Post on 09-Apr-2018
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N a t i o N a l H i s t o r y D a y 2 0 0 7
National History Day 2007 �
@ 2006 National History Day
May be duplicated for educational purposes
Senior Editor: Cathy Gorn, Ph.D., Executive Director, National History Day
Editor: Ann Claunch, Ph.D., Director of Curriculum, National History Day
Assistant Editor: Susan Payne, Ph.D., University of New Mexico
Program Accreditation
The American Association for State and Local History, the American Historical Association,
the Federation of State Humanities Councils, the National Council for the Social Studies,
and the Organization of American Historians endorse National History Day, the National
Association of Secondary School Principals has placed National History Day on the
NASSP National Advisory List of Contest and Activities
0119 Cecil Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Phone: 301-314-9739
Fax: 310-314-9767
Email:
info@nhd.org
www.nhd.org
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Triumph & Tragedy in
History National History
Day 2007
Triumph & Tragedy in History�
Welcome!
As National History Day enters its 26th year of providing remarkable opportunities
for American students to engage in historical research, the national staff is
feeling renewed and ready to take on the next century with NHD. Our theme
for the 2006-2007 school year is Triumph & Tragedy in History, one that is very
poignant and provides a greater understanding of historical perspective to
students as they explore interactions and relationships of individuals and nations
across time. We are looking forward to an exciting year.
National History Day is growing. Our curriculum support materials are expanding.
The contest theme book is now one of four new curriculum support books
exploring the theme of Triumph & Tragedy in History (see page 39 for details).
We extend a special thank you to our partners at ABC-CLIO for their help in
expanding the NHD curriculum materials available for teachers.
In the contest theme book for 2006-2007, we have narrowed our focus to
classroom practice. “Collaborative Learning through National History Day” by
Joel Walker, presents ideas on how to build best practices into every classroom
and “Why Teach with a Theme” by Ann Claunch explores the importance of
building a history curriculum that supports cognitive development in young
adolescents. “What to Do when the Principal Says”...By Lisa Fisher is a
comprehensive overview of how History Day is reported in the research journals
and is written with the new administrator to National History Day in mind.
In addition to our practitioner section, we have an article that is meant to put
a human face to the judging process. Lori Lisowski did an outstanding job
explaining why historians and others choose to judge at the National Contest in
“Labor of Love.” This would be a great article for both parents and students to
read. Our final section is historical research with three articles: two on American
History and one on World History. These articles are meant to serve as models for
students and teachers.
Our hope is that this year’s contest theme book is useful to both new and
veteran NHD teachers to extend or introduce information.
Happy Researching!
Ann Claunch
Letter From the Editor
National History Day 2007 �
Table of Contents
Letter From the Editor
What is National History Day?
2007 Theme: Triumph & Tragedy
Triumph & Tragedy Sample Topics
Why Teach with a Theme? Empowering the Curriculum
By Ann Claunch
Collaborative Learning through National History Day
By Joel Walker
What Do You Say When the Principal Asks…
By Lisa Fisher
Judging at National History Day: A Labor of Love
By Lori Lisowski
The Triumph and Tragedy of Octavio V. Catto
By V. Chapman Smith
William Wilberforce: Abolitionist
By Ann Claunch in consultation with Robanne Harrison
Dwight D. Eisenhower: Father of the Interstate Highway System
By Kim Barbieri
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Triumph & Tragedy in History4
National History Day (NHD) is an educational program devoted to improving the
teaching and learning of history in American schools. NHD is a meaningful way
for students to study historical issues, ideas, people and events by engaging in
historical research.
Beginning in the fall, students choose a topic,
related to an 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 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 with
the national competition held each June at the
University of Maryland at College Park.
Each year National History Day uses a new theme to provide a lens for students
to study history: the 2007 theme is Triumph & Tragedy in History. These themes
frame 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 history) and any time period. 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.
What is National History Day?
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National History Day 2007 5
Why National History Day?
NHD benefits both teachers and students. For the students, NHD allows control
of his or her own learning. Students select topics from the broad theme that
reflect their interest. 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 research process students learn about
their heritage and 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 workshops
at the state and national level. 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.
History Day 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 to learn history. Teachers are also supported in
introducing highly complex research strategies to students.
When NHD is implemented in the classroom, students are involved in a powerful
learning process.
Triumph & Tragedy in History6
During the 2006-2007 school year, National History Day invites students to
research topics related to the theme Triumph & Tragedy in History. As is the case
each year, the theme is broad enough to encourage investigation of topics
ranging from local history to world history, and from ancient time to the
recent past.
To understand the historical importance of their topics students need to ask
questions about time, place and context; cause and effect; change over time;
and impact and significance. Students must consider not only when and where
events happened, but also why they occurred and what factors contributed to
their development. Description of the topic must also include an analysis of
information and conclusions about how the topic influenced and was influenced
by people, ideas or events.
For National History Day 2007, students are encouraged to select an individual,
idea or event and demonstrate how and why their topic was a triumph and/or a
tragedy in history. A student may choose to focus on the discovery of penicillin
as a historic and medical triumph. Or students may decide to study the tragic
impact of the Great Russian Famine of the 1890s. In these cases, the subject
could be presented as either triumph or tragedy.
Students should keep in mind, however, that often the same topic can be viewed
as both triumph and tragedy depending on the experience of the participants,
the perspective of historians and the passage of time. One person’s triumph
was often another person’s tragedy. For example, the American Civil War was
a great triumph of the North over the South, of unionism over sectionalism, of
freedom over slavery. But the war also took a terrible toll in human lives, caused
widespread destruction and left a legacy of bitterness. In all wars and military
encounters there are social disruptions and material costs-winners triumph and
losers experience tragedy.
In explaining this paradox to students, perhaps thinking of a balance scale that
is heavy on one side would be a visual image that would represent Triumph &
Tragedy in the research. A topic will not be balanced equally with triumphant
moments or tragic moments but one will weigh in heavier than the other.
Nudging students to uncover both sides of any event helps build historical
perspective and constructs a stronger historical argument.
2007 Theme: Triumph & Tragedy
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National History Day 2007 7
Securing the peace can be as difficult as winning the war. The Marshall Plan
resulted in the United States sending billions of dollars in food and equipment to
Western Europe as its nations struggled to overcome the economic devastation
and tragedy of World War II. Was the Marshall Plan a triumph for the western
European nations that participated? Was the Marshall Plan an economic triumph
for the United States? Was it a political triumph?
Why or why not? How did the Marshall Plan differ from the reconstruction plans
of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe? While military topics to be obvious
choices because of the generally clear line between winners and losers, Triumph
& Tragedy may be explored in a wide variety of historical contexts. Students
who are interested in ancient history might create a project that examines the
architectural triumph in the building of the Parthenon in Athens and the tragedy
of its use as a military arsenal and fortress in the centuries that followed. A
performance might be developed that examines the life of Julius Caesar and his
triumphant rise to power as well as his role in undermining the Roman Republic.
Was his assassination considered a triumph or a tragedy by his contemporaries?
By historians? Or students might produce a media presentation which interprets
the destruction of Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius erupted as a tragedy for the
people caught unaware, but a triumph for archaeologists almost two thousand
years later who excavated the civilization preserved in Lava.
Students interested in historic places might explore places in their own
communities that possess tragic and triumphant associations. Whitman Mission
National Historic Site, for example, tells the story of Marcus and Narcissi
Whitman, their Methodist mission in southwestern Washington, and their
massacre in 1847 by Cayuse Indians. Whether an event is considered a tragedy
or a triumph depends on one’s perspective.
Other National Park Service sites that reflect these opposing themes are Martin
Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, which chronicles Dr. King’s
triumphant rise to national prominence and his tragic death in Memphis; Little
Big Horn National Monument in Montana where Lakota and Northern Cheyenne
led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse defeated George A. Custer in 1876; and
Booker T. Washington National Monument in southern Virginia which illustrates
Washington’s rise from slavery to become founder of the Tuskegee Institute and
one of the foremost black educators at the turn of the twentieth century.
An individual can affect a historic development that is both a triumph
and a tragedy. Gandhi led India to independence with his strategy of
passive resistance triumphing over violent protest. But the victory of
anti-colonialism was accompanied by the tragedy of Moslem-Hindu
conflict. An individual also can experience public triumph and personal
tragedy. Frederick Douglass, a slave, experienced the triumph of escape
and freedom, becoming a distinguished lecturer on abolition and equal
rights for blacks. But in his daily life Douglass continued to suffer from
the tragic legacy of racism.
The world of politics and foreign policy is filled with examples of triumph and
tragedy. A paper might be written which examines the effect of the Japanese
colonization of Korea between 1910 and 1945 and the subsequent acrimony
between the two nations. A media presentation might be produced that explains
the appeasement policy of the British and French toward Adolph Hitler in
Germany during the late 1930s and the tragic consequences that followed. Or a
project might be created which analyzes Benjamin Franklin’s success in gaining
French recognition for American independence in 1778 and the consequences of
French military assistance during the
Revolutionary War.
In migration and immigration there were those who triumphed over the odds
and others who met tragic fates. In the settlement of the American West, for
example, pioneers struggled against elements, the land, and sometimes each
other to carve new homes and communities out of the wilderness Conversely,
Native Americans fought the pioneers’ encroachment onto the land and the
changes in their livelihoods and culture brought by the advance of white
settlement.
Students who are interested in sports might develop a performance which
dramatizes Wilma Rudolph’s struggle to overcome personal tragedy and
historical circumstances to triumph as an Olympic athlete. Or a student who is
interested in civil rights issues might write a paper that analyzes the efforts of
the Freedom Riders to register African-American voters in the early 1960s and
the eventual passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Courtesy of National Archives
Triumph & Tragedy in History8
National History Day 2007 �
The history of technology includes scores of topics related to triumph and
tragedy. A comparison might be made between the San Francisco earthquakes of
1906 and 1989. How did the tragic consequences of the 1906 quake contribute
to new knowledge in engineering and design that helped to lesson damage in
the 1989 disaster? Another topic for study might be the efforts of the Wright
brothers in their attempt to create the “flying machine,” or Chuck Yeager’s
role in breaking the sound barrier. Students who are interested in inventions
might consider investigating the development and impact of the telephone by
Alexander Graham Bell or the light bulb by Thomas Edison. What makes one
inventor triumph while another fails?
The theme is a broad one, so topics should be carefully selected and developed
in ways that best use student’s talents and abilities. Whether a topic is a well-
known event of world history or focuses on a little-known individual from a
small community, students should be careful to place their topics into historical
perspective, examine the significance of their topics in history, and show
development over time. Studies should include an
investigation into available primary and secondary
research, an analysis of the materials, and a clear
explanation of the relationship of the topic to
the theme, Triumph & Tragedy in History. Students
should pay special attention to the possibilities
of triumph and tragedy within the same subject. Then, students may develop
papers, performances, documentaries, and exhibits for entry into National History
Day competitions.
Courtesy of National Archives
Courtesy of National Archives
Historical Relevance
As with any NHD theme, this topic presents students with many fascinating
opportunities to explore history and to learn to use a wide range of primary and
secondary sources. This year’s theme also offers teachers an excellent entry into
philosophical discussions about personal actions and responsibilities.
Stories of individuals in history are compelling but pose a challenge for a
National History Day project. While working with a theme, students must move
beyond biographies and description of specific people or events and demonstrate
how that person’s actions affected history.
The challenge for students engaged in a National History Day project with
the theme of Triumph & Tragedy in History is to capture that specific moment in
time in which change occurred that changed the course of events and forever
altered history.
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Purchase an NHD academic lapel pin and recognize your students.
The pins are $1.50 and come in packets of 12!
Visit www.nhd.org/shop.htm to order today!
Recognize student achievements!
Triumph & Tragedy in History�0
Triumph & Tragedy in History��
The following list provides examples of topics related to this year’s theme.
The list is not inclusive: rather it provides a starting point for students and
teachers to brainstorm ideas for National History Day topics. Students
should keep in mind that many excellent research topics can be found by
investigating their own local history. Choosing one of the topics below will
not increase or decrease a student’s chance of doing well at a National
History Day contest.
Research Tip: Topic TalksAs a way to introduce the students to the theme, do “Topic Talks.” Each day the teacher tells or assigns students to tell the story of three to five topics off the list. Discuss with students how the topics presented connect with the theme. Brainstorm a list of where students would go to begin their research on the presented research topics.
Triumph & Tragedy Sample Topics
• Jeremiah Rusk: Bay View Tragedy
• Rachel Carson: Banning of DDT
• Dickey Chappelle: Foreign War Correspondent
• Richard Bond: Congressional Medal of Honor Winner
• Wilma Rudolph: Polio Survivor to Olympic Medalist
• Hiroki Sugihara: Japanese Diplomat
• Cesar Chavez: Migrant Labor Reform
• Theodore Judah: Transcontinental Railroad
• The Triumphant and Tragic Voyage of Christopher Columbus
• Dorothea Dix and Mental Heath Reform
• Buffalo Soldiers: Opening the West
• Martin Luther King: Non Violent Protest
• Thomas Cromwell: Suppression of Monasteries
• Columbus: Point of Contact
• John Carlos and Tommie Smith: Black Panther Movement
• Marion Anderson’s Concert in Washington DC
• Alaska: Spanish Flu Epidemic
• Vincent Van Gogh: The Triumph and Tragedy of Genius
• San Francisco Earthquake and Fire: Change Born from Tragedy
• Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii: Destruction of a Culture
• Civil Rights: Freedom Summer
• Creation of the State of Israel
• Chicago Urban Housing Projects: Middle Class Housing
• Taos Pueblo Revolt 1640
• NASA: Shuttle Development
• Relocation of Japanese Americans During World War II
• Desegregation: Louisiana Schools
• Indian Wars of 1850s and 1860s
• The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roanoke Settlement
• Hay Market Riots: Labor’s Tragedy
• Great Fire of London: Rebuilding Act of 1667
• Families in Struggle and Triumph on the Oregon Trail
• Red Scare 1919: Xenophobia in America
• Enactment of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, 1965
• The Marshall Plan: Economic Reconstruction of Europe
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National History Day 2007 ��
Research Tip: Topic Selection.When selecting topics for your national History Day Project: Many present day events come to mind; September ��, �00� and Hurricane Katrina. Although both events fall into the theme of Triumph and Tragedy, they are too recent to understand the impact on coming generations. The general rule of thumb is don’t choose a topic less than twenty-five years or until one generation has passed. Time gives historical perspective.
• Ellis Island Immigration Reception and Quarantine Station
• Bracero Program 1942
• Joseph Stalin and the Purge of Russia
• Invasion of Normandy: Military Triumph
• Polio Epidemic: Triumphant Cure
• Lowell Mill Girls: Rise of the Textile Industry
• Edward Doheny: Teapot Dome Scandal
• Dawes Act of 1857
• Penicillin: Saving Lives
• Kent State: Conflicting First Amendment Rights
• Fair Labor Standards Act: Breaker Boys
• U.S.S. Indianapolis: Miscommunication at Sea
• Robert Oppenheimer: Manhattan Project
• Alexander the Great: Personal Triumph and Tragedy
• Winston Churchill: Fight Against Tyranny
• John Brown: Abolitionist Movement
• Rape of Nanking: Japanese Invasion of China
• Eleanor Roosevelt: Human Rights
• Anwar Sadat: Struggle for Peace
• Industrial Revolution: Creation of the Assembly Line
• Everybody Down: History of the Canals
• Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
• Treaty of Versailles: Triumph or Tragedy?
• SALT: A Triumph or a Tragedy
• Social Security Act, 1935
• Creation of the Stock Market:
• Ray Kroc: Fast Food Changes America
• Cultural Revolution in China
• Colonization: French in Vietnam
• Galileo: Triumphant Discoveries, Tragic Life
• War Coverage: Vietnam and the Media
• Battle of Waterloo: New Beginnings from the End
• Midway: Between Triumph and Tragedy
• Surrender of Japan: From Surrender to Success
• Civil Rights Act of 1865
• South Africa Apartheid and the Division of a Nation
• Rosie the Riveter: Women’s Roles in WWII
• Saladin: Crusades
• Upton Sinclair: The Jungle Changes Federal Policy
• Marco Polo: Economy of the Silk Road
• Genghis Khan: Cartography and Power
• Interstate Highway System: Growth of the Suburban Neighborhood
Triumph & Tragedy in History�4
Why Teach with a Theme? Empowering the Curriculum By Ann Claunch
Every year National History Day 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 Triumph & Tragedy in History.
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.
Students sometimes learn history fast
and without meaning. This happens for
two main reasons. The first is the current
educational climate that emphasizes
coverage of content and secondly, the
vastness of the discipline. Conceivably, to study history is to study everything
since the beginning of time. Class design is often determined by time periods
and approached chronologically: Revolutionary War, Westward Movement,
Reconstruction or 20th century American History. Even presenting history
through chronology, without a guiding framework or theme, abandons students
to isolated pieces of historical information.
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.
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National History Day 2007 �5
Providing Focus
The discipline of history is so large that it incorporates all other disciplines; the
history of art, the history of literature, the history of science, the history of math
and all other social sciences. The vastness of the content is overwhelming. For
an adolescent who is just at the beginning stages of struggling with higher level
thinking skills, the task of learning history seems insurmountable. By highlighting
the National Day History theme students are given a cognitive road map to
navigate understanding.
An additional benefit is that teaching with a theme can increase
reading comprehension. Reading research has shown that
comprehension increases when students are reading with a purpose.
When students are reading and thinking about the theme they
are actively reading for events, people or ideas that are examples
of Triumph & Tragedy in History. A theme redefines how history is
learned. Instead of concentrating on the whole century or large topic,
students are invited to stop and analyze the smaller event in relation
to the whole. Teaching with a theme ensures that students are not
overwhelmed with the sheer vastness of the discipline but invited to
look deeply instead.
Organizational Strategy
An important feature of knowledge is that students must have a mental
organizational structure for their learning. A historical theme can be defined as
a concept or a generalized idea that is repeated through time. The repetition
of looking for people, events or ideas that illustrate Triumph & Tragedy in History
begins to build an organizational structure for learning and, through modeling,
becomes innate as students look for connections across time periods.
Connections
One of the greatest challenges of teaching history is for students to find
connections and to see the causal relationships that are fundamental to the
study of history. Using the NHD theme builds connections across centuries. For
example students studying people, ideas, and events that represent Triumph &
Tragedy in History during the Revolutionary period, might identify John Adams
in his representation of the British during the Boston Massacre. The same
students might make a connection later in the year to Frederick Douglas during the
Abolitionist Movement in the 19th century and then to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in
the 20th century. Students drawing the connections will begin to see similarities;
all three were men of great conviction and experienced both triumph and
tragedy in their personal and professional lives. Teaching with a theme provides
opportunities to contrast the context of the time periods and the ethos of the
people living in the time period. Who were the people that opposed these men?
What were their motivations? What risks were involved?
For the teacher, a historical theme can be layered into an existing curriculum to
enhance learning. Teachers can meet their districts’ expectations and standards
with a slight addition of the theme to their curriculum. The process in using
the theme in the classroom can be as simple or complex as the teacher wishes.
Introduction of the theme might be an explanation and definition of Triumph &
Tragedy in History, then, frequently asking students to identify and discuss people,
events or ideas in the week’s reading that illuminated the annual theme. By
embedding the theme in the curriculum the teacher supports the students in
selecting a topic that might culminate in a National History Day research project.
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National History Day 2007 �7
Collaborative Learning through National
History Day By Joel Walker
History Day is more than a contest; it is a
complex education program that encourages
historical scholarship in students in grades six
through twelve. Teachers are excited about
implementing the program, but for the first
time National History Day Teacher the process
can feel daunting. The purpose of this article
is to describe a way of introducing National
History Day through Collaborative Learning
groups in your classroom.
Why Implement Group Work in the National History Day Classroom?
New research contends that the adolescent brain needs to be connected and
active with the learning process in the classroom. Blum (2005) points out,
“Teachers build connectedness in the classroom when they encourage group
learning experiences.”
Teachers know that collaborative learning increases understanding of content
because students are active participants and therefore retain the information
longer than in other instructional formats. An additional benefit is that students
who work in collaborative groups appear more satisfied with their classes. Since
interaction is a forte of most teenagers, group work allows students to feel
successful and in turn become more invested in the learning process. Teachers
who employ group work in mid-school and high school classrooms capitalize on
students learning strengths.
Cooperative Learning Topic Selection
The first step for students in National History Day is topic selection. Students
must choose a topic that is connected to the annual theme and is interesting to
the student. To accomplish both criteria, a variety of topics must be explored and
an understanding of the annual theme needs to be clarified.
As students think about topic selection, teachers should simultaneously introduce
the theme, Triumph & Tragedy in History. Many teachers utilize the pages in this
book that appear on page 6-10 and the list of sample topics on page 12-13.
Both will help give examples of topics and spur further curiosity about the theme.
After an understanding of the theme is established, students may begin
exploring topics of interest. Developmentally, students naturally begin with broad
Courtesy of National Archives
Courtesy of National Archives
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Triumph & Tragedy in History�8
topics of interest: World War II, Civil Rights or the Women’s Movement. To take
advantage of student interest the teacher facilitates a discussion and records
the class brainstorming ideas on the board, listing all ideas of possible research
topics elicited from the students.
Modeling is one of the most powerful teaching tools. For the next several steps
in the process the teacher will model topic selection. When the brainstormed list
is complete the teacher then circles a topic that all students in the class will be
researching collaboratively. For our purposes, we will model the topic of World
War II.
Students then divide the class into groups of five. Each student should make
a copy of the graph below and complete the graph with the group’s help by
searching the school library and Internet, books, and other resources for topics
(people, events or ideas) that represent the theme of Triumph and Tragedy in
History during WWII. This is a very important step in the process of topic selection
because students are discussing and mentally sorting topics that connect with
the theme and those topics that do not.
Secondary Source Investigation and Jigsaw
Upon completion of the graph, students have narrowed the larger topic of WWII
to nine different possibilities. Again the teacher models how to research deeper
and explore further. In our example we have chosen an event, the D-Day invasion.
Every group has five members, now each member of the group will choose one of
the five subtopics of the D-Day invasion, that the teacher has pre-identified.
THEME Triumph & Tragedy in History
BROAD TOPIC World War II
People Example � Example � Example �
Ideas Example � Example � Example �
Events D-Day Invasion Example � Example �
National History Day 2007 ��
D-DAY INVASION SUBTOPICS
• The military tactics of the D-Day invasion
• The technology of the D-Day invasion
• The Leaders of the D-Day invasion
• Timeline leading to the D-Day Invasion
• A profile of the soldiers of the D-Day Invasion
Once it has been decided which student is going to take what subtopic, general
secondary source research needs to take place. With the entire classroom, lead
the class through a general overview of an article or informative text about the
D-Day Invasion, one with some information on all of the subtopics.
If you’re going to require students to use note cards, hand out note cards while
you are doing this lesson and explain how you want the students to take notes
(if you prefer teaching another method, then show the students that method).
Be sure you tell them how you want them to cite the source on the note card or
introduce the students to the three column journal for recording information. This
is easily made by taking an 8.5” x 11” notebook sheet of paper and dividing it
into three columns.
As you read through the article as a class, teach the students how to pull the
necessary information from the source. Show them the difference between the
need to record the exact words of a source, the need to summarize a source, and the
need to record one’s own thoughts as one reads a source.
After completing this exercise with the full class, new small groups will
form. Within the main groups everyone has chosen a subtopic of the D-Day
Invasion: the military tactics, the technology, the leadership… From the main
groups the students who have been working on military tactics now form a
new group. The students who have been working on the technology of D-Day
form another group and so on. Everyone within the newly formed groups
Courtesy of National Archives
Quotes from the text: Who said what and where
Ideas from the text that I want to use
My thoughts of the text
Reflective Research Journal
Triumph & Tragedy in History�0
(expert groups) should be researching the same subtopic of the D-Day Invasion.
With a trip to the media center and the computer lab, students begin their
research in secondary sources on their topic. The teacher will need to direct the
students to secondary sources. The goal of this part of the research is to give each
subgroup (and every student in the subgroup) an overview of their subtopic.
With the basic understanding of their subtopic, students return to their original
groups, from their expert groups, and report on what they have learned. Next,
groups are given a blank exhibit board and the teacher then explains that each
student will be responsible for the design of one-fifth of the exhibit board with
the goal that all sections will connect in content.
The following day the class works on their D-Day Invasion projects and the
teacher introduces the concept of primary sources. The lead-in questions to the
lesson are: How do we know that all the material the students have just learned
about their subtopics is true? How do we know what any historian tell us is
true? We look at primary sources.
Like the secondary source lesson, a single primary source should be presented to
model for the entire class. An example of a primary document is General Dwight
D. Eisenhower’s Order of the Day, a personal encouragement to the military
troops right before the invasion. Discuss with the students the basic facts about
the source. Who wrote it? When was it written? For whom was it written? But
also teach the students how to interpret and analyze the source by asking other
questions. What does it tell us? Does it support some of the things we have
already learned? Does the source contradict what we have learned? Or does it
tell us something completely new about our topic or subtopic?
Finally encourage your students in thinking about their final product. How will
primary sources affect their exhibit? Can they use full page print outs of an
image on their exhibit or maybe smaller images? Could one use short quotes
from a document to make their exhibits more interesting? Ask students to
include one primary document on their exhibit board.
National History Day 2007 ��
Once the research is done, show the students how each group will make their
bibliography (one bibliography per group). Find out what your school or district
recommends but try to teach one of the two accepted NHD citation manuals
(MLA or Turabian).
With the bibliography explained, let the students design their exhibit using
the specific guidelines from NHD. Since the research process was done
collaboratively, competition within the class should not be an issue. The learning
will be evident. This entire process will be a two-three week mini unit that takes
students through an overview of how to select a topic and begin researching a
National History Day project. Collaborative Learning Groups are a great strategy
to introduce National History Day to your class and launch your career as a
National History Day Teacher.
Courtesy of National Archives
Triumph & Tragedy in History��
What Do You Say When the Principal Asks…By Lisa Fisher
Our educational landscape is changing. Many of our veteran teachers and
principals are retiring and new personnel are being hired with little or no
information about National History Day. This shift in school culture poses new
challenges and opportunities for the NHD teacher.
The NHD teacher becomes the “teacher” to a new colleague or administrator
about National History Day. To help us in this challenge, NHD went to Lisa Fisher,
a current administrator and long time proponent of National History Day, with
some Frequently Asked Questions about National History Day. She answered the
questions and in the process gave lots of research to support her answers.
What do you say, when the principal asks:
Why should we become involved in National History Day? We need to concentrate on
raising students reading and writing scores.
First and foremost, it is important to help administrators understand that
National History Day is in line with “best practices.” Administrators often
appreciate both research and examples of programs in use that have a proven
record of translating to student achievement; therefore, it is necessary for
National History Day teachers to share this information with their administrators
and provide examples of schools, programs, and states that are using National
History Day and seeing results.
There are numerous examples of success. Given the research that supports the
improvement in skills in regular classrooms—and not just gifted and talented
classrooms—such as that evidenced by the Youth History Initiative in Minnesota,
using National History Day in the classroom is a sound approach for a successful
experience for all students.
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National History Day 2007 ��
A multiyear study that began in 2000 entitled “Youth History Initiative:
Implementing National History Day,” was conducted in the Minneapolis and
Osseo Public School Districts to evaluate the use of the National History Day
learning methods in the classroom to improve academic achievement. The project
focused on diverse schools in undeserved communities. (Students had very low
test scores in reading and writing.) Teachers were trained to use National History
Day in their classrooms to improve student performance. The study found that on
average 59 percent of the students in a class showed academic improvement on
assignments related to National History Day, which emphasizes reading, writing,
critical thinking, and development of historical knowledge. In some classes,
teachers reported academic improvements in as high as 95 percent of their
students. Some of the results reported in 2002 also included an increase from 2
percent to 45 percent of the number of students who could correctly explain a
thesis statement. Further, 72 percent of the students reported that they “made
connections between history and other subjects,” and that they “discussed ideas
about history with the teacher or other students.” Most important, perhaps,
is that 77 percent of the students responded “yes” when asked whether they
believed they would be able to apply the skills they learned through National
History Day to their other schoolwork. (Hoogland, Romanov, and Bemis, 2002)
In a recent article in Education Week by Kathleen Kennedy Manzo (2005) entitled
“Washington State to Require District Tests in Social Studies,” it was noted
that National History Day is being used as one of the “model assessments to
help districts meet a new mandate for gauging what students know and are
able to do in social studies.” The article explains that as schools devote more
time to subjects that are tested and reported under the federal law, No Child
Left Behind, concerns have been raised that those subjects that are untested,
including social studies and history, are being “marginalized in the curriculum.”
Implementing National History Day, We the People, or Facing the Future—the
three approved assessment programs—in all 296 districts is a considerable step
in seeing that social studies and history do not become a forgotten part of the
curriculum. According to Caleb Perkins, the program supervisor for social studies
and international education for Washington state’s office of public instruction,
“It’s really meant to be the best type of authentic assessment of students’ work”
(Manzo, 2005).
Triumph & Tragedy in History�4
The current research on “best practice” in social studies classrooms specifies
that students gain more historical knowledge through “doing” history, that
is, by participating in the act of historical investigation. Further, with the ever-
increasing availability of primary source material, students and teachers need to
have opportunities to utilize these resources in a meaningful way.
In their article “Social Studies Teachers’ Use of Classroom-based and Web-
based Historical Primary Sources” in Theory and Research in Social Education,
Hicks, Dolittle, and Lee (2004) argue that students typically experience the
social studies classroom as a place where they passively listen to lectures, read
textbooks and biographies, work independently, and engage in lower-order,
fact-based assessments. They go on to address that it is not often enough that
students engage in historical inquiry based on primary sources and collaboration
“where the end product is an original piece of student writing.”
Similarly, in Kashatus’s article “Teaching Writing in United States History” in the
OAH Magazine of History (2003), he writes: “Too often…the subject is teacher-
directed, lecture-oriented, focused on the most prominent individuals and events,
and supplemented only by a dry, vocabulary-controlled text. Both methodology
and content are too remote from the student’s own experience, making the
study of history monotonous at best” (p. 39). Kashatus argues that professional
historians and educators are concerned about the inadequacy, both in quality
and quantity, of history taught at the secondary level emphasize the need for
more writing in the curriculum: “Encouraging students ‘to do’ history should be
the fundamental objective of every teacher, and there is no better way ‘to do’
history than researching and writing it” (p. 3).
National History Day is the type of program that addresses such concerns.
Indeed, the program offers students the academic components relevant to “best
practice” in the teaching of social studies and history.
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What do you say, when the principal asks:
How does NHD meet the standards?
Currently, in some areas of the country teachers are being told that they cannot
do National History Day because it does not help students achieve standards.
Simpson and Lapham (2001) outline this obstacle in their article, stating: “For
some teachers, organizing National History Day projects that conform to state
standards is a challenge.” In fact, it is important to make administrators aware
that National History Day exceeds many of the existing standards in the social
sciences and also meets standards in other disciplines, such as English. National
History Day has developed guidelines on the manner in which the program meets
national standards, which often tie to state standards. The document is entitled
“Meeting the Standards: NHD in Today’s Classroom,” and is available on the
National History Day website.
Individuals involved with National History Day in various states have also made
an effort to show links between the National History Day program and the state
standards to ease the concerns surrounding the manner in which the program
meets state standards. For example, Colorado has developed the “Colorado
Model Content Standards Chart,” tying National History Day to the state
standards for teachers.
What do you say, when the principal asks:
Our school has 35 % special needs students and 73% English language learners: Isn’t
History Day only for the gifted students?
Beyond the need for a “new” approach to the discipline of social studies is the
need to support a group of diverse learners in the classroom. National History
Day assists with this effort through its ability to meet the needs of students with
varied types of learning styles.
In Brualdi’s (1996) article, “Multiple Intelligences: Gardner’s Theory,” she offers
practical instructions for incorporating the theory of multiple intelligences in
the classroom, giving instructions such as “show students battle maps, play
revolutionary war songs, organize a role play of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence, and have the students read a novel about life during that period.”
National History Day 2007 �7
Brualdi argues that such instructional approaches not only excite students to learn
but also allow teachers to “reinforce the same material in a variety of ways.”
Brualdi also notes that supporters of Gardner’s theory claim that a better
approach to assessment is to allow students to explain the materials in their own
ways using different intelligences. She notes that preferred assessment methods
include student portfolios, independent projects, student journals, and assigning
creative tasks.
Similarly, Ediger (2000) argues that assessment should reflect individual student
abilities and should serve to recognize such “gifts.” For this reason, he advocates
the acknowledgement and use of the Multiple Intelligences theory in the
classroom. He writes, “If a pupil is proficient in art work, construction endeavors,
dramatic experiences or music, these need to be recognized and integrated
into lessons and units in the social studies” (p. 30). All of this is accomplished
through the National History Day program.
The National History Day program allows for a great variety of activities to be
incorporated in the social studies classroom. Since students select the category in
which to enter their projects (exhibit, documentary, historical paper or dramatic
performance), students have a unique opportunity to display their individual
talents and to draw connections across disciplines. Research exists to support
the use of such an approach in the social studies classroom. For example, Otten,
Stigler, Woodward, & Staley (2004) examined the influence of a dramatic-based
art program for fifth-grade students on both their learning and enjoyment
of history. They suggest that dramatic-based instruction improved historical
knowledge, acknowledging that success may be attributed in part to an increase
in student enjoyment.
A wide variety of learning needs can be met through meaningful historical
research projects when coupled with “best practice” in the history classroom,
indicating that all students can be successful when allowed to engage in this
type of academic project and experience.
Triumph & Tragedy in History�8
What do you say when the principal asks…
NHD is great for the students but how do teachers benefit?
Administrators and teachers new to National History Day are sometimes
unaware of professional development opportunities the National History Day
program provides. In part to address the challenges teachers sometimes face in
implementing the program, National History Day offers curricular materials for
teachers to help improve teaching generally in the area of social studies and
history. Teacher training is a focus of the National History Day program, and there
are many excellent opportunities for professional development for teachers.
Further, the National History Day office provides assistance with grants, such
as the Teaching American History grants and those offered through the Save
Our History grant program, to secure funds for the purpose of professional
development. The workshops range from the ‘basics” of quality historical
research to in-depth workshops on primary sources at the National Archives in
Washington, D.C. and with experts in the field, such as with Susan O’Donovan, a
History Professor at Harvard University. National History Day also offers Summer
Teaching Institutes, which focuses on content and methods. This is done by
exposing participants to the latest in historical scholarship, familiarizing them
with the primary sources available for studying and teaching, and modeling
different ways of encouraging active learning. Teachers have the opportunity to
work with prominent historians and investigate an array of resources, including
historic sites, oral histories and visual images that can be used in teaching.
Moreover, the National History Day office also offers schools, districts or states
the opportunity to design and customize professional development opportunities
to offer in their local area.
Indeed it is true that, in the words of the National History Day Executive Director
Cathy Gorn, the program “requires more effort on the part of teachers and
students.” As a teacher and administrator, I can think of few quality programs
in any discipline that do not require that extra effort for a quality experience
for students. As Hoge (1988) suggests, exploring new and innovative teaching
practices is likely to help young students develop knowledge and interest in
history. He writes:
Triumph & Tragedy in History�0
Special experiences pump life into children’s history learning. Such experiences
go beyond the “staples” of the classroom instruction and include field trips to
museums and historical sites, simulations, craft and model-building experiences,
individualized and in-depth National History Day projects, and oral history
projects. When students are properly prepared for such experiences, the depth of
understanding they build more than justifies the extra effort they entail.
As states such as Minnesota and Washington have looked to the National History
Day program as a model for improving student achievement and for providing
a type of authentic assessment, perhaps other states, too, should look to their
National History Day programs for solutions to the challenges posed to student
learning in the social studies and history class.
List of Works Cited
Brualdi, A. C. (1996). Multiple Intelligences: Gardner’s Theory. Eric Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. No. ED410226. Retrieved July 11, 2005, from ERIC Digest.
Ediger, M. (2000). Psychology in Teaching the Social Studies. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 27 (1), 28-34.
Kashatus, W. C. (October 2003). Teaching Writing in United States History. OAH Magazine of History, 39-41.
Hicks, D., Dolittle, P., & Lee, J.K. (2004). Social studies Teachers’ Use of Classroom-based and Web-based Historical Primary Sources. Theory and Research in Social Education, 32 (2), 213-247.
Hoge, Jim. (1988) Teaching history in Elementary School. ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education. No. ED293784. Retrieved June 25, 2005, from ERIC Digest.
Hoogland, T., Romanov, T., & Bemis, A. (2002). Youth History Initiative: Implementing National History Day. Minnesota Historical Society and the Minneapolis Public School District, and the Osseo Public School District. Minneapolis, MN.
Manzo. K. (2005, November 30). Washington State to Require District Tests in Social Studies. Education Week, 25 (13), 9.
Otten, M., Stigler,J. W., Woodwards, J. A., & Staley, L. (2004). Performing history: The effects of a Dramatic Art-based History Program on Student Achievement and Enjoyment. Theory and Research in Social Education, 32 (2), 187-212.
Simpson, M., & Lapham, S. S. (2001). NHD National History Day. Social Education, 65(5), 320. Retrieved June 25, 2005, from Questia database, http://www.questia.com <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000881440>
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Use a gripping primary source to teach WWII
A t the tender age of 12, Julian Kulski swore
an oath of secrecy and became a freedom
fighter in the underground resistance to
Germany’s occupation of his native Poland in World
War II. The German invasion in 1939 shattered the
middle-class life of his prominent family in Warsaw,
toppled the country’s democratic government, and
replaced Poland’s traditional flag—and its symbolic
white eagle—with the Nazi swastika.
Julian’s father and uncle had been heroes in Poland’s
war for independence from Russia in 1919. That
legacy inspired the boy’s patriotism and determination
to fight for freedom, family, friends, and Poland until
American soldiers rescued him from a German prison
camp at the end of the war. He was then 16.
The 2006-2007 National History Day theme,
“Triumph and Tragedy,” resounds through this book. Its
companion DVD includes recent videotaped interviews
with Dr. Kulski and his surviving fellow freedom
fighters in Warsaw, as well as a teacher’s guide
suggesting topics for student research.
Legacy of the White Eagle is $24.95 + shipping and handling
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Visit www.nhd.org/shop.htm to order today or call 301.314.9739
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“Dr. Julian E. Kulski’s autobiographical Legacy of the White Eagle is that
rare gift to history teachers and their students—a primary source with the
gripping excitement and emotional connection of a novel.”
— Dr. Cathy Gorn, Executive Director of NHD
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