Students use and expand their abilities in reading, thinking and speaking as they do original research and create an entry on a topic related to an annual theme. History Day encourages young people to explore history to understand issues, ideas, people and events. It is a yearlong educational activity that fosters academic achievement and intellectual growth.
Annual themes are always broad enough to support the required curriculum in history-social science.
The History Day research and presentations develop processes which are also a wonderful method to engage students deeply in meeting English Language Arts standards. After analyzing and interpreting their information, students present their findings. Researching for an entry enhances a young person's reading, comprehension, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, while fostering pride in personal heritage and America's history and place in the world. For teachers, National History Day offers curricular aids such as lesson plans and bibliographic guides to be used in the classroom. All students in grades six through twelve in public, parochial, independent schools are eligible to enter.