nhd research paper rubric

National History Day in Massachusetts

Teacher guide, getting started.

• Help! I’m a New NHD Teacher: Video Series
• NHD Timeline Resources : General outline for the year and links to sample workflows developed by veteran NHD teachers. Whether you’re teaching NHD for 8 weeks or 8 months, you’ll find inspiration here!
• NHD Road Map:  Outline of the steps involved in research for all categories and the elements that students need to include in their projects
• Sample Letter to Families : Customizable letter about NHD to send home to families
• History Day Vocabulary : Explanation of terms used throughout the NHD process
• Divisions and Categories: Description of different format projects can take and how students can be grouped by age (c/o NHD Utah)
• NHD Evaluation Rubrics : These rubrics are used by judges to evaluate student projects at the NHD competitions, and are often also used for teacher evaluations in a classroom setting.  These rubrics were revised for clarity and accessibility in the 2022 season.

Themes and Topic Selection

Begin by exploring the resources on these NHD MA webpages with your students: Annual Theme and Choosing a Topic . Students can also get ideas for their research topics on our Research Links page—check out the theme pages from local institutions for inspiration!

• NHD Theme Book, Theme Video, and Graphic Organizer : Annual theme workbook, webinars and videos to introduce the theme, and student worksheets to explore potential topics
• Picking a Topic : Interactive website with topic ideas based on student areas of interest
• Topic Funnel : Classroom activity to practice how to narrow a topic idea and generate specific research questions (c/o NHD Minnesota)
• Nora’s NHD Survival Guide: Choosing a Topic : Guidance on finding a compelling topic from NHD MA student alum Nora
• Nora’s NHD Survival Guide: Choosing a Topic Worksheet
• Topic Selection Worksheet : List of broad subjects to prompt student topic selection 
• Absent Narratives : Worksheet designed to help students identify a lesser known figure or different perspective related to their topic

Topic Proposals:

Proposals can help students articulate their topic and research plans:

• Topic Proposal Form Example 1 (c/o Paula Sampson, NHD MA) 
• Topic Proposal Form Example 2  (c/o NHD Utah)

Selecting a Project Category

Start by visiting our Project Categories webpage, which contains links to a detailed explanation of the five project types: performances, exhibits, documentaries, papers, and websites. Then, explore these additional resources:

• Project Category Overview Slideshow : Detailed presentation for classroom use on the five project types
• Project Category Infographic : Basic overview of the five project types

Templates for Project Categories

• Exhibit organizing worksheet 
• Performance organizing worksheet
• Website organizing worksheet 
• Documentary organizing sheet

Group or Individual Projects

 These worksheets can help students to decide if they prefer to work as an individual or in a group

• Nora’s NHD Survival Guide: Individual or Group? : Student alum Nora walks students through the pros and cons of working alone or in a group, with insight from her own experiences
• Worksheet: Group Roles and Responsibilities (c/o NHD Minnesota)
• Working on Your Own or In a Group (c/o NHD Minnesota)

Primary and Secondary Sources

These worksheets and resources help students identify and analyze primary and secondary sources. Make sure to explore the resources on our Research Page for more tips and links.

• Primary vs. Secondary Sources : Video overview for students on how to distinguish between types of sources 
• The SOCCA Method: PowerPoint introducing students to the SOCCA method of secondary source analysis: Is it Suitable, Objective, Credible, Current, and an Authority? (c/o Amy Page, NHD New Mexico)
• Is it a Primary or a Secondary Source?:  Worksheet to help students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources (Find the full teacher guide from NHD Utah here )
• Primary and Secondary Analysis:  Another primary source worksheet for more in-depth analysis
• Finding Credible Primary and Secondary Sources:  Tips for finding credible resources
• DocsTeach: Set of Primary Source Analysis Worksheets and associated activities, with differentiated options for levels of learning
• SHEG Historical Thinking Chart : Introduction to historical sourcing, corroboration, contextualization, and close reading
• Why Historical Thinking Matters : Interactive video introducing students to thinking critically about interpreting primary sources and how to critique and construct historical narratives

Research Process

Begin by exploring the Research Links page, which contains lots of tips and links to credible local, national, and international archives and resources.

• NHD Quick Digital Research Playlist : Short videos to support students in their virtual research process, from advice on finding credible sources using Wikipedia to tips for searching the Library of Congress
• Online Research Tips:  Worksheet to help students to better navigate online databases when looking for sources 
• Recognizing Bias: Analyzing Context and Execution : Lesson plan from the Newseum that helps students to identify bias and perspective in their sources. Note: It is important to emphasize that biased sources can still be useful for research as long as we apply critical thinking skills and compare it to other sources with different perspectives.

Tracking Student Research

We highly recommend that teachers explore NoodleTools , an online platform with integrated tools for note-taking and outlining, source evaluation and citation, and ways to provide targeted feedback. NHD teachers are eligible to register for one free year of Noodletools!

• Noodletools Worksheet : Introduction to using Noodletools
• Note-Taking Source Card : Templates for keeping organized research notes (Some teachers assign one note card a week so that students can slowly build up their bibliography)
• Note-Taking Worksheet : Worksheet for students to record information from their sources and help build their argument
• Keepers of the Past: Finding the Information You Need : Worksheets for finding and tracking research sources
• Research Log Rubric : Rubric for tracking and grading student research (c/o Leah Cardullo, NHD MA)
• Organizing Info, Cornell Style : Worksheet to help students organize their sources to construct a coherent project narrative

Crafting a Historical Argument 

• How to Create a Historical Argument : PowerPoint activity that asks students to identify the strongest thesis and determine why it is successful.
• Integrating Evidence into your Arguments : Examples of how to quote, reference, and paraphrase sources in student writing
• Thesis Development Tool : Worksheet offering a scaffolded model for building a strong historical argument (c/o Paula Sampson, NHD MA)
• Thesis and Argument Helper : Set of worksheets to help students to frame their historical argument
• Thesis Peer Review :  Activity to help students to determine if their historical argument is clear to their audience (c/o NHD Georgia)

Framing/Contextualizing Project Research

This set of worksheets from NHD Utah helps students to summarize and map out the context and narrative of their historical project:

• Historical Context Helper
• Main Event Summary 
• Change Over Time
• Significance in History

These tools help students to consider history through diverse lenses and perspectives and shows them how to avoid harmful stereotypes:

• Performing Perspectives :   Through this webinar, students learn how to construct historical narratives using diverse lenses and perspectives. Visit the NHD YouTube channel for short highlights from the webinar, including How to Avoid Harmful Stereotypes and Cultural Appropriation . Although aimed at the Performance category, this is great information for all NHD project categories.

Annotated Bibliography and Process Paper 

Check out the resources on our Annotated Bibliography & Process Paper page, and then explore the following classroom resources. Reminder: according to the NHD rule book , students should cite every source they consult in their research, even if they don't quote it directly.

• NHD Annotated Bibliography : Guide to everything you need to know about the NHD annotated bib (Includes videos on citations and annotations and a vast index of sample citations)
• Nora's NHD Student Survival Guide : Step-by-step guide to crafting an informative annotation.
• Annotated Bibliography:  Worksheet explaining the process of compiling an annotated bibliography for students.
• Annotated Bibliography Checklist : Worksheet that helps students to double check the formatting of their bibliography (c/o Julia Atwood, NHD MA)

Judging, Evaluations, and School-Level Competitions

• Learning Targets/Competition checklist : Fillable student worksheet to ensure students are prepared for competitions and have reached the learning targets
• New NHD Evaluation Forms (2021) : Rubrics are also available on our Educators Page as fillable PDFs under “2021 Competition Season Resources.” Note that these will be getting some updates for the 2022 competition season
• School-level Competition Timeline: Outline that can provide a basis for school event timeline for teachers
• Sample letter to Judges:  Letter template that can be used to recruit judges for a school competition
• Sample Judging Questions:  Questions that can be shared with students to give them an idea of what to expect from judges at the competition
• Judge Process Overview : Introduction to the judging process

Press and Social Media Toolkit

• NHD Massachusetts Communications Toolkit : Sample press releases and other guidance for sharing your students’ amazing NHD projects with local media

Additional Curricular Resources

In addition to the selected resources in our Teacher Guide , we recommend exploring the numerous curricular resources available via our partner institutions:

• NHD Nationals:  The official National History Day has a ton of great teacher resources, including curricular materials, links to project examples, and professional development programming.  In particular, check out the NHD Teacher Resource Page for tools to use in your classroom.  Check out the Quick Digital Research Tips for some great videos (or see our favorites below!).  Similarly, you can send your students to the NHD Get Started Resource Page for lots of student-oriented materials on building their projects.
• Minnesota History Day : The MHD website is chock full of classroom resources.  This curricular page includes worksheets and classroom guides for every stage of the NHD process, including the  NHD Minnesota 2021 Teacher Framework .
• Utah History Day  offers a fantastic  NHD Project Guidebook  for teachers, with plenty of classroom tools and material on the new NHD rules.
• Georgia History Day : The GHD website links to a number of curricular resources and worksheets 
• National History Day Virtual Playbook : Developed by NHD in CA, UT, ID, MI, and IA, this padlet is your one stop shop for everything you need to implement NHD in a virtual or hybrid classroom. 

Making History: A Teacher's Guide to the National History Day Program

This  teacher guide published by National History Day features step-by-step guidance on how to conduct historical research and give students direction on how to create and craft the best possible NHD projects.  This guidebook is available for purchase on the NHD website for $49.00.

Multimedia Resources for the Classroom

These short videos can be used to introduce NHD concepts and skills in the classroom.  We especially recommend checking out the National History Day Youtube page , where new videos are being added all the time!

NHD Rules: General Rules for All Categories

Project Categories

• NHDWebCentral Playlist
• 2018 NHD Ask an Expert Series Playlist
• Performing Perspectives: Who Tells Your Story?   This webinar offers great tips on how to approach the Historical Performance.  Includes short highlight segments on how to avoid cultural appropriation and harmful stereotypes , researching historical clothing , and more.

National History Day frequently posts new videos to their Quick Digital Research Tips  series on the NHD Youtube Page .  We've included our favorites below, but make sure to check their page to see what's new!

Building an Argument

Annotated Bibliography

By Students, For Students

Educator PD and Multimedia Resources

These webinars and videos playlists are available to help build teacher skills for teaching project-based research and the NHD curriculum.

• Help! I'm A New NHD Teacher Series
• Library of Congress Historical Argumentation Skills Series
• NHD New England Webinar Series: Exploring the Project Categories
• Teacher Video Library from Texas History Day
• NHD Webinars Playlist
• Press Play on History: Unlocking 70 Years of Primary Sources with AAPB (1 hour PD credit)
• Mr. Liebrecht uses resources from Minnesota National History Day to teach the 2023 Theme - Frontiers in History: People, Places, and Ideas.

  ESSENTIAL MATERIALS

• NHD Calendar 23-24 Coming Soon!
• Theme Book, Theme Video, and Graphic Organizer
• NHD Contest Rule Book
• NHD Manual de Reglas Para Competencias
• Evaluation Rubrics
• Summary of Rubric Changes from 2021 versions
• Nora's NHD Student Survival Guide

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

National History Day California

Project Categories

You may present your research using one of the seven category types shown below. Learn about each one and check out the rules and resources we have to get you started. As you look through these, think about your topic and interests to determine which one you think will work best to present your research.

California History Day students compete in one of three divisions:

• Poster & Podcast Only
• Junior   (6th–8th grade)
• Senior   (9th–12th grade)

Note: The links for rules below are only the category rules. For the complete rule book click here .

Group or Individual

Students can choose one of the following ways to build their project:

• Individual Project
• Group Project   (2–5 students)

Select a category to learn more

Documentary

Documentaries are great for students who like to work with computers and multimedia. After you research, you will write a script and find illustrations and multimedia to create a mini-film about your topic. If you don't have access to video editing software at home, be sure to check with your teacher about what is available through your school. The most common software used is iMovie, Windows MovieMaker, or Final Cut Pro.

Exhibits are designed to display visual and written information on topics in an attractive and understandable manner. They are similar to exhibits found in a museum. People walking by should be attracted to an exhibit’s main idea and, therefore, stop to learn more about the topic.

To be successful, an exhibit must create an effective balance between visual interest and historical explanation. The most common form of exhibit entry is a three-panel display. This style is the least complicated to design and a very effective way to present information.

Historical Paper

Research Papers are great for students who like to work alone and prefer to use words to tell a story. Papers have a longer word limit, so you usually have more space for your argument than some of the other categories. A paper is the traditional form of presenting historical research. Various types of creative writing (for example, fictional diaries, poems, etc.) are permitted, but must conform to all general and category rules. Your paper should be grammatically correct and well written.

Note : Historical Papers advance directly to the state level for preliminary judging and are not entered into county competitions. Click here to learn more.

Performance

The performance category can be one of the most exciting ways to participate in History Day, since it is the only category in which students present their research live. Entries in this category must have dramatic appeal, but not at the expense of historical information. You will write a script based on the research you conduct and create characters, scenes, and dialogue to prove your argument. Creativity is the key here, and students must make effective use of their 10-minute time allowance. Most students design a simple set, wear costumes, and may have props to help people connect to the story. Performances can be done by an individual or a group.

If you enjoy speaking with others and telling stories, podcasts may be the category for you. Podcasts create a listening experience that engages your audience in your history day topic by using voice, sounds, and interviews. Your presentation must follow the annual theme and include your primary and secondary research. You can use your phone along with a variety of online platforms to edit and produce your final podcast.

Note: Podcasts are a California-only category. NHD-CA winning podcasts will not advance to the National History Day contest in Maryland

The poster is a scaled-down version of the exhibit category. It provides the opportunity for 4th and 5th grade students to get an introduction to History Day. Students can work individually or in groups of 2–5 people.

On your poster you can use quotations and your own words to share the surrounding background that relates to your topic. You should also develop a thesis statement and include evidence that supports it. Your project should show the significance of your topic in history. You can also use images of all kinds (e.g., photos, maps, art images, etc.) and meaningful captions and labels to tell your story and guide the viewer through your display.

The website category is the most interactive of all NHD categories. A website should reflect your ability to use website design software and computer technology to communicate your topic’s significance in history. Your historical website should be a collection of web pages, interconnected by hyperlinks, that present both primary and secondary sources and your historical analysis. To engage and inform viewers, your website should incorporate interactive multimedia, text, non-textual descriptions (e.g., photographs, maps, music, etc.), and interpretations of sources. To construct a website, you must have access to the Internet.

National History Day is now using NHDWebCentral as it's platform. Students must use the official NHD Website Editor to create their website.

Sacramento County Office of Education

NHD-CA P.O. Box 269003 Sacramento, CA 95826

[email protected]

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NHD Process Paper Rubric

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