
middle school and high school
teach the MLA style. It does
not matter which of these two
styles the student uses, but it
is important to be consistent.
For help with questions about
citations, you can check
Turabian or MLA guides from
your local library.
Step # 5: Gathering and Recording
Information
Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is required
for all categories. The annotations for
each source must explain how the
source was used and how it helped
the student understand the topic. The
student should also use the
annotation to explain why the source
was categorized as primary or
secondary. Historians do sometimes
disagree and there's not always one
right answer, so students should use
the annotation to explain why they
classified their sources as they did.
Students should list only those
sources used to develop their entry.
An annotation normally should be
about 1-3 sentences.
Step # 5: Gathering and Recording
Information
• Source (example) Bates,
Daisy. The Long Shadow of
Little Rock. 1st ed. New York:
David McKay Co. Inc., 1962.
• Annotation (example) Daisy
Bates was the president of
the Arkansas NAACP and the
one who met and listened to
the students each day. This
first-hand account was very
important to my paper
because it made me more
aware of the feelings of the
people involved.
Step # 5: Gathering and Recording
Information
Gather and Record Info by:
• Finding quality sources
• Selective highlighting
• Note taking
• Source citation systems:
• Turabian, APA and MLA
For help with APA:
http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/
apa
For help with Turabian:
http://www.libs.uga.edu/ref/turabian.html
For help with MLA:
http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/
mla
Historical Sources
• Primary: A piece of information about a historical event or
period in which the creator was an actual participant in a
historical moment. A primary source can be a written
document, photograph, object, pace, song, or other
cultural artifact created by someone in the past.
• Secondary : A source that was not created first hand by
someone who participated in the historical era. Secondary
sources are usually written decades if not centuries after
the event occurred. Secondary sources are usually
created by historians, but based on the historians reading
and use of primary sources.
Step # 6: Analyze and Interpret Sources
and the Topic’s Significance in History
Historians do more than describe events. They
analyze and interpret information gathered from
their sources to draw conclusions about a
topic's significance in history. Students should
do the same. Therefore, teachers should help
students to ask questions of their topic and their
research, considering the following:
• Elements of change and continuity
• Historical context: economic, political, social
and cultural atmosphere of the time period
Step # 6: Analyze and Interpret Sources
and the Topic’s Significance in History
Encourage students to interrogate their sources:
• Who created the source?
• When was the source created?
• What was the intent or purpose of the source?
Step # 6: Analyze and Interpret Sources
and the Topic’s Significance in History
Learn something new
about the past:
• As a historian, you are
entitled to your own
opinion, as long as you
can back it up with
evidence
Help your audience
learn something new
about the past:
• Your goal is to help
your audience learn
something new;
something your
research and
interpretation can
teach about the past
Step # 7: Develop A Thesis
The thesis statement is
usually one paragraph
that presents an
argument about the topic.
The body of the paper or
website, the script of the
performance or
documentary, the
headings and captions in
an exhibit then are used
to support the thesis
using evidence from the
research.
Step # 7: Develop A Thesis
A good thesis statement
contains:
• Addresses a narrow
topic.
• Explains what the
researcher believes to
be the historical
significance of the topic.
• Connects the topic to a
specific theme.
Step # 7: Develop A Thesis
• Thesis statements
present an informed
opinion (or argument)
• Thesis statements do
more than inform the
reader about your
topic; they explain why
the topic is important in
history.
Step # 8: Develop a Final Project
When research is
completed and ready to
present to an audience, ask
students to review whether
their work includes:
• Analysis and interpretation
• Significance and impact
• In depth research
• Historical accuracy
• Historical context
• Adherence to the theme
Step # 8: Develop a Final Project
• Complete steps 1-8
• Develop preliminary
outline
• Finish research
• Complete rough draft
of project(s).
• Revise draft(s)
• Proofread final draft(s)
and check rubric
compliance.
Thank You!!
For more information please contact:
Rich Pyszczek
Rpyszczek@buffaloschools.org
Kevin Doucet
Kpdoucet@buffaloschools.org