History Day encourages students to explore local, state, national, and world history. After selecting a historical topic that relates to an annual theme, students conduct extensive research. They then analyze and interpret their findings, draw conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, and create final projects that present their work. These projects can be entered into a series of competitions, from the local to the national level, where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators.
SDUSD teachers should contact Janet Mulder (
jmulder@sdcoe.net) at the SD County Office of Education in order to enter their students in the SD County competition. Projects will be selected from there to move onto the state level.
This year’s theme is “Turning Points in History.” Students may present their findings in the following formats: Students in grades 4 & 5 create group or individual 2-dimensional display boards; students in grades 6-12 can create individual or group websites, documentaries, exhibits, or performances. Individual secondary students could also create a research paper.
For more information, visit http://www.historydaycalifornia.org/ or email Janet Mulder.
