NHD - February 2017 Newsletter

National History Day News & Updates     Planning ahead for 2017-2018? So are we! ​ As the 2017 contest season gets underway, we are also working on the 2018 theme, Conflict and Compromise in History. We will debut the theme book at the 2017 National Contest and make it available on the NHD website for all teachers and students to access. In the meantime, check out the 2017 Taking A Stand in History theme book.   Taking A Stand in History   Do your students need some advice? Ask the NEH experts! ​ Over the next few weeks, we will be posting videos from our "Ask the NEH Expert" series. These videos offer suggestions for students as they work on their projects. All five project categories will have a video!   Click here to access the video series.   New resource for Civil War era photographs ​ Check out the Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs at theLibrary of Congress. These images could help students add the finishing touch to a documentary, exhibit, or website!   Click here to access the collection. Summer Professional Development Opportunities in Washington Ford's Theater is offering two programs for teachers, Civil War Washington and The Seat of War and Peace, in June and July 2017.   Summer Professional Development Opportunities for teachers The National Endowment for the Humanities has one week and multi-week learning opportunities. With offerings ranging from Rethinking the Gilded Age to Mapping the New World (and many more!) these programs offer the opportunity to inspire your teaching for the 2017-2018 academic year.   Click here to learn more! New Special Prize for the National Contest! Vietnam History Prize Sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (the founders of the Vietnam Memorial), a nonprofit which works to educate future generations about the impact of the Vietnam war and era, this prize is awarded to an outstanding entry at the National Contest in the senior division that critically examines the history and ongoing legacy of the Vietnam War era. Learn About Special Prizes.   New Classroom Rubrics from NHD ​ NHD has developed a set of classroom rubrics (both qualitative and quantitative) to help teachers and coordinators give feedback to students as they develop and revise their NHD projects. These are classroom rubrics, not judging sheets. They are designed to be a tool in classrooms and to help students who are advancing between levels of the contest. Check them out today!   Click here to access these and other teacher resources.     World War II Teaching Resources     In July 2016, 18 teachers traveled to Europe to study World War II in the Mediterranean and deliver eulogies at the graves of 18 fallen heroes. On Veterans Day their research and lesson plans were added to ABMCeducation.org.   View the Lesson Plans! Free webinar! National History Day and the National Archives Online Catalog! Discover primary sources related to the National History Day 2017 theme Taking a Stand in History.  Become a NARA Online Catalog power user.  See past examples of History Day events and discover new exciting opportunities for 2018. This online webinar will last approximately 60 minutes. A National Archives’ one-hour Certificate of Professional Development will be awarded upon completion. Two times available on Thursday, February 2, 2017: 7 PM Eastern (6 PM Central) 7 PM Pacific (9 PM Central)   Email distancelearning@nara.gov to register. Are your students studying African-American History? Umbra Search African American History makes over 400,000 primary source materials documenting African American history and life openly accessible for student and teachers. With materials from the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and many other U.S. libraries and archives, primary source materials enable students and teachers to think creatively and critically about history and research.   Click here to check out Umbra Search. Have a student studying Japanese Americans serving in World War II? ​Don't miss this new online exhibition from the National Veterans Network. Honor the men and women who served despite the challenges they faced.   Download a free PDF copy of When the Akimotos Went to War - a free resource created by an NHD Teacher!   For African American History Month 2017, EDSITEment offers a revised and updated version of our Guide to Teaching Resources, a comprehensive collection of free NEH-supported, vetted websites and EDSITEment-developed lessons on African American history and literature arranged roughly by historical period. These resources help bridge the gap between the expanding academic scholarship of the black experience and the need for this history to be more widely taught at the K–12 level. While African American history should be taught throughout the year as part of American history, February’s Black History Month is the perfect time to investigate more deeply the struggles, challenges, and achievements of African Americans.In this special listing, teachers, parents, and students will find a range of vetted multimedia resources to understand and appreciate the history of African Americans. Along the way, they will also encounter some of the most influential voices and the most memorable images in all of American history and culture.   Click here to Access the Guide!   4511 Knox Road · Suite 205 · College Park, Maryland · 20740 · 301 314 9739