This year's National History Day theme is Turning Points in History. Watch the video below for an explanation of the theme. To learn more about the theme, visit the National History Day site, and browse for additional information on their Getting Started page. There you'll find topic organizers, sample projects, Q & A, and more!
Research tips
Use the AGOPPE strategy to stay focused.
In addition to the NHD Getting Started page, there are lots of other resources for you to explore below, and we can add your suggestions to the list.
Click here for usernames and passwords to ALL of our online databases. (MCPS login required for access.)
When conducting your research, it is a good idea to start with the sources in the left column below, and move to the sources in the right columns as your research becomes more focused and specific. The Reference Sources are a good starting point to get a broad overview of a variety of topics. When you are ready to dive deeper into your chosen topic, move on to the Online Databases. These will give you more specific research articles. The Interactive Learning Tools will probably be more useful for some topics than others. You should have a clearly defined focus before using the Interactive Learning Tools (otherwise you could get lost playing with them). Finally, move on to the Reputable Websites to add further depth to your research.
Reference Sources
Britannica School (all grade levels)
Britannica Academic (college level)
Britannica Escolar (Spanish)
Online Databases
Digital Public Library of America (discover millions of images, texts, videos and sounds)
FactCite (multiple historical databases)
Gale in Context Middle School (multiple subjects) Also check out their War and Diplomacy database--use your public library card to access this
Gale in Context High School (multiple subjects) Full text of major newspapers/ magazines and thousands of NPR podcasts
SIRS Discoverer (multiple subjects)
SIRS Issues Researcher (multiple subjects)
Brittanica ImageQuest (millions of rights-cleared, professional images you can use for schoolwork)
Annals of American History (primary source speeches, historical accounts and more)
Smithsonian Open Access Images
Reputable Websites (not a complete list)
Library of Congress (also check out their historical newspapers, and their archive of historical photos
National Museum of American History
National Museum of the American Indian
Smithsonian's History Explorer
US Government Services and Information (government documents and pictures)
The American Presidency Project (archived documents pertaining to the presidency)
The World Digital Library (preservation of important events in worldwide history)
Smithsonian Open Access (download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images)
*Be sure to save the citation (bibliography) for each source using NoodleTools! The Online References and Databases will make this easy for you, by providing a citation generator tool or listing the citation with the article. Use your MCPS Google login to access.
