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How does National History Day fit into your curriculum?

The History Day program integrates into any classroom curriculum.

In today's educational climate, with so much pressure from outside the classroom, many teachers are weary of fitting anything else into their classroom curriculum. National History Day is a program that can be integrated into any social studies or history classroom, as it helps teachers expand and enrich the existing curriculum.NHD is an outstanding example of outcome-based or performance-based learning. Educators who teach research skills, engage students in higher order thinking skills and ask students to submit a project for assessment find NHD to be the perfect tool.NHD uses an annual theme to guide student research. This also gives a focus for teaching research and historical content in the classroom. Many teachers incorporate the theme into their everyday teaching, asking students to look for relationship to the theme in each classroom lesson.

Click here to learn more about the annual theme


National History Day offers standards-based evaluation guides for you to use or adapt to your class.

National History Day has developed assessments that can be used to structure and monitor student learning and research projects. Click here to download these evaluation sheets. Each one can be subdivided into specific skills that can then be used to establish grades.

Judging EVALUATION SHEET
as it appears on the NHD website		 Expanded Judging Grading Criteria for Classroom Assessment

Historical Quality (60%)

  • Historical accuracy
  • Historical context
  • Analysis and interpretation
  • Use of available primary sources
  • Wide research
  • Balanced research

Relation to Theme (20%)

  • Clearly relates to theme
  • Demonstrates significance of topic in history and draws conclusions

Clarity of Presentation (20%)

  • Presentation, written materials are original, clear, appropriate, organized and articulate
  • Entry is organized; visual impact is appropriate to topic

Historical Quality (60%)

1. Historical Accuracy

  • Determines that sources are viable and reputable
  • Explains cross check of sources

2. Historical Context

  • Illustrates how historical event influenced and was influenced by the social, cultural, political and economics of the time period

3. Analysis and Interpretation

  • Demonstrates critical thinking
  • Asks historical questions
  • Develops and defends an historical interpretation
  • Identifies bias

4. Use of available primary sources

  • Compares and critiques sources--documents, images, oral interviews, etc.
  • Evidence of the use of bibliographies to locate primary sources

5. Wide research

  • Reflects wide reading in multiple sources, including primary and secondary materials

6. Balanced Research

  • Represents competing perspectives
  • Identifies biases

Check out the Making History Series for guides to creating History Day projects