I T ' S N O T J U S T A D A Y, I T ' S A N E X P E R I E N C E

National History Day This year’s theme is Conflict and Compromise

Choosing a Topic Topic MUST fit with the theme Stay away from over done topic Frivolous topic vs. serious topic Focus project on thesis statement

Resources Choose your resources carefully- a long list doesn't mean a good list Judges like to see a variety of resources Use books, journals, newspaper articles, etc. Do not rely too heavily on web sites

Primary Sources A primary source is information created during the time of the event or process of the event The writer must be an eyewitness or participant of the event

Primary sources Examples Archival documents Interviews Letters or postcards Diary entries Photographs newspaper/magazine/journal articles- primary ONLY if they are first hand accounts written at the time of the event Can you think of other examples?

Secondary Sources Any historical source that interprets or explains an event AFTER it occurred The writer is NOT an eyewitness or participant of the event

Secondary Sources Examples Books Articles Media productions Historical publications Interviews (if given by an expert or someone who was NOT an eyewitness to the event) Can you think of other examples?

Annotated Bibliography The annotations for each source explain how you used the resource and why it was helpful to you Annotations should also explain why you categorized a particular source as primary or secondary Sources should be divided into two sections: primary and secondary

Sample Annotation Source (example): Bates, Daisy. The Long Shadow of Little Rock. 1st ed. New York: David McKay Co. Inc., 1962. Annotation (example): Daisy Bates was the president of the Arkansas NAACP and the one who met and listened to the students each day. This first-hand account was very important to my paper because it made me more aware of the feelings of the people involved.

Important Questions to ask yourself… Does my topic relate to the theme? If so, how does it relate to the theme? Does the project’s information/material focus directly on my topic and the theme? Is my project worthy of winning the regional, states or even national competition? What can I do to improve my project?

Checking the final project… Remember, what is interesting is NOT always important Ask yourself, “Will this information help people understand the main ideas of my topic?” Don’t waste space/words on information that is not crucial to your topic.