RESOURCES FOR NATIONAL HISTORY DAY TEACHERS
Join us in supporting youth historians from around the state of New Mexico! Bring National History Day into your classroom this upcoming school year.
SHARE:
RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
Playlist
Help! I’m new to NHD (Part 1):
The NHD national office, in conjunction with state coordinators, have made a series of videos to aide and assist new teachers in the program. In this video, Mississippi Affiliate Coordinator, Al Wheat introduces you to the program and gives you some tips to get started. In the coming weeks, Al and Virginia affiliate coordinator Sam Florer will bring you five more videos that discuss various aspects of National History Day.
Help! I’m new to NHD (Part 2):
In this video, Mississippi affiliate Coordinator, Al Wheat discusses the NHD annual theme and gives you some tips to get started.
Planning your NHD calendar:
Join Silver City High School teacher and NHD Senior Teacher of the year Claudie Thompson as he shares his tips and tricks for keeping History Day students organized and on track for the contest.
Building a better bibliography:
Veteran teacher and NHD Regional Coordinator, Luisa Castillo presents on strategies for planning an NHD project, and for creating a strong bibliography. Luisa is hosting this worksop in her classroom located in West Mesa High School, Albuquerque, NM.
Writing a NHD thesis:
Join veteran teacher, Amy Page, of Moriarty High School as she talks about how to craft a thesis statement for a National History Day project. Hosted by the New Mexico Humanities Council.
STUDENT FEEDBACK
Lizzy McDonald: “I love National History Day because it pushes me to be better in everything I do. I have a huge sense of accomplishment knowing I have created, competed with, and been successful with three different projects during my time in NHD. My work ethic, self-discipline, and confidence have all improved, and I am so grateful for all the new opportunities National History Day has given me.”
Photo caption: Lizzy McDonald, left, celebrates winning the History of the U.S. Marine Corps award at the national contest with her partners, Isaac Beck and Kylee Jones.
WHY TEACHERS ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT NHD
Claudie Thompson, 2023 New Mexico Senior Teacher of the Year: “I have been teaching for 33 years and National History Day is one of my favorite classes for several reasons. I enjoy helping students go from not having a thought about a topic or category to a finished project. Observing their growth in research, reading, writing, speaking, and confidence. Watching them overcome problems and budget their time. Seeing them become passionate about their topic and preparing for competitions. Sharing in the smiles, laughs, and sometimes tears. Receiving kind words from graduates thankful and appreciative of how much National History Day helped them. And seeing the underclassmen come back again for another challenge. National History Day is definitely the most fun and rewarding experience I’ve ever been a part of in all my years of teaching.”
Photo caption: From left, Lee Wilson, Claudie Thompson, Isaac Beck, Elizabeth McDonald, Kylee Jones, Dayna Jones and Alicia Beck celebrate at the national NHD contest.
Rachel Johnson, 2023 New Mexico Junior Teacher of the Year: “I was introduced to NHD in 2017, and I can’t say enough about the wonderful opportunities it presents. Hope Christian School requires research writing for 6th grade through 12th grade, and NHD was a natural and creative addition to that requirement. It has been the best tool for teaching research writing, by far. Our school uses NHD as a joint History/English project in 8th grade. We have been pleasantly surprised and extremely proud of our students since the first year we participated, as we’ve had students progress to the national competition several times and win awards! Regardless of winning, we’ve seen our students grow in research writing skills, and the added opportunities to present in different formats has been a huge interest factor, as well as a chance for students to experience and learn those different formats. I will enthusiastically continue to use NHD as an integral part of my curriculum.”
Photo caption: From left, Rachel Johnson, with Heather McClenahan and Lt. Governor Howie Morales at the state finals history day competition in 2023.
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY
EVENTS, NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2024 NATIONAL CONTEST
The NMHC is proud to announce the successful conclusion of National History Day in New Mexico, 2024 celebrating “Turning Points in History.” Fifty-eight students, from New Mexico, attended the contest at the University of Maryland June 9-13, 2024 with their teachers, parents, guardians, and families…
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY NATIONAL CONTEST
The National History Day (NHD) National Contest “is the culmination of the annual competition cycle and a celebration of student scholarship. After spending months on project research and preparation, and successfully competing at local and affiliate contests, student scholars are invited to…
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY STATE CONTEST 2024 RECAP
The 2024 National History Day (NHD) in New Mexico State competition concluded with overwhelming success last month, with 24 schools and 217 middle and high school students participating from across the state. This year’s theme, “Turning Points in History,” inspired a wide array of topics from…
SHARE:
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY
Helping student historians and their teachers study the past to inform the present and shape the future.
ABOUT NATIONAL HISTORY DAY® (NHD):
NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by, HISTORY®, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Park Service, Southwest Airlines, the Crown Family Foundation, The Better Angels Society, the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation. For more information, visit NHD.org.
ABOUT NATIONAL HISTORY DAY® IN NEW MEXICO:
History Day in New Mexico is open to elementary, middle and high school students statewide. The program is organized and sponsored by the New Mexico Humanities Council. NMHC offers online and in-person professional development for teachers as well as student events.