Embedded Files
Official Materials and Resources
Official Materials and Resources
The following resources are produced by the National Office and used across all program levels.
National History Day Contest Rule Book
Revised in 2020
Cost: PDF free download, print copies available for purchase by coordinators at a reduced cost
Email Erikka to order print copies.
Theme Book
Annual interpretations of the theme and lesson plans using primary sources
Cost: PDF free download, print copies available for purchase by coordinators at a reduced cost
Email Erikka to order print copies.
Theme Video & Graphic Organizer
10-minute theme introduction video and graphic organizer to help students consider ways to approach the annual theme
Cost: PDF free download
Making History Series
Six books, one for each category, that provide helpful how-to information and examples
Cost: For purchase as a set or individually
Teacher Resources
NHD has a variety of additional print and video resources aimed at helping teachers bring the program into their classrooms.
Cost: Free
Sample Projects
Sample projects can inspire students as they begin their projects. Remember that these projects are from the National Contest and have gone through many rounds of revision.
Cost: Free
NoodleTools
NHD participants within a school can enjoy one complimentary NoodleTools subscription for one NHD project season.
Cost: Free for one season
LOC Teacher Guide
In collaboration with the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium, National History Day created this open-access Teacher Guide filled with hints, tips, and activities to encourage student inquiry and historical research.
Supplemental Materials Resources
Supplemental Materials Resources
Many Affiliate programs develop their own materials and curriculum resources to complement those tools developed by NHD. These include handouts, guides, activities, and videos aimed at both teachers and students.
Links to research repositories, especially those unique to your state or Affiliate.
Examples of entries in all five categories (with permission, of course). Try to feature very strong examples that range in division and likely expense. In other words, don’t just show the utterly gorgeous museum-quality exhibit with the built-in DVD player or the performance with the expensive-looking costumes.
Affiliate Materials "Virtual Playbook" Padlet
Affiliate Materials "Virtual Playbook" Padlet
Take a look at the materials created by fellow coordinators, which have been aggregated into an Affiliate Materials "Virtual Playbook" Padlet. The Padlet is organized by steps in the NHD process.
Using, Adapting, and Crediting Other Affiliate Programs
Using, Adapting, and Crediting Other Affiliate Programs
Your fellow NHD coordinators are a generous group of people and have historically freely shared the materials we have developed to be used with teachers, students, and judges at no cost. Keep in mind that we are modeling copyright and usage best practices for our students, and be sure to:
Ask for permission when downloading and hosting materials created by other programs on your website. Other programs may prefer that the materials be linked directly to their websites to prevent out-of-date versions from existing.
When adapting materials, credit the original organization that created it.
If using the materials without modification, do not remove the original organization's credit line and replace it with your organization.
Coordinator Training Sessions
Coordinator Training Sessions
You "Butter" Not Skip the Theme
2024 Coordinator Conference Session
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