National History Day in Nevada

Rights and Responsibilities2014

Unpacking the Theme

• This year’s theme, Rights and Responsibilities in History, is broad. This means you can choose a topic that allows you to explore your own interests, whether it’s science, politics, the arts, education—you name it. Inspiration can come from most any place: local history, your textbooks, or perhaps recent headlines, TV shows or even the latest Twitter feed.

• With rights come responsibilities, whether they involve exercising rights within specified limits or ensuring the rights of others. You might find it tempting to focus mostly on rights in your project, but remember that this year’s theme also encompasses responsibilities.

Let’s think about this year’s theme. What are rights? Are responsibilities always attached to rights? Are there times when rights protect some while disenfranchising others—and is that fair? Do we have economic rights? Are civil rights upheld at the same level for everyone in the United States? What are our rights as global citizens? And what about animal rights—do humans bear responsibility for non-humans? These are just a few questions you might ask as you begin your research.

To explore a topic’s historical importance, you have to answer the question, “So what?” You must address questions about time and place, cause and effect, change over time, and impact and significance. Always try to do more than just describe what happened. Draw conclusions about how the topic affected individuals, communities, other nations and the world as a whole. This helps give your research historical context.

Project Options• Group or individual options:

– Exhibit– Documentary)– Website– Performance (must get it approved by teachers)

• Paper (must be alone)

EXHIBITS

WEBSITES

DOCUMENTARIES

Steps to Success1. Brainstorm events, ideas, or people

that spark your interest. 2. Narrow down your list to one or two

topics relating to the theme.3. Research your topics using the web

and books.4. Choose your final topic.5. Research your final topic. Make sure

to analyze the sources you are using.6. Choose how you will present your

topic.

Brainstorm events, ideas, or people that spark your interest

• Think, think, and think!

• Choose a time period, person, or event that you are most interested in.

• Maybe it is something that you didn’t get to learn about in class?

NARROW DOWN YOUR TOPICS TO ONE OR TWO TOPICS RELATING TO THE THEME

• After you have a few ideas that interest you....

• think about if/how this topic relates to the theme.

Research Your Topics The first task of a historian is to find a great

deal of information about the topic.

Do not do all of your research on the web!

Think outside the box:– Museums– State Records/ Archives– Photos– Libraries– Books

Choose Your Final Topic• When choosing your topic, choose the

topic that interests you but also has substantial amounts of resources to help you with your research.

• Try to narrow down your topic but do not narrow it too far where it is difficult to find information on it.

There are many ways to find topics…

• What topics interest you?

• Immigration, Ethnicity• Politics, Law• Labor, business• Technology, medicine• Arts, literature• Sports, Media•Civil and human rights• Women’s issues• Environment

–— everything has a history!

•

• What current events or issues concern you?

• What career do you want to have as an adult?

• What period of history is most intriguing for you?

• To explore a topic’s historical importance, you have to answer the following…

1. “So what?”2. Time and place3. Cause and effect, 4. Change over time, and 5. Impact 6. Significance. Always try to do more than just describe what happened. Draw conclusions about how the topic affected individuals, communities, other nations and the world as a whole. This helps give your research historical context.

Your History Fair

Topic Question

It’s history – happened

in the past, and shows

change over time. It’s

connected to Nevada.

It can be argued --

interpreted.

It’s got sources.

It’s historically significant.

It uses the NHD theme for analysis.

It’s got soul!

YOU CARE ABOUT IT!

NHD THEME

What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance?

Research!!

INVEST TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC

Always the “big questions” of history.

A specific aspect of history to analyze.

NHD THEME

BROAD TOPIC

What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance?

Research!!

INVEST TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC

Always the “big questions” of history.

A specific aspect of history to analyze.

I love TV!

BROAD TOPIC

Narrowed Topic

What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance?

Research!!

INVEST TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC

2013 Theme is “Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events”

Always the “big questions” of history.

A specific aspect of history to analyze.

I love TV.

Hey, I didn’t know that Chicago was once famous for its television programs. Wow!

BROAD TOPIC

Narrowed Topic

What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance?

Historical Question

Research!!

INVEST TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC

NHD THEME

Always the “big questions” of history.

A specific aspect of history to analyze.

I love TV.

Hey, I didn’t know that Chicago was once famous for its television programs. Wow!

Did Chicago TV produce any turning points in history?

BROAD TOPIC

Narrowed Topic

What changed? How and why? What was the impact? What was its significance?

Historical Question

Working Thesis

Research!!

INVEST RESEARCH TIME IN FINDING THE TOPIC

Always the “big questions” of history.

A specific aspect of history to analyze.

I love TV!

I didn’t know that Chicago was once famous for its television programs. Wow!

Did Chicago TV produce any turning points in history?

Chicago School of Television’s pioneering informal style broke down barriers between the audience and performers which represented a turning point that changed Americans’ relationship to television.

MAIN RESEARCH!

NHD THEME

Historical Question

Once you’ve narrowed your topic, asked a historical question and done more research, you will be able to

write a “working” thesis.

• A thesis statement tells us in one or two sentences what you are going to argue for in your project. It is your answer to your historical question.

A strong thesis:• Takes a stand -- makes a specific argument or

interpretation

• Has a narrow and specific focus

• Based on & can be supported with evidence

• Explains historical impact, significance, or change over time, and

• Can be communicated in one or two sentences.

What are secondary sources?

Materials that give information, make an argument or offer interpretation based on primary sources.

Use secondary sources first to gather basic information on your topic - including the background and context.

BOOKS or ARTICLES• by historians on a narrow

subject• by historians that

summarize or synthesize others’ works

• by writers summarizing historians

Encyclopedia & general reference books

Interviews with scholars, experts, museum docents, or others with second-hand knowledge

ALWAYS START

What are Primary Sources?

Material made at the time - for the time, or persons who were witnesses or participants.

Primary sources are the “voices into the past” that make history come alive.

They are also the historian’s EVIDENCE.

• Speeches• Letters• Photographs• Interviews• Diaries• Posters, flyers• Newspapers, serials• Minutes or reports,

government documents

Photographs

Newspapers, periodicals and serials (magazines)

Flyers, posters, cartoons

Reports, government documents, laws, trials, meeting minutes

Also look for…

• Speeches • Interviews • Oral

Histories• Letters• Diaries

Where can you find them?• libraries• archives• interviews• neighborhoods• organizations• historic sites• museums• Internet-online databases and

digital collections

When you’re researching, organize what you are finding into six main areas:

• Description: who, what, when, where• Historical context• What happened: how and why• Causes or contributing factors• What changed and why: effects and impact • Significance

Your notes=the information you are finding but ALSO your analysis of that information

Just like historians, you will need to submit an Annotated Bibliography with your project:

• A bibliography contains citations--the detailed publication information--about every source you used.

• An annotation is your summary of the source and explanation of how it was used in your project.

(You will attach your Annotated Bibliography to the Summary Statement Form to give to your judges.)

Bibliographic Information may be either MLA or Turabian style. Be consistent.

The annotation summarizes the source and explains how it was used in project.

Primary and Secondary Sources should be separated.

Annotated Bibliography