In many states and districts, teachers are invited to workshops where they share ideas about how the year's theme can be most effectively addressed and also receive bibliographies and a list of possible topics. Teachers then introduce the program to their students who, in turn, choose topics and begin their research. Students are encouraged to choose any topic in local, national or world history and investigate its historical significance and relationship to the theme by conducting extensive primary and secondary research. After analyzing and interpreting their information, students present their findings in papers, exhibits, performances, and documentaries that are evaluated by historians and educators. Some states also sponsor a History Day contest for students in grades 4 and 5.
Groups can consist of two to five students.
District History Day contests are usually held in February or March. The top two finishers in each category at the state contest become eligible to advance to the national contest held in June at the University of Maryland at College Park.