National History Day Project

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National History Day Project Triumph and
Tragedy
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Beginning Your Research Step 1 Task
Definition What am I supposed to do? Step One
Select a topic that supports this years
theme. Check out the following link for a list of
suggested National History Day Project
topics. National History Day Project Topics On
your handout, write down the topic you have
selected. If undecided, write two topics that
interest you.
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Step 2 Information Seeking Strategies What
are the best sources I can use to find this
information? For this project, you will need
both primary source documents and secondary
sources. What is the difference?
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Primary Sources A primary source is material
written or produced in the time period students
are investigating. Primary sources enable the
researcher to get as close as possible to what
actually happened during an historical event or
time period.  A primary source reflects the
individual viewpoint of a participant or
observer. 
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• Sample primary sources include
• Diaries, journals, speeches, interviews, letters,
  memos, manuscripts and other papers in which
  individuals describe events in which they were
  participants or observers.
• Memoirs and autobiographies. Records of or
  information collected by government agencies. 
• Records of organizations.  The minutes, reports,
  correspondence, etc. of an organization or agency
  serve as an ongoing record of the activity
• Published materials (books, magazine and journal
  articles, newspaper articles) written at the time
  about a particular event.
• Photographs, audio recordings and moving pictures
  or video recordings, documenting what happened.

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• What are secondary sources?
• A secondary source is a work that interprets or
  analyzes an historical event or phenomenon.
• Examples of secondary sources
• Reference Books
• History Textbooks
• General Historical Works
• Journal Articles

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Can you tell the difference? View the following
video clip on Vietnam by selecting the link
below. On your handout, state if the source is
primary or secondary and describe why.
Vietnam Veterans Reunite
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• Step 3 Location and Access
• Where will I find these sources?
• School Library    A great place to start. At your
  own school, you will find
• Encyclopedias
• History textbooks
• General historical works
• Access to the Internet
• Magazine articles (Discus)

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• Public Library
• You'll find a greater selection of resources
  here, and possibly access to excellent sources
  through interlibrary loan. Ask at the circulation
  or reference desks about interlibrary loan, which
  is a way to borrow books or even microfilm from
  libraries all over the country. At a public
  library, you can find
• Additional reference books
• General historical works
• Internet access
• Video documentaries
• Special collections and original historical
  documents

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Primary source information can be found online.
You will be receiving a list of Internet sites
from your media specialist. Some sample sites
are as follows National Union Catalog of
Manuscript Collections http//lcweb.loc.gov/coll/
nucmc/ 19th century magazines
http//moa.umdl.umich.edu/  For Images -
http//nationalhistoryday.org/03_educators/03.html
  
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• Step 4 Use of Information
• How will I record the information that I find?
• Take notes on cards or paper
• Print out handouts or pages online
• Record information into a tape recorder or use a
  video or digital camera

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Remember that when you begin using information
from your sources, you must include information
that supports your theme - Triumph and Tragedy.
You are NOT writing a biography or retelling a
historical event. You are emphasizing how
communication impacted a persons life or the
event you are researching.
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How will you give credit to your sources? There
are many online sites that will help you with
documenting and citing sources. These are only a
few. Refer to the handout given!
Cite Sources http//www.landmark-project.com/cita
tion_machine/index.php http//www.easybib.com/ htt
p//www.noodletools.com/login.php Electronic
sources http//www.cyberbee.com/citing.html
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You will also provide an annotated bibliography
to document the sources you have used. An
annotated bibliography is a list of citations to
books, articles, and documents. Each citation is
followed by a brief description of the material.
The purpose of the annotation is to inform the
reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of
the sources cited.
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Step 5 Synthesis (Putting It All Together)
How will I show my results? Process Paper First
section should explain how you chose your
topic. Second section should explain how you
conducted your research. Third section should
explain how you selected your presentation
category and created your project. Fourth section
should explain how your project relates to the
NHD theme.
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Your exhibition Students create imaginative
exhibits, original performances, documentaries,
and papers related to an annual National History
Day theme.  
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How much time do I need to find my information
and create my final project? My topic should be
chosen by My information searching should be
completed by My paper and exhibition is due
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Step 6 Evaluation - How will I know if I
have done my best?
Check out the student guidelines for the National
History Day Project for information regarding
your process paper or an exhibition. Guidelines
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Remember to ask your teacher or media specialist
for assistance when needed. Good luck and have
fun completing your project!