National History Day, NHD | Wisconsin Historical Society

National History Day - Teachers

 

Welcome Teachers

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Teal, red and green lines wind around a golden circle with the text "National History Day 2024" and below that "Turning Points in History" and an image of their 50th anniversary logo


Thank you for teaching history! We greatly appreciate all the work you do for your students. Lean on NHD in WI for help in your classroom.

Teacher Toolkit

Have Questions?

Get answers to commonly asked questions about National History Day in Wisconsin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Benefits of Participation

Benefits for your school:

  • Helps teachers meet the newly revised Wisconsin Standards for Social Studies.
  • Supports best practices by integrating the disciplines of art, writing, and other social sciences.
  • Easily content-adaptable for any subject and grade-level requirement.
  • Caters to various interests and abilities of students.
  • Encourages students to become consciencious and civic-minded by:
    • Learning about history relevant to them or their community.
    • Reaching out to academic historians, librarians, and archivists.
    • Sharing their research with the world.

Benefits for your students: 

  • Diversified methods for thinking and learning about history.
  • Creative opportunities for expression of their ideas.
  • Increased self-confidence and pride in their work.

Benefits for you:

  • Primary source and inquiry-based learning in your classroom.
  • Independent learners having fun while exploring history. 
  • Vetted curricular aids such as lesson plans and bibliographic guides.
  • Introduction to a community of motivated social studies teachers... like YOU!

WHY NHD?

Break out of the mainstream. As important as ancient civilizations and WWI were to the development of the world, you know your students are often more interested in YouTube, football, fashion, and so much more. Everything has a history! National History Day gives students the opportunity to pursue their interests.

There are various levels of participation.

    For example, teachers implement the NHD program as:
  • an optional afterschool activity.
  • a required, graded project.
  • an option for extra credit.

Competition is not a requirement. NHD in Wisconsin believes gathering evidence, learning new insight, and sharing that knowledge is an accomplishment in itself. If students want to compete—go for it! But we want students to know that does not correlate to success.