Contest Rule Book And Official Theme Book
The contest rule book was updated in 2021, so make sure you have the correct version, since it is probably one of the most important documents on this website. Every student, teacher, and parent will benefit from studying this guide provided by the National History Day organization.
The Theme Book is the authoritative guide (pdf) provided by NHD and contains almost everything you need to know about National History Day and the 2024 Theme: “Turning Points in History”
NEW! Teacher Video Library
Videos of varying length that teachers can either share with their students or use in class on everything from choosing a topic, to research tips, to category specific dos and don’ts! Updated for 2024!
NEW! Research Guides
National History Day, in cooperation with the Library of Congress has developed the following guides:
- For Teachers: Guide to Student Research and Historical Argumentation
- For Students: Finding, Analyzing, and Constructing History: A Research Guide for Students
Virginia History Day, sponsored in part by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Eastern Region Program, coordinated by Waynesburg University, made a Elementary Teacher Guide.
- VHD Elementary Teacher Guide (Printable PDF)
Teacher Frameworks
These two worksheets may be used to help guide your students and their projects. Add deadlines, notes, provide scoring and feedback, and more.
Project Checklists
These checklists are provided to help you quickly determine if the requirements are being met for each of your student’s projects.
- Annotated Bibliography Checklist (For more information click here.)
- Documentary Checklist
- Exhibit Checklist
- Performance Checklist
- Research Paper Checklist
- Website Checklist
Other links
(go to external sites)
Find resources to help implement National History Day in your classroom. This site contains classroom resources, links to research sites to help students get started, as well as resources to help teachers bring primary sources into their classroom every day.
NHD Student Page click here
NHD Teacher Page click here
History Day Success in Five Steps
Five Keys to History Day Success
Danny Corbett of Copperas Cove Junior High offered the following observations at a History Day workshop for his fellow teachers, and he has graciously agreed to let us republish them.
