Students
History Day Judging and Scoresheets
History day projects are judged as follows: Historical Quality (60%); Relation to Theme (20%), and Clarity of Presentation (20%). There are three (3) judges in each judging team for each category. Judges rely on consensus judging that means that instead of giving entries numeric scores, they will be ranked. See the judging forms below to better understand how history day projects are judged.
NHD-California History Day Scoresheets
Practice your Interview
Look your best for your interview. Stand straight and practice with your group members if you're in a group. Have someone ask you the questions below so you are confident with the judges at the history day contest.
In each category, interviews last between 5 and 10 minutes. These are some of the questions students should be prepared to answer.
How or why did you choose this topic?
What source did you find most important, and why?
How did you go about your research process?
How does your topic fit this year's history day theme?
What are some of the most important things you learned?
What did you find most rewarding/challenging?
Is there anything we have not asked about your project that you would like to share with us?
Did you find conflicting information in your sources? If so, how did you deal with this?
How did your thesis evolve? Did it change from the time that you started your research to the point when you actually started assembling your project?
What improvements can you still make on your project?
How do you think your topic influenced history?
Why was your topic significant in history?
Research Resources
Start your research at your school library - check out the online databases in your school library.
Many California libraries allow any California resident to receive a library card to access online resources.
History Day Research Guide from CSU East Bay
San Francisco Public Library (Any California resident can get a library card to check out books or access historical SF Chronicle, NY Times, etc.)