Things you need to know: rules, theme, dates
In the past five years I have witnessed,
an elegant presentation on the evolution of the rose as a symbolic expression;
a video documentary on the economic impact of a factory closing on a rural Missouri town;
a stunning ten-minute performance about mine workers and the efforts to organize labor unions;
an engrossing display examining two turn of the century women doctors who challenged gender, race, and class prejudices of their time to establish and run a major charitable hospital;
an illuminating display and model of the process and problems of solving a major engineering challenge in bridging the Missouri River.
The first two listed were the entries of 6th graders! All of the above were presented by students, grades 6 through 12 at the state level of HISTORY DAY competition.
HISTORY DAY is an exciting way for students to study and learn about historical issues, ideas, people and events. It is a yearlong educational program that fosters academic achievement and intellectual growth. In addition to acquiring useful historical knowledge and perspective during the series of regional, state and national competitions, students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will help them manage and use information now and in the future.
The HISTORY DAY competition encourages young people to conduct extensive research and to explore historical subjects related to an annual theme. Participants present their findings in papers, table-top exhibits, performances, and media presentations. Designed for students in grades 6 through 12, the program culminates in a national event after students advance through local, regional, and state levels.
Most often we only think about the ‘history’ in HISTORY DAY. In fact the competition is interdisciplinary and develops the skills of defining topics of inquiry, integrating the materials and methods of the social sciences to research and understand, and utilizing performance skills, language arts, and visual talents to express and effectively communicate. Researching an entry encourages reading and comprehension skills while fostering pride in each student's heritage and understanding of the nation's experience. Integrated into the curriculum, the program helps students understand history as cause and effect, creating educated, motivated citizens.
HISTORY DAY is a triumph of students’ involvement, engaging and developing their creative and interpretive skills, their investigative powers, their evaluative standards, and their individual presentation media – while experiencing the study of issues, ideas, people and events in an academic, competitive context. These are children of the Information Age – and the critical thinking and problem-solving skills enlisted in HISTORY DAY projects help our young people manage and use information constructively and wisely, while fostering academic achievement.
Things you need to know: rules, theme, dates
If you are not familiar with HISTORY DAY and its value to you, please take a few minutes to review the linked material. Here are the rules that govern the competition from the local district to the national contest held near Washington, D.C. Here too is this year’s theme. Other items including project ideas, a bibliography, and even lesson plans are available both in hard copy, and on the Missouri, Kansas, and National HISTORY DAY pages listed below.
The Missouri District 3 contest (for Missouri counties Bates, Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Henry, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Platte, and Ray) will be held at the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri.
The Kansas District 1 contest (for Kansas counties Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte ) will be at Lawrence High School, Lawrence, Kansas.
The District coordinators are listed below, but please feel free to also call on me with your questions about HISTORY DAY. I am available to discuss the rules and advise on the wealth of research material and support you will find in local archives, historical societies, and libraries.
Future topics (subject to change) are:
- 2010 Innovation in History
- 2011 Geography in History: Impact, Influence, Change
- 2012 Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History
- 2013 Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events
- 2014 Diplomacy and Dialogue in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences
- 2015 Rights and Responsibilities in History
Ideas
and topics using Kansas City area resources
There are many interesting topics that could be researched relating to this year's theme. As a rule the entries that win are those which use primary sources. Such first hand sources can be found in local historical societies, libraries, and archives, such as the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Kansas City.
One thing to remember is that the staff and volunteers at historical agencies are a very valuable source for information about where and how to find information. Talk with us and let us share our knowledge with you. Doing historical research and presenting your findings is both an art and a science. We have prepared some Hints for choosing a History Day topic and doing research.
Something else to bring to your attention:Prizes. Each year the Native Sons and Daughters of Greater Kansas City awards a $100.00 prize to the best entry to the State contest dealing with Kansas City Area History (contact me for further information or guidance in insuring a topic qualifies).
Other state-wide awards in Missouri are also given for such topics as African-American History, Women’s History, Missouri folklore and folklife, Military History, and German-Americans in Missouri. Kansas also gives cash prizes for the best entries in a variety of categories. All students are eligible for these prizes.
Again, I hope you will encourage you to participate in this year’s HISTORY DAY. Please call upon me if I can assist you in any way.
Wishing you success at HISTORY DAY,
David Boutros
Associate Director, WHMC-KC
(816) 235-1543 WHMCKC@umkc.edu
Who to contact
about participating in
HISTORY DAY
Mark Adams |
Chris Conner |
| Missouri District 3 HISTORY DAY: | http://www.trumanlibrary.org/histday.htm |
| Missouri HISTORY DAY: | http://www.umsystem.edu/whmc/nhd/nhdmain.html |
| Kansas HISTORY DAY: | http://www.kshs.org/teachers/historyday/state.htm |
| National HISTORY DAY: | http://www.nhd.org/ |
© WHMC-KC, University of Missouri
updated:
Friday, February 27, 2009
Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Kansas City
(816) 235-1543 WHMCKC@umkc.edu
