History Day Modeling Unit

How to Teach Students How to Do History Day Through a Unit of Study in Your Course

Use What You Teach Anyway

To Prepare Them for History Day!

Planning the Unit

Your unit of study will serve as the general topic for their “learning how to do History Day” history projects.

You will teach for understanding in this unit. You will plan and teach so that students learn the following:

1.  What the context is – what are the general understandings students should have of this period of history?

2.  How to read secondary source materials for understanding

3.  How to read primary source materials for understanding

4.  How to cite sources and annotate citations – how to do an annotated bibliography

5.  How to choose a focus for research – from whose perspective will each student work?

6.  What history materials are out there and how to access materials for historical research

7.  How to find primary and secondary source materials to inform and to support the thesis

8.  How to present the thesis, the evidence, and the “so what?” in a variety of ways

9.  How to create the final project

Developing a Thesis: Is this progress?

Regarding this period in history, students will take a perspective and answer this question: “Is this progress?” The answer to that question is a thesis. Each student will support his/her thesis with evidence. This is to be an argument. They make a judgment – they form a conclusion – and they support it with evidence.

Unit / Possible Perspectives
8th Grade US History: Growth and Change / immigrants, native born Americans, nativists, Irish immigrants…
8th Grade US History: Westward Expansion / settlers, Native Americans, African Americans, miners, Chivington…
MN History: The Fur Trade / European business interests, Native Americans, traders, settlers…
MN History: The Land Changes Hands / settlers, Native Americans, business leaders…
11th Grade US History: Three Worlds Converge / Europeans, slaves, Native Americans, business interests…
11th Grade US History: American Revolution / patriots, loyalists, slaves, Native Americans, women, the landless…

You can use other questions to elicit theses too – think of questions specific to the period that require a judgment as an answer.

What is a thesis? My thesis example

Your mom decides that you are not a responsible person and she tells you that you are grounded for a month. You disagree. You say, “I am a responsible person!” That is your thesis. Thesis: I am a responsible person. It is a judgment. It is a conclusion. It calls for evidence. And as a good arguer, you will provide evidence to support your thesis. “I am a responsible person. I get up and get to school on time every day. I do all of my homework on time. I babysit for the Rogers and do a good job. I do my chores around here without being asked…”