New York State History Day

NYS History Day Photos now Available!

2011-05-10T10:57:00.012-04:00

You can view high-resolution photos from the 2011 State History Day contest at our online gallery: http://nyshd.zenfolio.com/

For a small fee, you can download any of the photos for your personal use or order prints, from wallet size to 8" x 10".

And they're not all from the awards ceremony! Be sure to check out all the galleries:

Papers, Documentaries & Websites

2012 Annual Theme

2011-05-09T13:29:00.008-04:00

Hey everyone! First of all, thanks for an absolutely great History Day! Even with a broken arm, (studying history can be dangerous!) I had an amazing time getting to meet students, see projects and even interview some of you for a video that will be up on the NYSHD YouTube channel soon. I always have the best time just walking around the state competition, checking out the exhibits and websites, reading through a paper or two, and popping in to see a documentary or performance. For me, I always end the day wanting to know more about a million different topics. Does that happen to you? I’m always so impressed by the unique and interesting topics researched for History Day! I can’t wait for next year, especially since the 2012 theme will be… drumroll… Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.

It’s best to start broadly when thinking about a possible topic – maybe you’re interested in the role of New York in the American Revolution. This year’s annual theme sheet recommends:

“Rather than attempting to analyze and document an entire political revolution, you should look for more manageable topics such as ideas emerging from a particular revolution, specific events or factions within a revolution, or individuals who affected or were affected by a revolution.”

You can narrow down your topic to the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga, or Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys. Another definition of revolution is “a sudden or momentous change in a situation.” You could look at any of the riots that have occurred in New York, like the Stonewall riots in 1969, or the New York City draft riots in 1863. What specific events led to these outbursts, and how has history changed as a result?

Next year’s competition may seem far away, but it’s never too early to be thinking about your next topic! Be sure to check back on the NYSHD website for more topic ideas later this summer. Click here for the NHD Theme Sheet on Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. Congrats to all the state winners and thanks to everyone who participated, the teachers who provided support and families too!

History Day Connects Buffalo Students to Hawai`i

2011-04-12T11:08:00.001-04:00

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has recognized a New York State History Day group from International Preparatory School at Grover in Buffalo in a recent article in their monthly publication, Ka Wai Ola. High school seniors Mohamed Abu-Taha, Dawnte Dooling, Tressa Murray-Poston, James Shelvay and Mercy Walelo became interested in Hawaiian history when two representatives from the Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center in Honolulu, Kaleo Patterson and Haaheo Guanson, visited their school. Additionally, the students found common histories between the struggles in Hawai‘i and their own backgrounds. “Because of where our families are from and the problems that happens in those countries, that makes it easier for us to understand the situation that happened in Hawai‘i,” said Abu-Taha, whose parents are from Palestine. The students will be presenting their website entry, which focuses on President Grover Cleveland’s work in support of Queen Lili‘uokalani, here in Cooperstown on April 29^th at the State Competition.

Check out the ‘Apelila (April) 2011 issue of Ka Wai Ola, available here to read more, and best of luck to all of this year’s entrants!

National Teacher Award Nominations

2011-03-22T12:02:00.017-04:00

Do you know a teacher whose development and use of creative teaching methods gets students interested in history and helps them make exciting discoveries about the past?

Do you know a teacher who deserves recognition for their exemplary commitment to helping students develop their interest in history and recognize their achievements?

Every year New York State History Day has the opportunity to nominate our outstanding teachers for the PBS Teacher of Merit and the History Channel Service Award. This year, we also have the chance to nominate a teacher for the Patricia Behring Teacher Award.

The Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award recognizes outstanding NHD teachers. There are two state winners, one at both the junior level and senior level. The winners of the national awards will be selected from among the state awardees. To be eligible for the national award, a teacher must be a participant in the National History Day program with six years or more experience and be nominated by the state History Day coordinator.

We would love your nomination suggestions for these national awards. To nominate a canidate, please see below for eligibility criteria, and email us at nyshistoryday@nysha.org.

Nominations are due by April 13th.
____________________________________________________________

PBS Teacher of Merit

National History Day and PBS are pleased to announce the 2011 PBS Teacher of Merit Award for innovative history teaching. The award recognizes outstanding teachers at the state level and one exceptional history teacher at the national level. The eight finalists for this award will also be recognized at the national level, and each will receive a PBS video library.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible, a teacher must be a participant in the National History Day program with five years or less experience and be nominated by the state History Day coordinator. The evaluation criteria are as follows:

Development and use of creative teaching methods that interest students in history and help them make exciting discoveries about the past. Examples could include:

Active learning projects, such as mock debates or oral history projects;
Innovative use of primary sources;
Integrated communication technology in history research and classroom learning;
Teaching methods which link history to students’ broader interests (e.g., using interdisciplinary approaches to historical topics or by developing projects which link history to current events, debates, and issues); or
The use of teaching methods which build a range of skills in students as they study history.
Exemplary commitment to helping students develop their interest in history and recognize their achievements. Examples could include:
Exemplary support and guidance for students working on History Day projects;
Assistance in helping students showcase their history projects within the community and/or publish their material;
Overall commitment to the intellectual development of individual students; or
Encouragement of students to use their understanding of history to become engaged, informed citizens in their community and beyond.

History Channel Service Award

National History Day, in collaboration with The History Channel, is proud to announce the 12th annual History Channel Award for Service. The award, sponsored by The History Channel, will be presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to history education through service to the National History Day program.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible, the nominee must be a participant in the National History Day program and may be a teacher, media specialist, district or state National History Day coordinator, judge or parent. Nominees will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Success in involving students in the program at the district, state and national levels. The committee especially welcomes individuals who work within diverse communities.
Service to the History Day program at all levels of the contests. Examples could include: mentoring new History Day teachers, judging, fund raising, publication of History Day materials, or strengthening the History Day community within a state or at the national level.
Service to the discipline of history in general. Examples could include:
Involvement in community projects that enhance people’s understanding and appreciation of history at the local level and beyond;
Creative teaching in the classroom which helps students develop an appreciation of history;
Collection of resources for history research in one’s community or state;
Publication of history lesson plans; or
Publication in professional journals of interest to history teachers and educators generally.
Professional development. Examples could include: presentation at workshops, special courses or institutes, or publications.

PROCEDURES for NOMINATIONS

Anyone may propose nominees for this award. Letters of nomination must adhere to the following guidelines and must be no longer than two typed pages. Self nominations are accepted.
Describe the nominee’s position and the capacity in which he or she works with National History Day.
Explain the capacity in which the nominator has observed the work of the nominee.
Describe ways that the nominee has contributed to the advancement of the History Day program (i.e. judging, teacher workshops, coordination, etc.)
Provide examples of the ways that the nominee has made a difference in the lives of History Day students. Be sure to highlight what makes this individual unique.

The Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award

The Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award recognizes outstanding NHD teachers. Two state winners, one at both the junior level and senior level, will be selected from each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Schools, International Schools-Asia and the U.S. territories. The winners of the national awards will be selected from among the state awardees.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for the national award, a teacher must be a participant in the National History Day program with six years or more experience and be nominated by the state History Day coordinator. State level winners are determined by the state and years of experience for eligibility may vary from state to state. The evaluation criteria are as follows:

Development and use of creative teaching methods that interest students in history and help them make exciting discoveries about the past. Examples could include:

Active learning projects, such as mock debates or oral history projects;
Innovative use of primary sources;
Integrated communication technology in history research and classroom learning;
Teaching methods which link history to students’ broader interests (e.g., using interdisciplinary approaches to historical topics or by developing projects which link history to current events, debates, and issues); or
The use of teaching methods which build a range of skills in students as they study history.

Exemplary commitment to helping students develop their interest in history and recognize their achievements. Examples could include:

Exemplary support and guidance for students working on History Day projects;
Assistance in helping students showcase their history projects within the community and/or publish their material;
Overall commitment to the intellectual development of individual students; or
Encouragement of students to use their understanding of history to become engaged, informed citizens in their community and beyond.

PROCEDURES for NOMINATIONS

Interested teachers should contact their state History Day coordinator.
The state coordinator will select the State History Day Teacher of the Year and write a letter of nomination for that person. In addition, the nominee should provide the state coordinator with three (3) letters of recommendation in support of the nomination. The letters should address the criteria provided above and be written by those who know the nominee well and can give specific examples of excellence in history teaching.
The teacher nominee will submit a testimonial about the impact of the NHD program on a class or an individual student. This testimonial should address aspects such as the teacher's role and the immediate and long term impact on the student(s)' academic or social growth.

Hello New York State!

2011-03-15T12:02:00.005-04:00

Hey Guys! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new History Day intern. My name is Mandy Kritzeck, I’m a student in the Cooperstown Graduate Program, graduating this May(!) and a former Minnesota History Day-er. Yes, that’s right - I traded in one snowy arctic tundra…for another snowy arctic tundra, but I love it! I am an absolute history nerd and I love History Day because I believe it is the perfect introduction for students into looking at the past in an interesting and engaging way.

I’m excited to be more involved with the program this year (you may or may not recall the History Day Minute Men videos from last year), and along with assisting in organizing the state competition, I am working on making video highlights of the amazing things that New York students are doing! At Minnesota, I was in charge of bringing the fun to the state competition; so look forward to new student activity areas, and a tell-all History Day confessional booth!

I’m looking forward to a great 2011 season!

2011 New York State History Day Special Awards Announced!

2011-02-15T13:07:00.015-05:00

New York State History Day offers an array of Special Awards during the State Contest every year. Here is the full list of awards for the 2011 contest!

The Abner Doubleday Civil War Roundtable presents the Thomas W. Malone Award to an outstanding project focused on the Civil War.

The American Labor Studies Center - Kate Mullany National Historic Site presents the American Labor Studies Award to an outstanding project that focuses on American Labor history. See here for more information on this award.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians presents the Ancient Order of Hibernians Award to a project that focuses on Irish Heritage.

AWAIR: Arab World And Islamic Resources presents the Arab or Islamic History Award to an outstanding entry that illustrates the history of the Arab world, Islam, or the Arab-American or American Muslim experience. Awards are presented to the top Junior entry and the top Senior entry.

The Archives Partnership Trust presents the Archives Partnership Trust Award for outstanding use of primary sources for a New York State History topic in an individual entry.

Bassett Healthcare presents the Bassett Healthcare Award to an outstanding entry focused on the history of medicine or a health related event.

The Cooperstown Graduate Program presents the Cooperstown Graduate Program Award to an outstanding exhibit from a first time participant that portrays the topic in a clear, concise, and attractive manner.

The Department of History, SUNY Fredonia presents the Ethnic/Minority Studies Award for an outstanding Junior and Senior exhibit related to African-American or ethnic/minority topics.

Dr. Barbara Kalmar presents the Kalmar and Folk Family Award to an outstanding entry focused on Holocaust studies.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Library presents the National Baseball Hall of Fame Award to an outstanding project focused on the history of sports.

The National Maritime Historical Society presents the National Maritime Historical Society Award to an outstanding entry focused on a maritime-related topic, see here for full details.

The New York State Historical Association presents the New York State Historical Association Award to an outstanding project that focuses on the history of New York State.

The Farmers' Museum presents The Farmers' Museum Award to an outstanding project that focuses on the history or innovations related to agriculture.

Guided Tours of Cooperstown presents The Women's History Award to an outstanding project focused on women's history.

Museumwise presents the Museumwise Award for Excellence to an outstanding project that focuses on local and/or community history.

The West Kortright Centre presents the West Kortright Centre Award to an outstanding entry in the performance category.

This list can also be viewed at http://nyshistoryday.org/Awards.htm

New Special Award for State Contest!

2011-02-15T12:47:00.008-05:00

Great news History Day students and teachers! New York State History Day is happy to announce a new Special Award at this year’s State Contest presented by the National Maritime Historical Society.

Founded in 1963, the National Maritime Historical Society is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is to raise awareness of our nation’s maritime heritage and the role seafaring has played in shaping civilization, through publications, educational programs, sail training and the preservation of historic ships.

For this year’s State Contest, NMHS has graciously offered to award these prizes to the top two very lucky History Day-ers (and teachers!) whose entries address a maritime-related topic:

First Prize:
For the students:

Complimentary membership in NMHS for 1 year, which includes the quarterly Sea History magazine.

Monetary award/scholarship of $150 per winning entry. (For group entries, the $150 award will be divided equally among the group.)

Certificate of Achievement.

Listing on the NMHS website, www.seahistory.org and in Sea History magazine.

For the teachers of the winning students:

Complimentary membership in NMHS for 1 year, which includes the quarterly Sea History magazine.

Listing on the NMHS website, www.seahistory.org and in Sea History magazine.

The two-volume set of Voyages: Documents in American Maritime History by Dr. Joshua M. Smith.
Volume I: The Age of Sail, 1492–1865
Volume II: The Age of Engines, 1865–Present

Second Prize:
For the students:

Complimentary membership in NMHS for 1 year, which includes the quarterly Sea History magazine.

Certificate of Achievement.

Listing on the NMHS website, www.seahistory.org and in Sea History magazine.

For the teachers of the winning students:

Complimentary membership in NMHS for 1 year, which includes the quarterly Sea History magazine.

Listing on the NMHS website, www.seahistory.org and in Sea History magazine.

With possible topics ranging from the La Amistad revolt to naval battles in the War of 1812, or even whaling and fishing history, it shouldn’t be hard to think of a maritime history topic that fits this year’s theme of Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences.

Be sure to check out NMHS’ website, www.seahistory.org, for more information on the history of the sea!

NYS History Day offers an array of Special Awards during the State Contest every year. To check out what Awards were presented last year, visit http://nyshistoryday.org/Awards.htm

A new time for National History Day in New York State.

2010-11-17T16:42:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone. Many of you may have come across me at contests, teacher trainings or perhaps I have visited your classroom. I am John Buchinger and I am the Associate Director of Education at The New York State Historical Association.
In October, Tobi Voigt the legendary Statewide Coordinator here at NYSHA left to peruse her love of Beet Farming in Wyoming.
OK that’s not true. She got an awesome job making gobs more cash as the Director of Education for The Detroit Historical Society. And as far as I know, the job has very little, if anything to do with beets.
So I will now be stepping into the role of Statewide Coordinator, along with Sarah Loveland who is our official contest manager and co-coordinator. If you don’t know Sarah, she is a powerhouse of organization, energy and all around History Day love.
So as we are firmly in the contest year I just want everyone to know that we are here to answer your questions, help you with your topics and create an improved overall experience at each level of competition.
In coming weeks we will share plans for our enhanced contest. Travel assistance for students and a new video contest I am particularly excited about!
In the meantime, if you have any immediate needs, please feel free to email us
John Buchinger Statewide Coordinator j.buchinger@nysha.org
Sarah Loveland Contest and Co-Coordinator s.loveland@nysha.org

Annoucing NEW Teacher Workshops

2010-10-07T10:33:00.006-04:00

What happens when two great New York State programs get together? Teachers and students across the state benefit! I am pleased to announce that the New York Council on the Humanities and the New York State Historical Association have teamed together to bring the Speakers in the Schools program and National History Day to our state's schools.

In a series of regional teacher workshops this October and November, renowned historians will join History Day staff in bringing New York State history content related to this year's annual theme, Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences, to you. During the workshops, teachers will enjoy a talk from a historian on a New York History topic and then will brainstorm ways to incorporate this information into the classroom using tools that will help students explore the historical significance of the topic.

The workshop dates and locations are:

Saturday, October 16 - 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga
Historian Robert Arnold will present his talk, 1812: New York’s War, New York’s Impetus. Contact Rich Strum at 518-585-6370 or RStrum@fort-ticonderoga.org to register for this event.

Tuesday, October 26 - 4:00 - 6:00 pm at Hofstra University, Hempstead
Beth E. Lilac, Director of Education at The Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center in Glen Cove, will present her talk, The Evian Conference of July 1938: A Turning Point in World and Diplomatic Histories. Contact Susan Glaser at 631-470-9577 or sglaser22@gmail or susan@glasermills.com to register for this event. (Note: this event is being given independent of the Speakers in the Schools partnership, but is included here because it's AWESOME!)

Saturday, November 13 - 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the FDR Library and Museum, Hyde Park
Historian Michael Jacob will present his talk, The Language of Crisis: Documenting the Depression. Contact Jeff Urbin at 845-486-7761 or jeffrey.urbin@nara.gov to register for this event.

Sunday, November 14 - 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York, Manhattan
Historian Richard Greenwald will present his talk, The Garment Workers’ New York: Ethnicity, Class, and Gender in Progressive Era New York. Contact Stephanie Dueno at 212-534-1672, x3410 or sdueno@mcny.org to register for this event.

I urge you all to take advantage of these amazing workshops! If you have general questions about the partnership or the workshop content, please contact me at 607-547-1534 or t.voigt@nysha.org

October Conference for Teachers

2010-09-29T10:30:00.003-04:00

In addition to History Day, I also coordinate the New York State Historical Association's annual October Conference for Teachers. This year the conference will be held on Thursday, October 21 and Friday, October 22. The conference takes place here in Cooperstown, and the fall leaves on the rolling hills of Otsego County make a peaceful and picturesque backdrop for professional development. Where better to learn best practices in Social Studies education than at The Farmers' Museum?

This year we have a great schedule of sessions for elementary, middle and high school teachers. I encourage you to take a look at the schedule and consider attending. Pre-registration is only $42 for NYSHA members and $50 for non-members.

I am bringing the conference up because I wanted to highlight a session related to History Day. High school teacher Jerald Hensler from LaSalle School in Albany will present his experience incorporating the History Day program into the classroom. You may remember hearing about Jerry. He received the National History Day Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award for New York State last year. (I wrote about him in this post.)

Jerry brought the National History Day program to LaSalle School in 2007. Founded in 1854 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers to serve abandoned and orphaned boys, La Salle School has developed into a multi-faceted human services agency. LaSalle schools serves boys in grades 6-12 who have social or emotional needs or who have been referred by the court system. Most of the students come from urban “high needs” schools and are at great risk of not graduating high school.

“Many of our students have never experienced any level of academic success,” notes Jerry. “Once the students make the choice to participate in History Day, they are quickly surprised by their successes and their confidence in their academic abilities increases exponentially.”

I asked Jerry to present at the conference because I so often hear that History Day is a program only for "gifted and talented" learners. In fact, History Day can engage students at all academic skill levels. In his session, Jerry will share how History Day has transformed the lives of his students, and share tips and strategies for bring History Day into alternative learning environments.

It's going to be a great conference, and I encourage you all to attend. For more information, visit the NYSHA website at http://www.nysha.org/nysha/for_teachers/october_conference

The last post on the Annual Theme

2010-09-27T11:35:00.003-04:00

I let a few posts get in between, but now it’s time to conclude my trio of blog posts on the annual theme, Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences.

We’ve already defined debate and diplomacy in broad sweeping terms, which will enable you to explore many different events and people in history for your topics. Yay!

Now it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty. You know, the part AFTER the colon: Successes, Failures, Consequences. I am tempted to say that these words are some of the most important in this annual theme. Why? Because they will help you explore the historical SIGNIFICANCE of your topic, which is a critical part of any History Day project.

Say you have a topic idea, and you’ve figured out how it incorporates a debate and/or diplomacy (Remember what I said about trying to incorporate both debate and diplomacy? Good!). Your first step is done. The next step is crafting questions that help you learn more about the impact of your topic. This is where the second part of the theme comes in. If debate and diplomacy are the cause, then successes, failures, and consequences are the effect. Were the debate and/or diplomacy a SUCCESS or a FAILURE? What were the short and long term CONSEQUENCES of the debate and/or diplomacy?

These should be the three key questions that guide your research. They will also undoubtedly help you craft your thesis statement when the time comes. I am going to get more into analysis and writing thesis statements later, so I am going to leave this train of thought here for the time being.

But before I go, I need to stress the last prepositional phrase from the annual theme: “in History.” I can’t overestimate how important this is. Your topic MUST be historical and CAN NOT be a current event. How can you tell the difference? Well, we generally say that a topic should be at least one generation – or 30 years – old before it is considered historical. Why? In order to understand the impact of an event, we need to have some historical perspective, and perspective comes only after time. It’s only been nine years since the attacks on September 11, 2001, and historians and political scientists already have many different views on its significance. If you ask me, it is still too early to tell, which is WHY there are so many different ideas floating around.

So, remember to pick a HISTORICAL topic. If you are interested in, say, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that’s going on today, why not look back in time at another oil spill? It will help give you some perspective on the issue we face today.

New Special Award for 2011!

2010-09-24T09:38:00.002-04:00

I have some very exciting news. Yesterday I spoke with Paul F. Cole, Executive Director for the American Labor Studies Center at the Kate Mullany National Historic Site in Loudonville. He reminded me that the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (a perpetual History Day favorite topic) will be 100 years old next year. And he said that they are interested in sponsoring a Special Award at the 2011 New York State History Day contest. Yay! Here's the scoop:

"The American Labor Studies Center (ALSC) is sponsoring a Gold Medal special prize ($1000) in the National History Day (NHD) contest and a $250 special prize and the Kate Mullany Medal in the New York State NHD contest for the best entry in the 'American Labor History' category.

"The theme for the 2010-2011 National History Day Contest is 'Debate and Diplomacy: Successes, Failures, Consequences.'

"The centennial of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire will be commemorated on March 25, 2011. The event was one of the single most significant events in New York State history, not only because of the tragedy itself, but the extensive laws and regulations that followed and the growth of trade unions.

"The ALSC is encouraging students to consider a project relating to the Triangle Fire for submission to the NHD contests. Of particular significance relating to the theme is the discussion and debate that followed the fire with respect to its causes and what steps needed to be taken to prevent similar occurrences. Another theme to explore is the relevance of the Triangle Fire and its aftermath to contemporary workplace safety and health issues, sweatshops, child labor, labor law reform and the debate over the extent and nature of government regulations.

"The most important study on the Triangle Fire was done by the New York (State) Factory Investigating Commission that was composed of a number of important labor and political figures including Al Smith, Robert Wagner and Samuel Gompers.

"Perhaps the best single resource, among many is the web site of the Cornell University New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations Catherwood Library (http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/). Many of the original Commission documents are available at the New York State Office of Cultural Education Archives http://www.archives.nysed.gov/aindex.shtml).

"While there were a number of preliminary reports from a variety of sources including news accounts, labor press articles and others, probably the single best resource (available at both the Archives and the Cornell and web site) is the New York (State) Factory Investigating Commission, Fourth Report of the Factory Investigating Commission, 1915. 5 vols. Albany, J.B. Lyon company, printers, 1915, 1: 2-11.

"For additional information on American labor history, go to www.labor-studies.org."

Cool, huh? Each year NYS History Day offers an array of Special Awards during the state contest. To take a look at last year's Special Awards, visit http://nyshistoryday.org/Awards.htm

NARA's New Online Resource!

2010-09-22T11:20:00.002-04:00

I just learned about an amazing new resource from the National Archives and Records Administration. I usually feature innovations like these in the monthly enewsletter (which you can get by giving me your email address here), but this was too good to wait for the October issue. Here's the scoop, pulled directly from NARA's press release.

"Just in time for the start of a new school year, the National Archives announces the launch of www.DocsTeach.org, a new online tool for teaching with documents.

"Not only does the site invite educators to explore thousands of documents in a variety of media from the holding of the National Archives—items such as George Washington’s draft of the Constitution, the cancelled check for Alaska, Chuck Yeager’s notes on the first supersonic flight, and President Richard Nixon’s resignation letter—but it also allows teachers to combine these materials using clever tools to create engaging activities that students can access online.

"The seven tools featured on the site are designed to teach specific historical thinking skills—weighing evidence, interpreting data, focusing on details, and more. Each employs interactive components including puzzles, scales, maps, flow charts, and others that both teachers and students can tailor to their needs.
On the site, teachers can

1) browse or search for documents and activities,
2) customize any activity to fit the needs of a unique classroom,
3) create a brand new activity with its own web address from scratch, using one of seven distinctive tools, and
4) save and organize activities in an account to share with students.

"After participating in an activity, the site even allows students to submit their work to their teacher via e-mail.

"DocsTeach is revolutionary because the interactive is the lesson; teachers can create lessons from scratch, adapt lessons from others, or even let their students create the lessons; and a single suite of tools can be applied to a broad range of subjects and skill levels."

I played around on the site a little today, and I think its an amazing tool for students and teachers. If you are the kind of history fan that likes the challenge of sussing out historical information from political cartoons, symbols, letters, and other documents, I encourage you to try some of their activities. It's like a scavenger hunt for history!

Enjoy!

It's All about Diplomacy . . .

2010-09-15T10:04:00.003-04:00

Hi folks! I hope you had some time to consider the definitions of “Debate” from my last post. Today I want to investigate the meanings behind the word “diplomacy.”

First, I want to get something right out in the open. I know the theme sheet says that you can pick a topic that relates to a debate OR a diplomatic event. Yes, you don’t have to incorporate both concepts into your topic. But why not challenge yourself? I hope to illustrate in this post that diplomacy is one way of conducting a debate. So why not find a topic that includes both concepts? It will make your projects much stronger (and will make the judges much happier, if you catch my drift. *wink*)

So, moving on. Diplomacy. What is it? I again went to my go-to website, dictionary.com, to get some general definitions:
- the conduct by government officials of negotiations and other relations between nations.
- the art or science of conducting such negotiations.
- skill in managing negotiations, handling people, etc., so that there is little or no ill will; tact.

Ok, let’s deconstruct these definitions. Just like with debate, the first two definitions suggests that diplomacy is a formal process that involves international relations. This is also the definition that was first given in the annual theme sheet. Sure, diplomacy is most often associated with dealings between nations, but I am going to yet again argue for a broader definition that will enable you to pick any number of historical topics for your projects.

Let’s look at that third definition. Diplomacy is skill in handling a negotiation (debate!!) in a way that creates no bad feelings between the opposing sides. I suggest that diplomacy is a way that opposing parties can handle themselves in a debate in order to keep the process friendly.

Say you are still interested in the Progressive Era and are now looking for a topic that incorporates both a debate and diplomacy. What about the beginnings of labor unions? Did they start out as strikers demanding a better living wage, or did they first start out by trying to negotiate with the business owners in a diplomatic way?

This leads me to the last part of the theme: Successes, Failures, Consequences. Take note that these words imply that a diplomatic debate does not necessarily have to be successful in order to fit with the theme. In the case of the labor unions, clearly their attempts at diplomacy failed and they resorted to protests and striking to get their point across.

I think I am going to stop there, but next time I want to talk a little more in depth about this last part of the theme, as well as touch on that pesky “in History” business.

A New School Year, A New Annual Theme!

2010-09-14T10:14:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone! Welcome back to school, and welcome to another fun History Day year! As always, we hope to use this blog to start discussions about History Day topics and themes and share our two cents about the goings-on with the program.

I have already received several questions about this year’s theme, Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences. It’s a brand new never-been-done-before theme, and naturally it raises a lot of questions. If you haven’t yet read the theme sheet or looked through the theme book, you can get them from our website here.

I want to devote the next couple of blog posts to this theme, and I thought today I would touch on the first aspect: Debate.

So, what is the definition of “debate”? Here are a few I found (using dictionary.com):
- a discussion, as of a public question in an assembly, involving opposing viewpoints: a debate in the Senate on farm price supports.
- a formal contest in which the affirmative and negative sides of a proposition are advocated by opposing speakers.
- deliberation; consideration.

Ok, so let’s look at some of the key words in those definitions: discussion, opposing viewpoints, contest, affirmative, negative, advocated, deliberation, consideration. Now we are getting somewhere. Debates, in essence, are conflicts between two parties with opposing viewpoints.

You may also have noticed some differences in the definitions. The first two indicate that debates are formal processes. We’ve all heard of debate club, right? Or presidential debates when two people stand at podiums and argue their points of view on issues? Yes, those are definitely debates. But consider the third definition: a debate is a deliberation, a consideration of opposing viewpoints. In other words, debates don’t have to be formal processes. They can be arguments between individuals, groups of people, etc.

I encourage you to take this broad definition of “debate” as you start to look for your topics. I was emailing with a student last week who expressed an interest in the Progressive Era of the late 19th century. During that time, there were a lot of arguments over the proper course America should take as it adjusted to the changes of the industrial revolution. Who should take care of the poor, or should they be taken care of at all? What is the safest length for a work day – 8 hours? 10 hours? 12? These large questions started debates across the country. Maybe they weren’t formal debates, but opposing viewpoints did write their own newspapers and broadsides to get their points of view across to the public. They held marches and protests. Any of these social topics would fit within the debate part of this annual theme, as long as you incorporate both sides of the issue in your topic.

Questions? Write us in the comment box below so everyone can benefit!

Next time I will tackle the concept of “Diplomacy.” Yay!

In 5 minutes or less, you can help save NYS History Day funding!

2010-05-26T12:19:00.004-04:00

Hi folks. I know I seem like a broken record, asking you over and over and over and over again to contact your state legislators to ask them to save our state funding. But here I am, asking one more time.

As you know, funding provided in the New York State Education Department budget has enabled us to expand the program over the past four years. Statewide participation has nearly tripled. Our program staff has provided National History Day curriculum materials to participating schools free of cost, increased our in-person teacher and student trainings, and developed comprehensive lesson plans and curricula.

You also are undoubtedly aware of what a difficult time it is for the State of New York, and that budget cuts are a reality. Like many other valued and valuable programs, New York State History Day is on the proverbial chopping block.

You are the voices that can help us to preserve the $180,000 in state support for the New York State History Day program. Please help us by contacting your state Senator and Assembly Member and asking them to support New York State History Day.

Whether or not you have written to your legislators about History Day in the past, it is a critical time to remind our state officials how much History Day means to our state. And this time we are making the job of writing your legislators very easy.

All you need to do is download our letter, address it to your state senator and assembly member, sign and mail (or email) it to your legislator. No need to customize it (unless you want to.)

Here's what to do:

* Download our sample letter, which you can use to contact your local legislators here: http://www.nyshistoryday.org/NYSHDActionAlert.htm
* Visit www.congress.org and type in your zip code to find contact information (address and email) for your state senator and assembly member.
* Fax, mail or send your customized letters or e-mail as soon as possible.

Thank you for your continued support of New York State History Day!

Albany Teacher Wins National History Day Award

2010-05-20T09:48:00.003-04:00

Jerald Hensler, 10th grade global social studies teacher at LaSalle School in Albany, has won the 2010 National History Day Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award for New York State. The award recognizes outstanding National History Day teachers at both the state and national level. Criteria for the award include classroom experience with National History Day with preference given to teachers working with an “at risk” population, a documented commitment to student-led historical research, and evidence of creativity in the classroom that exceeds expected participation in the National History Day program.

National History Day, which is sponsored in New York State by the New York State Historical Association in Cooperstown, is the nation’s leading program for history education in the schools. The program annually engages over half a million students across the nation, and about 10,000 in New York State. Students research history topics of their choice related to an annual theme and create exhibits, documentaries, performances, papers and web sites, which they may enter in competitions at the regional, state, and national levels.

Hensler brought the National History Day program to LaSalle School in 2007. Founded in 1854 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers to serve abandoned and orphaned boys, La Salle School has developed into a multi-faceted human services agency. LaSalle schools serves boys in grades 6-12 who have social or emotional needs or who have been referred by the court system. Most of the students come from urban “high needs” schools and are at great risk of not graduating high school.

“Many of our students have never experienced any level of academic success,” noted Hensler in his nomination letter. “Once the students make the choice to participate in History Day, they are quickly surprised by their successes and their confidence in their academic abilities increases exponentially.”

Dr. Richard M. Medved, Assistant Director of Education for Curriculum and Instruction at LaSalle School, said, “Mr. Hensler is an energetic, competent, creative teacher who encourages and inspires his students. For [his students] to take an idea and to follow it through to a formal presentation in front of a set of judges and hundreds of visitors who ask challenging and thought-provoking questions is truly remarkable and a testament to Mr. Hensler’s supportive, encouraging, and skillful mentoring.”

Tobi Voigt, State Coordinator for the National History Day program in New York encouraged Hensler to apply for the award. “Jerry’s success with National History Day has been nothing short of amazing. He has used the program to increase his students’ knowledge of historical events and time periods and to help them build research and analysis skills. Their literacy skills have increased measurably; they have learned to express themselves clearly and concisely; and they have discovered how to think critically about their world. Most importantly, the students’ have realized that they are smart and have a voice that deserves to be heard.”

The New York State award includes a $500 cash prize. Hensler is now in contention for the national award, which will be selected from among the state awardees and announced during the 2010 National History Day competition in College Park, Maryland on Thursday, June 17. The national winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize.

For more information on New York State History Day or the 2010 Patricia Behring Award, e-mail the Tobi Voigt at nyshistoryday@nysha.org, or visit the New York State History Day web site at www.nyshistoryday.org.

*Photo credit: Hensler meets with members of the LaSalle Student Senate, which he cofounded with history teacher Allan Landau in 2009. Photo courtesy of LaSalle School*

New State and National Teacher Award!

2010-04-15T11:58:00.004-04:00

I just got wind of a new National History Day Teacher Award, and I think you'll agree that it's pretty great. Not only will it honor TWO New York teachers, but it comes with a $500 cash prize! Each! Take a look at the info from the National History Day office below:

"The Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award recognizes outstanding NHD teachers. Two state winners, one at both the junior level and senior levels, will be selected from each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Schools, International Schools-Asia and the U.S. territories. The winners of the national awards will be selected from among the state awardees. Each state winner will be awarded $500.00 and the national winners will receive $10,000.

Selection Criteria

A minimum of five years classroom experience with National History Day and preference is given to a teacher working with an “at risk” population, defined as a student population that has a low graduation rate

A documented commitment to student-led historical research

Evidence of creativity in the classroom that exceeds expected participation in NHD

Eligibility

Any full time NHD classroom teacher grades 6-12

Supporting materials

Nominee’s resume

A letter of introduction to the nominee’s classroom written by the nominee that details the value of NHD for the specific student demographics and describes the curriculum and how students excel academically because of the historical research

A recommendation from an immediate supervisor or a district or state coordinator or a parent

Application information

Download an application form by clicking here.

Nominations must be received by the New York State History Day office by Friday, May 7, 2010.

Nominations can be emailed (preferred) to nyshistoryday@nysha.org

Nominations can be mailed to: New York State History Day, PO Box 800, Cooperstown, NY 13326

All state winners are finalists for the national prizes. The nomination packet will then be submitted for the state winners to the national office. The national winners of the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award, at the junior and senior levels, will each receive a $10,000 cash award."

I regret that I can't get this together in time for the State Contest on April 30th, but I want to give everyone a chance to get the nomination materials together. Oh, and teachers? Nominate yourselves! I am serious. And if you want me to write a letter of recommendation for you, drop me an email: t.voigt@nysha.org. I look forward to hearing from MANY of you!!

And the T-shirt Contest Winner is . . .

2010-03-04T10:00:00.015-05:00

This year, we organized our first t-shirt design contest. We opened it up to current History Day students, alums, teachers and even parents.

The design criteria were simple, and included the following stipulations: The design had to be inspired by National History Day and/or New York State History Day and could not contain information on a specific annual theme. It had to include the words “New York State History Day,” and be something that a boy, girl, man or woman would want to wear, even if they don’t know much about History Day.

I am pleased to say that we received four entries by our contest deadline, which was Friday, February 26. All entries were from students with History Day experience, either as participants or siblings of a participant. The winner, who I will announce shortly, will receive a $100 cash prize and have his or her design printed on a t-shirt for sale at the state contest on Thursday, April 29th and Friday, April 30th.

But first, let me share with you our four design entries!

From Mickey Quinn, former NYSHD participant from Glenville, NY:

From Stephen Reisig, brother of NYSHD participant Lauren Reisig, from Massapequa Park, NY:

From Sophia Flanagan, participating NYSHD student from New York, NY:

From Albert Tai, participating NYSHD student from New York, NY:

The staff at the New York State Historical Association viewed all the entries this week and were forced to make some tough choices. In the end, we were able to decide on one winner.

And the winner is . . . .

STEPHEN REISIG

Stephen had the following to say about his entry: "This design represents the many different aspects of the great state of New York. There is the Empire State Building in the city skyline, the 'Big Apple' in the center and the Adirondack Mountains. I went with a sort of Urban theme, because I thought that when a person thinks of New York, they obviously think of the city, but I also brought in the mountains to show the rural aspect of New York. The final part of my design is the book at the bottom, which ties this logo to history day itself."

Because every design for this year's contest was fantastic, we will be making all the designs available for purchase on coffee mugs, t-shirts and more at our online store: http://www.cafepress.com/nyshd

Thank you to Stephen, Mickey, Sophia and Albert for your thoughtful designs!

ACTION ALERT! NYS History Day Needs Your Help!

2010-02-11T16:21:00.003-05:00

Hi friends! It's been a while, but that usually means that we're up to something good in the New York State History Day office. I don't want to give too much away, but this year's t-shirts and buttons are simply brilliant! You'll have to wait until the State Contest to see them, though. Sorry!

Today I am posting about a more serious matter. Yes, it's that time of year where I beg you all to help us keep New York State History Day funded by the state. Over the past four years, members of the New York State Senate (especially our good friend, Senator James Seward) have recognized the value of our History Day program with an $180,000 appropriation in the State Education Department budget. This funding has enabled us to expand the program, and, since 2006, statewide participation has nearly tripled.

We've used a lot of the funding to provide National History Day curriculum materials to participating schools free of cost (did you know that many states have to charge for the Theme Book?), increased our in-person teacher and student trainings and attendance at regional contests, and developed comprehensive lesson plans and curricula.

But here's the catch with the funding: it doesn't automatically renew each year. Instead, we need to ask our state legislators to include us in the budget each year. Thanks to the overwhelming support of teachers, students, and parents, we have been successful in renewing the funding for the past three years.

So, again I find myself asking for your help. I can (and do) harass our state Senators and Assembly Members all the time to tell them how important History Day is to our state and its students. But it means more if it comes from YOU, the actual participants in the program. So please, please, please, write a letter to your local representatives today.

I've even created a template letter for you to start with, and information on how to find the contact information for your local legislators. You can find it all at our website here: http://www.nyshistoryday.org/NYSHDActionAlert.htm

A million thank yous in advance from a very lucky History Day Coordinator!

2010 NYS History Day T-Shirt Design Contest

2010-01-14T15:01:00.005-05:00

New York State History Day, and its statewide sponsor, the New York State Historical Association, are pleased to announce a t-shirt design contest for the 2009-2010 program year. Current and former students, teachers and parents are invited to submit an original design for the front of a t-shirt by Friday, February 26, 2010. The winning design will be featured on a t-shirt at the 2010 New York State History Day contest.

Prizes

The winning design will be featured on a t-shirt that will be available for purchase at the 2010 New York State History Day contest in Cooperstown, NY.

In addition, the winner will receive a cash prize of $100.

Although there is only one winner, other top designs may be featured on t-shirts and other promotional materials at the New York State History Day contest and/or online store: http://www.cafepress.com/nyshd

Design Guidelines
Your design:

Should be inspired by National History Day and/or New York State History Day.

Can not contain information on a specific annual theme.

Should include the words “New York State History Day.”

Should be something that a boy, girl, man or woman would want to wear, even if they don’t know much about History Day.

Must be an original work and can not contain trademarks, copyrighted works, intellectual property, names, likenesses or images of any real person or entity.

Should be created using computer software, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc. If you use another means to make your design (for example, hand drawing), you must provide print-ready computer files of the design.

Should contain a maximum of four colors. You must also indicate your preferred shirt color (or colors) with your submission.

Can be for the front of the shirt only, and must fit within a 10” wide x 13” high rectangular area.

Submission Information

Entry is open to all current or former students, teachers or parents who have participated in New York State History Day. Entries from students under the age of 18 must be accompanied by parent/guardian permission/release.

Any submitted design becomes the property of New York State History Day/New York State Historical Association. However, entrant/designer will be credited for the design as applicable.

By submitting a design, you agree that it can be used by New York State History Day/New York State Historical Association on a t-shirt and/or other promotional items.

New York State History Day/New York State Historical Association reserves the right to make adjustments to any submitted design before publication.

How to Submit a Design

All designs must be submitted via email to nyshistoryday@nysha.org by Friday, February 26, 2010. Late entries will not be accepted.

Designs must be in PDF format, with a maximum file size of 5 MB.

Email text must include the following information: Name; Age; Home Address, City, State, Zip; Preferred email address; Preferred phone number

If entrant is under 18 years old, please also include: Name of parent/guardian; Email address of parent/guardian; Daytime phone of parent/guardian

Lastly, please also indicate your relationship to New York State History Day (i.e. participating student, teacher, parent, former participant, etc.),

And a brief description of/explanation about the design (100 words or less)

The winning design will be announced via the New York State History Day website, blog and Facebook page on Friday, March 5, 2010.

Guest Blog - Mandy Kritzeck, NYSHD Intern

2009-12-30T11:33:00.004-05:00

Our last post in 2009 comes from the newest addition to the New York State History Day Staff: Mandy Kritzeck. Mandy is no stranger to History Day. As an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, Mandy became very involved in National History Day in Minnesota. Mandy moved to New York in August to pursue a Master's Degree in History Museum Studies at the Cooperstown Graduate Program. We are excited to have her expertise in New York!

This year’s New York State History Day theme is Innovation in History: Impact and Change. Looking around your kitchen you can probably name many innovative objects. Cooking over an open flame became outdated with the invention of the stove, and food can be stored for much longer without spoiling after the invention of the refrigerator.

But, there’s another innovation that is highly visible, but not often looked at. Take a look at the wallpaper. Invented around 1509 in England, wallpaper started becoming fashionable in America around the middle of the 18th century. What started as a trend among the upper elite became commonplace with the invention of wallpaper printing machines, which used cylinders to roll on the print. This was a significant upgrade from the tedious method of block printing. Records show 100 million rolls of wallpaper were printed in the U.S. in 1890 in factories like the Syracuse Paper & Pulp Co., which claimed to be “the largest wall paper factory in the world.” (Lynn, Wallpapers in America 479) What did this level of industry mean for the United States in the late 19th century? What other industries were big at this time? By placing the innovation of wallpaper manufacturing in context with American labor history, you’ve got an excellent History Day topic!

A great way to start researching is to figure out the basics: who, what when where and why. Looking at the wallpaper gives you an idea of the work that went into manufacturing it – quite different from the digitally printed wallpaper you might find in your home! Primary sources are key to a great History Day project, and the New York State Historical Association in Cooperstown has many original samples of historic wallpapers available for you to research. Or, take a visit to The Farmers’ Museum where you can see accurate reproductions of paper hangings on the walls of the Jonas More House. To get a more broad understanding of wallpaper manufacturing, check out Wallpapers in Historic Preservation, a manual produced by the National Park Service available online at http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/tpsd/wallpaper/index.htm.

Works Cited
Dossie, Robert. The handmaid to the arts. London, 1758. Vol 2.

Lynn Frangiamore, Catherine. Wallpaper in America from the seventeenth century to World War I. New York: W.W. Norton, 1980.

Lynn Frangiamore, Catherine. Wallpapers in Historic Preservation. Washington, DC: Technical Preservation Services Division, Office of Archeological and Historic Preservation, National Park Service, 1977. http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/tpsd/wallpaper/index.htm(accessed October 11, 2009).

Photo Credit
Wallpaper sample W05a(2), mid 19th century, American. From the collection of the New York State Historical Association. Info: Paper with a hair-based plaster backing. White, mint green and gold temper paint, machine printed on paper with a light blue gounding.

Citation Clarification

2009-12-14T11:07:00.002-05:00

An email came through from the National History Day office last week that I thought I should share with everyone. It is about citing sources in History Day bibliographies. Here's the text:

A Note on Accepted Styles for NHD Projects

The two accepted styles for citations and bibliographies in NHD projects are:
1. Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
2. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Whichever style students choose to use, it is important that they remain consistent with that style throughout their NHD project and bibliography. It is also important that they remain consistent to whichever edition of that style they are using. While the NHD Rule Book indicates the 5th edition of the MLA guide, students are allowed to use the 5th edition and any edition coming after it (6th and 7th). However, they must be consistent and only use one edition.

Changes in MLA’s New 7th edition
It has been brought to our attention that some of the changes in the new 7th edition of the MLA handbook, published in 2009, are quite different from previous editions; which could cause confusion for students, teachers and judges. A few examples of these changes include:
- URLs are no longer required for citations of web sources
- For each citation, it is required to indicate what type of source it is by placing the medium of publication at the end of the citation; “Print,” “Web,” “Film,” “Personal Interview,” etc.

There is a good website that highlights the main points of the new MLA 7th edition: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/.

All History Day judges will be informed of these changes so they do not unfarily penalize a student for using the most recent MLA edition. However, students should remember that judges are most concerned with looking for consistency within the projects and bibliographies.

Don't forget: students can still use the Turabian style (which is preferred by historians). They do not have to use the new MLA guide.

Guest Blog - Christopher Zarr, National Archives

2009-11-13T11:28:00.007-05:00

Hi folks, it's Tobi here. I am so very pleased to offer our first blog post written by a friend of New York State History Day! So, without further ado, I present to you Christopher Zarr, Education Specialist from the National Archives at New York City!

The records of the National Archives can be used to tell numerous stories of innovation. As the federal government’s record keeper, the creative new approaches taken in the political, technological, social and culture sphere are evident in our records. Whether one is trying to tell the story of the Apollo program and their mission to the moon or the various inventions of Thomas Edison, the primary sources of the National Archives can help strengthen and support National History Day projects.

As all participants in National History Day are aware, primary sources are a key element to success. After gaining a better understanding of your topic using a variety of secondary sources (such as textbooks, historian’s articles, etc), NHD participants must start researching primary sources to support and strengthen their investigation. This research is essential because primary sources allow the NHD competitor to truly become a historian. By researching these sources on the internet or visiting a local archives, library, or museum, the NHD competitor is using the same tools that historians use everyday. When one analyzes and interprets a variety of resources and synthesizes that information to fit the annual theme, better quality work is achieved.

The breadth and depth of primary sources available at the National Archives is astonishing. With over 10 billion pages of textual resources, 93,000 motion picture films, 5.5 million maps, charts, & architectural drawings, 207,000 sound and video recordings, 540,000 artifacts, 18 million aerial photographs, 35 million still pictures and posters, and 3.5 billion electronic records, the records of the National Archives fill over 3.5 million cubic feet in facilities around the country. If all of the paper records in the National Archives holdings were laid side by side, they would encircle the planet 57 times. The National Archives at New York City facility in lower Manhattan currently holds nearly 100,000 cubic feet of records from 100 federal agencies from New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. Among these records are numerous stories of innovative ideas and people throughout history. National History Day competitors can help bring these stories of innovation to light.

For example, the National Archives at New York City’s holdings include numerous court cases concerning patent infringement issues of technological marvels. Frequently among these records are photographs, depositions, and other statements that explain the history behind an important invention. One such court case in our holdings involves the Wright Brothers. The 1909 case concerns a suspected patent infringement brought against Glenn Curtiss by the famous siblings for violating their patent on the airplane. The file includes several photographs of early planes in flight, technical drawings, and a lengthy statement given and signed by Wilbur and Orville Wright about their invention.

An example of a governmental innovation concerns the US Food Administration during the First World War. In an effort to conserve resources for both American troops and allied civilians overseas, the Federal government embarked on a major multifaceted campaign. Posters were created, speeches given, and recipes were distributed around the country. This voluntary effort led to a 15% domestic reduction of food. This campaign was an innovation both in its organization and its effects (short-term and long-term). Not only did this effort lead to feeding millions overseas, it also was the first large-scale federal government effort that touched every American in its impact. This action laid the foundation for future government intervention as many involved in this effort became New Dealers during the 1930s. The National Archives at New York City has over 104 cubic feet concerning the actions of the Food Boards of New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico. Among these records are correspondence, investigations, bimonthly reports concerning recent actions, and a large collection of recipes created to help Americans become wheatless, meatless, and sugarless in their cooking.

To find these records, and countless others concerning innovation, the easiest way is to search our Archival Research Catalog at www.archives.gov/research/arc. This catalog provides thousands of digital copies of records as well as providing the physical location of other records that competitors can request. While there are currently millions of digital copies of National Archives records available online, over 99% of our holdings are only available at the archival facility where the record is stored. The National Archives DC staff has also created a page for the NHD contest at www.archives.gov/research/arc/education/national-history-day-2010.html.

For more information about some of the topics that can be discovered at the National Archives at New York City, see our brochure at www.archives.gov/northeast/nyc/education/2010-nhd-flyer.pdf

New York's Automobile Innovator

2009-11-11T14:39:00.013-05:00

Last Friday I spent the day in Plattsburgh conducting a History Day workshop with Rich Strum, our North Country regional coordinator from Fort Ticonderoga. The Battle of Plattsburgh Association graciously offered us their museum for the day, and a handful of teachers, Rich and I spent our time exploring the History Day program, making some posters based on key concepts of the rule book, and discussing the annual theme. A good time was had by all.

Toward the end of the day, several area historical organizations came in to talk about the resource materials they have on hand. One such place, the Champlain Valley Transportation Museum, came armed with a fascinating potential topic that fits this year's theme, Innovation in History: Impact and Change.

The story begins with one man: Henry Abraham Lozier. In the 19th-century, Mr. Lozier made his fortune in the sewing machine business. By 1880 he became fascinated with the newest transportation craze, the bicycle. He decided to set up his own shop in Cleveland, Ohio, with the goal of creating the highest-quality bicycles in the world. Lozier's bicycles included tandems that could be steered from the front or back seat and bicycles with adjustable seats and handlebars so that they could grow along with their child owners.

By the late 1890s, the bicycle craze was ending and Mr. Lozier sold his business and moved his family to his favorite vacation spot on Lake Champlain: Plattsburgh, New York. It was in Plattsburgh that Mr. Lozier, his son Harry, and some key engineers began dabbling in motors. They first built boat motors, and then, at the turn of the 20th century, turned their attention to motor cars.

Like with their bicycle operation, the Lozier family prided themselves on quality craftsmanship. Their cars, which were engineered, designed, and built in Plattsburgh from 1900 until 1910, were the first luxury vehicles in the world. In 1910, when the average annual income was about $750, Lozier cars were selling for $4,600 to $7,750! In comparison, that same year a new Cadillac sold for around $1,600 and a Packard for $3,200.

A Lozier car participated in the very first Indianapolis 500 race in 1911. The car, driven by Ralph Mulford, raced to the finish line neck-and-neck with another vehicle that was manufactured in Indiana. Officials determined that the car manufactured in the race's home state won first place, but many observers felt that the Lozier had actually won.

As the race to build the best automobile intensified in the second decade of the 20th century, many small companies went out of business as automotive giants like General Motors and the Ford Motor Company began to dominate the industry. In 1915, the Loziers' failed to sell their company to Ford, and ended up declaring bankruptcy.

I found this story very compelling. Here was an American innovator who built the first luxury motor vehicle in America. Lozier's engineers, particularly George R. Burwell and John G. Perrin, developed advanced mechanical systems that greatly impacted automobile development in the 20th century. What I liked most about the story is its New York State connection, and the fact that it is again a little-known piece of American history that did have an impact on a national and international level.

For more information about the Lozier company, talk to the folks at the Champlain Valley Transportation Museum. They have several Lozier cars in the museum and a plethora of helpful primary and secondary sources.

Speaking of primary sources, here are my photo credits:
1. H. A. Lozier & Co., Shakespeare Would Ride the Bicycle If Alive Today: "The Reasons Why." Courtesy of "Trade Catalogs in the University of Delaware Library" Online Exhibition
2. Informal portrait of automobile driver R. Mulford and mechanic Joe Horan sitting in a Lozier automobile in Elgin, Illinois. Chicago Daily News negatives collection, DN-0003451. Courtesy of Chicago History Museum.
3. Lozier Motor Company Letterhead. Accessed from Oldmarineengine.com

Developing a Thesis and Other Writing Gems

2009-11-04T13:12:00.006-05:00

I can't start this post without giving credit to Lauren and Mark at Washington (State) History Day for the great resource. I've had the pleasure of getting to know them a bit over the last year, and they run an amazing program. I am a fan of Washington History Day on Facebook, and they posted an amazing link to the Harvard Writing Center that I knew I had to share with you.

In a nutshell, Harvard has a great document on developing a thesis. You can find it here: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/Thesis.html Right at the beginning, the authors (who are Maxine Rodburg and the Tutors of the Writing Center at Harvard University) get into defining what a thesis isn't:

"An effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no.' A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. 'Reasons for the fall of communism' is a topic. 'Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe' is a fact known by educated people. 'The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe' is an opinion. (Superlatives like 'the best' almost always lead to trouble. It's impossible to weigh every 'thing' that ever happened in Europe. And what about the fall of Hitler? Couldn't that be 'the best thing'?)"

I think this is critically important, and I like how they have listed three different things: topic, fact, and opinion. In a way, all are necessary in a full thesis statement, but by themselves, none make up a thesis statement. They go on to explain what a thesis statement is:

"A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should 'telegraph' how you plan to argue — that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay."

Ok, let's decode that sentence. We see that they use the word "argue" in there twice. That's a key part of a thesis statement: Like a lawyer at a criminal trial, you have to make a point about your topic and then provide all the evidence that shows why your point is correct.

With History Day, your thesis must relate to the annual theme in a key way. This year, you need to prove that your topic was an innovation. Secondly, your thesis also must show how your topic is significant in history (this is where the "impact" and "change" of the theme come in.) For example, everyone knows that Brain Beesley, Claude Brandt and Liao Zhiwen invented the hot dog cooker and bun toaster, but has it really made an impact on society? (What? You didn't know who invented that? Well, now you do. And you also have a link to a website that will give you patent information on other innovations in history. :-) )

Ok, let's fast-forward a little bit. Let's say you have a working thesis statement ready. You are arguing that the invention of the hot dog toaster revolutionized American home dining in the 1980s. (Yes, I know, that's a TERRIBLE thesis statement. And probably not at all true either. But bear with me here.) Once you have your thesis statement, our friends at Harvard say:

"Once you have a working thesis, you should think about what might be said against it. This will help you to refine your thesis, and it will also make you think of the arguments that you'll need to refute later on in your essay. (Every argument has a counter-argument. If yours doesn't, then it's not an argument—it may be a fact, or an opinion, but it is not an argument.)"

So, let's say John "That-History-Day-Guy" Buchinger reads your thesis and says, "Hmmm, wouldn't you say the invention of the home microwave oven had just as much - if not more - of a significant impact on American dining in the 1980s?"

Ok, he has a point. So you decided to refine your thesis as follows, "Although the invention of both the microwave oven and the hot dog toaster revolutionized American home dining in the 1980s, the hot dog toaster's lower cost meant more Americans were able to purchase and use them during the decade."

Wow. My example is just getting worse. But I hope you get my point: a part of a good thesis (and project) is anticipating what the counter-arguments are and acknowledging them in your thesis statement. (I made all those facts up, by the way. Please don't do your project on the hot dog toaster.)

Alright, this post is long, so it's time to wrap it up. As you can see from my terrible example, writing a good thesis statement isn't the easiest thing in the world. But if you have done some background reading on your topic and have an idea of what you want to argue, it doesn't have to be that hard.

The folks at the Harvard Writing school have several more thesis writing tips, as well as a host of other writing resources at their Writing Resource Center: http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k33202&pageid=icb.page143936. Check it out!

History Day Research Resources

2009-10-27T13:19:00.005-04:00

This autumn has been full of teacher workshops on doing historical research for the National History Day program. A highlight of creating this new workshop has been the research tools we've been able to gather. I'd like to share some books that I have found that have helped me learn how to be a better historian.

If you don't own it yet, you should invest in National History Day's publication, A Guide to Historical Research Through the National History Day Program. As part of NHD's Making History Series, it is a soup-to-nuts guide for historical research. In the book, they divide historical research into 8 steps, from selecting an organizational system to completing an entry. It is a teacher guide that contains background information, text for students, handouts, and transparencies. It is also flexible enough to be helpful for the most seasoned History Day teacher as well as newbies, and for a 6th through 12th grade student body. The book is $39, and can be purchased directly from National History Day at their website: http://www.nhd.org/cart/

Another valuable research guide for students is a little book that changed my life when I was a History major in college. I highly recommend Melvin Page and Richard Marius's A Short Guide to Writing about History. What I love the most is the way that the authors take the complex process of historical research and spell it out in easy to read and understand paragraphs. Here's a sample of what I mean, pulled from the introduction of my ratty old copy: "All historical writing begins as an effort to answer questions about origins, happenings, and consequences. We find a puzzle and try to solve it. When you write a paper for a history course, you must do the same thing - find a problem that stirs your curiosity and try to solve it. If you don't have a problem, you don't have a paper." Although it was written with college students in mind, I believe that most History Day students can benefit from this little tome. You can buy it on Amazon.com for $35.

I also want to recommend two more books, both which are advanced reading but can undoubtedly provide teachers and high-performing high school students with new perspectives on historical analysis. The first is called After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection by James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle. Like with the Short Guide, I read on older edition of this book when I was a History major. It provides guidance on conducting historical research by examining a variety of research sources (such as oral histories, photographs, film, church and town records, census data and novels) through real-life historical investigations. In my older edition, the chapters focus on the Salem Witch Trials, Frederick Jackson Turner and the American Frontier, and the mad abolitionist John Brown. I liked that the authors put the skills into historical context, and that I was able to learn how to analyze sources by reading examples of strong analysis. Today, the book is available on Amazon.com with a Primary Source investigation CD-rom for $55.

The second title is one I heard about from Cathy Gorn and Ann Claunch at the National History Day office. It is called Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past, and it was written by Sam Wineburg. Unlike the other books, which were written for historians, Wineburg addresses the teaching of history. In essence, his essays challenge the conventional notion that history is a series of names and dates, and provide educators with tools that will help them teach students to think like historians. I'll admit, I haven't made it all the way through this book yet; Wineburg relies heavily on his cognitive psychology background and it's pretty intense reading. For example, his first chapter explores the concept of "presentism" - the act of viewing the past through the lens of the present. Presentism happens when we, as historians, can not separate our personal views and values from our interpretations of the past. It is a form of bias that can color historical analysis in a negative way. Personally, presentism isn't a concept I would introduce to a 6th grade classroom because it requires a pretty advanced level of abstract thinking to comprehend. But as an educator, I will find this knowledge helpful as I mentor students through the study of history. You can purchase this book from Amazon.com for about $20.

I hope these titles help you and your students navigate the chartered and uncharted territories of historical research. If I can be the machete that helps you cut through the overgrowth of the research jungle, then I feel I am doing my part!

Virtual Visit

2009-10-09T11:19:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, John and I spent the day in the New York State Historical Association's Distance Learning center. We spoke to four different social studies classes at Suffern Middle School using our videoconferencing equipment. For me, it was the first time I presented History Day to students. Most of the time I do my outreach presentations for teachers. I enjoyed yesterday immensely.

We had just over a half hour for each of the sessions, and we focused on introducing the History Day program and sharing steps for approaching historical research. We talked about the importance of relating topics to the annual theme and about the importance of thesis statements. John spent about ten minutes showing the students how to navigate Library of Congress online resources, primarily America's Library and American Memory.

What I loved the most is how engaged the students were with us. Even though we were interacting with them through a TV screen, they answered our questions with enthusiasm. They were a smart bunch, too. When we asked each class if they could define what a primary source was, they had very clear and concise answers that were perfect!

Yesterday made me realize that videoconferencing is one way John and I can reach more students across New York State; we can't always travel, but we certainly can take an hour or so to talk with you on a videoconference.

If you have access to videoconferencing technology in your school or district, consider setting up a distance learning program with us. We can talk to teachers or students, and we can be flexible to fit your schedule. Take a look at our current outreach offerings on our website: http://ny.nhd.org/OutreachServices.htm

Contact us if you would like to set up a videoconference visit: nyshistoryday@nysha.org

Citizenship 101

2009-10-01T16:19:00.004-04:00

I often reflect that my favorite part of the History Day program is its ability to help students develop the critical thinking skills that are necessary for good citizenship. This concept is central to the mission of National History Day: "The future of democracy depends on an inspired, thoughtful and informed citizenry. Historical understanding is crucial to that process. National History Day teaches essential historical literacy that motivates students to secure the future of democracy."

A large part of my experience with History Day as of late has been writing to our state legislators. In the past two weeks, I wrote every New York State Senator and Assemblymember, thanking them for remembering our program in the state budget last year. I also shared the names and schools of all the students in their districts who won awards and medals at the regional, state, or national competitions. This was no small feat; it took me several days to type out those individual sentences for each of the 212 letters.

Why did I do it? Firstly, the New York State History Day program is supported largely by a line item in the state budget. The funding is a great gift of our legislature, who see the value in the History Day program. However, we need to ask them to remember us every year in order to sustain our funding. Writing these letters is a key way for us to say, "Hey! Don't forget us! We're doing great things and we're worthy of some dollars!"

But more importantly, I did it because writing elected officials is a big part of being a good citizen. History Day is a cause I feel passionate about, and when I get an audience with a state Senator or one of New York's Representative's to Congress, I feel like I am making a difference. I am doing my part to keep America's democracy strong.

If you have never had a reason to write your local state Senator or Assembly member, I'd like to offer you an opportunity to do so now. Please consider calling, emailing, or writing a letter to your local elected official to let them know you are also passionate about History Day. I can write the statistics, but you have the compelling stories about how History Day has changed you or your students' lives. It will only take a few minutes, and it could make a huge difference for you, your student, your school, and for New York State History Day.

If you aren't sure who your state officials are, you can find them by typing in your zip code and address at www.congress.org. And please, send me a copy of your email or letter. I love reading your stories as much as the legislators do! You can contact me at any time at t.voigt@nysha.org or 607-547-1534. Thank you!!

How innovative are we talking about here?

2009-09-23T15:17:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I met with a group of teachers and the New York City and Long Island Coordinators at the Museum of the City of New York. My purpose was to provide some outreach training, mainly on helping students to develop stronger research skills. The group was fantastic, and the teachers all taught in high schools around New York City.

We spent quite a bit of time discussing this year's annual theme: Innovation in History: Impact and Change. We highlighted key phrases in the annual theme sheet that could help us better define it; we came up with "creative new approaches," "change," discoveries," and so on. We talked about the importance for topics to address the impact and change of the innovation, as well as the person or event itself.

I realized in the midst of the conversation that I had the "impact" and "change" part down pat, but I was struggling for that perfect definition of "innovation."

Eugene, a teacher in Brooklyn, asked if the Brooklyn Bridge could be considered an innovation because it was the first bridge across the East River and it opened up Brooklyn and Long Island to rapid development and economic change.

I immediately said, "Absolutely! Look at the impact the bridge had! Look at the changes that resulted!"

I then noticed that Franco, a teacher from Manhattan, had a very puzzled look on his face. "But where's the innovation?" He asked. "The Brooklyn Bridge was certainly not the first of its kind."

Hmmm. He had a point. And that brought up the next logical question: "How innovative does the innovation have to be?" I mean, I don't want students to have to go back to scribbles on a cave wall in order to discuss innovation in art. Does "innovation" mean the very first of a kind?

I suggest that we avoid such a severe definition of innovation. Even the annual theme sheet acknowledges that Thomas Edison's inventions had help from the works of others before him. And it acknowledges that other innovators took inspiration from Edison's ideas. Surely an innovation doesn't have to be the very first of anything.

Instead, I urge teachers and students to consider specific times and places when thinking about innovation. The Brooklyn Bridge may not have been the first suspension bridge in the world, but when it was built in the 1880s it was the longest and the first to use steel-wire construction methods. So there were some "firsts" there. But when I consider the time and place, my question now becomes, "Was the Brooklyn Bridge innovative for New York City in the late 19th century?" I would need to do some background reading on this to answer definitively, but I think I could make the argument that it was an innovation.

And that's the whole point: Can you argue convincingly that your topic was innovative? As long as you gather compelling evidence that supports your hypothesis, then you've covered your basis and related your topic to the annual theme.

If you are interested in being part of a discussion on the annual theme, I would suggest joining the H-Historyday listserv. There has been a great theme discussion going on there among teachers, coordinators and historians for a week or two, and it's a great place to share ideas and get support. Visit http://www.h-net.org/~histday/ to learn more.

A Guide to the Library of Congress

2009-09-15T11:33:00.009-04:00

I am slowly becoming reconciled to the fact that some of the best primary sources for History Day projects can be found online. Just because I spent my youth researching at the library, buried in card catalog entries (and did I mention I had to walk to the library? Up hill? Both ways? ;-)), doesn't mean that using the internet for research is cheating.

However, I still believe that using Google Image Search for pictures, YouTube for archival footage and Wikipedia for content is a little bit like cheating. Well, maybe not cheating; more like laziness. None of these web sites are the originator or owner of those items. Using a historical photo from Google Image search is a bit like downloading illegal music onto your computer; the person who actually owns that image or song doesn't get the credit. Good researchers find the owner of the sources they are citing, and most of those are archives, libraries, and museums.

The good news is that several reputible organizations are using the internet to make their sources easily accessible. The National Archives not only has an online database, but also a Facebook Page, a blog, a Twitter feed and more to help people connect with their materials.

These are the sources I want to see on bibliographies, and I want to do what I can to make accessing them easier for students and teachers. To that end, I have spent some time playing around on the Library of Congress's web site, www.loc.gov. I have learned a thing or two that has helped me find primary sources in American Memory, bolster up my workshops on using primary sources, and more. I want to share this info with you.

The most helpful resource I found was an online tutorial to the website. It was buried on the Teachers section (www.loc.gov/teachers), and it is an interactive introduction to the website. You can check it out here: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/tpsdirect/selfdirected/

It is no secret that using the Library of Congress's American Memory site is very overwhleming. There are a few tips I learned during that tutorial that have helped me a lot. Firstly, don't do a blind topic search from the American Memory home page. Instead, narrow your focus first by clicking on the "More browse options" link at the bottom of the home page. Then, you can search by topic, by time period, by type of collection (photos, maps, etc.), or even geographic region.

The Teachers section of the LOC website has been recently updated and expanded. It not only has primary source sets on topics like the settlement of Jamestown, the Dust Bowl, and Japanese-American internment camps during WWII, but it also has some fantastic worksheets and activities on analyzing primary sources. This link on using primary sources is most helpful: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/

I think you'll find the Library of Congress a great History Day resource. It is worth the time to take the tutorials; a whole new world of primary sources is available to you, and you can feel good about it because you'll be getting them from the original source.

Armstrong's Floating Airports: Innovation in History

2009-09-07T10:01:00.012-04:00

I saw a great segment on PBS’s History Detectives today that I wanted to share with you. I thought it was a perfect topic for this year’s theme, Innovation in History: Impact and Change.

It told the story of Edward R. Armstrong, a Canadian-born American engineer who, in the 1920s, proposed a series of floating airports across the Atlantic Ocean. At that time, passenger airplanes could not fly non-stop across the ocean. Armstrong’s proposed “Seadrome” project would solve that problem. Each floating airport would have luxury hotels and restaurants where passengers could rest while the planes refueled.

Armstrong built a prototype of the Seadrome in Chester, Pennsylvania, and tested it successfully in Choptank River in Maryland. On October 23, 1929, The New York Times claimed that construction on the first Seadrome would begin in 60 days. However, the stock market crash within the next few days crippled the project. Investors pulled their support, and Armstrong’s Seadrome project was put on hold.

Armstrong appealed to the government for support and met with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt brought Armstrong before the Federal Aviation Commission in 1934. However, his former ally on the project, Charles Lindburgh, testified against the Seadrome. Lindburgh was working for Pan American airlines at the time, which was working on planes that could make trans-Atlantic flights. Lindburgh’s testimony effectively ended the project. With advances in aviation technology, the Seadrome project was obsolete before it even began. Armstrong never saw his Seadrome airports become a reality.

So how is this an appropriate topic for this year’s theme, you wonder? Clearly Armstrong’s invention failed. A key part of this year’s theme is Impact and Change. What impact did Armstrong have, if his clever innovation was never built? How did he change our world? Well, the engineering technology Armstrong developed for the Seadrome is still being used today for semi-submersible off-shore oil rigs. Armstrong may not have seen his original vision become a reality, but he was, in a way, the father of modern oil drilling.

To learn more about Armstrong and his Seadrome project, check out these links:

Web Site Category Makes Some Big Changes

2009-09-04T16:49:00.005-04:00

I’ve got some very good news! National History Day has made some positive changes to the web site category. In the past few years, students have used individual software programs like PowerPoint or iWeb to create their web site entries. These entries would then be put on a CD and sent in to the regional, state or national offices weeks ahead of the contest date. The result of this process was a technology disaster. Everyone was very confused about not using a live internet connection to view the projects.

The good news is that the whole process has changed. For the 2009-2010 school year, National History Day is debuting a new system for the web site category. In a nutshell, all students’ projects must be created using an online web site creator developed by Weebly.com for the History Day program.

What do you mean by “web site creator,” you ask? Well, it’s basically a website that allows visitors to create their own web site. (Remember Freeweb? It’s sorta like that.) The student-created web sites will be saved on the web site creator’s server, and not on a personal computer hard drive. And yes, you’ll need an internet connection to access it.

Why has National History Day done this? National History Day believes that this new process will make everything from creating the websites to entering them into competition easier. NHD has a dedicated portal to their safe and secure web site creator right on their home page. All students who want to do a web site project must create it using the portal. Students will be able to use the site to create their projects and then enter only the URL for the competition. No more CDs! Yay! And even better, no more submitting projects early; web site entries will be able to be modified up until the day before a contest!

So how does this online portal/service/website creator work? You go to www.nhd.org and click on the icon of the left side of the screen that’s labeled “NHD Web Portal.” It will take you to a special National History Day Weebly.com portal. You simple enter a valid email address and a password and accept their term and conditions to get started.

How do I use the system to create my site? The best thing about the NHD Web Portal is that the system is very easy to use. Follow the prompts on the screen to drag and drop components on to your web site template. It’s very similar to desktop publishing.

That almost sounds too easy. What if I want a challenge? The NHD Web Portal also allows advanced users to write their own HTML code, develop their own templates and so on. Even advanced web developers will find the portal interesting and fun.

Will you come up with any tutorial info on how to use the system? Probably. We’re learning right now just like you. Check this blog and www.nyshistoryday.org occasionally for updates. If you are looking for general web site developing tips, I’d suggest investing in National History Day’s How to Create a Historical Website book. It's $22 and you can order it right from the NHD website. It will provide you with some great tips for building a quality website.

Let me know what questions you have, either here on the blog or email me at t.voigt@nysha.org. I will keep you posted as I have new information.

Welcome back!

2009-09-02T13:23:00.008-04:00

Hi folks! It's Tobi here. I have to ask: is there anything more wonderful than the start of a new school year? Who doesn't love fresh new office supplies and a clean classroom? Just admit it: You're excited.

And of course, we all know that after the first two weeks the novelty of the new year starts to wear off a little bit. We start to accept that the boy or girl we like-like is not in nearly enough of our classes. And the day-to-day drudgery of learning begins to take its toll. (Is it obvious that I was a bit of a drama queen when I was in middle and high school?)

This, my friends, is the perfect time to challenge yourself by starting a History Day project. You get to choose a topic in history that interests you and learn about it on your terms. And most importantly, you get to come up with a theory on that topic that is new and fresh. You get to MAKE history by DOING history.

OK, stop rolling your eyes at me. I didn't like history in school so much either. But that was before I discovered that history isn't just a long string of names and dates. I learned that history is stories; it is about people just like you and me that made a difference in their world. And this year, with the National History Day theme being Innovation in History, you have a chance to uncover new stories about people whose past events have impacted our present and future.

Come on, admit it: You're curious. But now you're thinking, "But I HATE writing term papers." Guess what? With History Day, you don't have to write a paper (but you can if you like that sort of thing.) You can also create an exhibit, a documentary, a performance, or a web site about your topic.

Sounds interesting, right? Well, don't take my word on it. Watch this video by students who participated in History Day:

Want to learn more? Visit our program website at www.nyshistoryday.org

Summer Curriculum Sale!

2009-07-23T09:35:00.003-04:00

New York State History Day announces a Summer Curriculum Sale!

Now through August 31, get our popular History Day in the Classroom: A Teacher's Toolkit, our Student Survival Guide, and our After School Club Toolkit at more than 30% off!

History Day in the Classroom: A Teacher's Toolkit is a ten lesson unit created to assist teachers with implementing History Day with their students. Was $15, NOW $10!
Student Survival Guide is an informative and fun overview of the History Day program. It's a student's one-stop place for tips, advice, and reference. Was $12, NOW $8!
After School Club Toolkit uses the Teacher's Toolkit, Annual Theme Supplement and Student Survival Guide for content and provides fliers, announcements, calendars, and other soup-to-nuts resources that help academic advisors start a club. Was $8, NOW $5!

For more information on our curriculum materials, visit our Teacher Support Center at: http://www.nyshistoryday.org/CurriculumMaterials.htm

Download our sale order form at: http://www.nyshistoryday.org/images/uploads/NYSHDorderform.pdf (Please note that the sale price is only good on orders through the state office. It is not available through our online store)

How about $300 and someone to teach your class?

2009-07-16T10:57:00.003-04:00

Yes, ladies and gentleman, you saw that right. A partnership with Waynesburg University and The Library of Congress has presented us with a grant that will allow you to do New York History Day with a little more green in these tough economic times.

"So, John," you ask. "How do I get to be a part of this fabulous offer??" Well, let me tell you more before you apply. Here is some information directly from the grant:

This project will seek to engage teachers from a large geographic area in the use of primary source documents in a variety of disciplines. Introducing participants to the National History Day program and offering training on program implementation and student-driven projects based on primary source research will provide a real world context. Interested teachers will be able to apply for mini-grants, assisting them with implementing the National History Day program in their individual schools, and, for interested participants, extending the experience into the regional and state competitions associated with New York State and National History Day.

Throughout the grant project, National History Day will be used as the example as a meaningful; standards based activity that incorporates primary source documents as a key element of the projects design and efficacy.

New York State History Day staff, guest speakers, and distance learning opportunities will provide the training and curriculum materials delivered to teachers and librarians from across the BOCES' districts of New York State. This training will facilitate use of the Library of Congress' on-line collection, including the American Memory Project, and provide web based support tools for National History Day implementation. These resources will include a closed social network for project participants. Here they will be able to share their experiences as they take on History Day, have access to on line resources, be updated about upcoming workshops and participate in real time discussions about researching with primary sources.

Training will take place through several different mediums. Initially, a summer workshop focusing on the overarching elements of the program including ways to use primary sources in the classroom, using Library of Congress to support research topics, and accessing local records in the region will be scheduled. School district representatives will travel to the New York State Historical Association (NYSHA), Cooperstown, NY for the summer 2009 on-site training.

Additionally, seminars and/or webinars will be offered at the Instructional Support Services center in Norwich, NY and on-site in a district library. Gretchen Sorin, Director of The Cooperstown Graduate Program and former Associate at the American Memory project will share her expertise with participants. She will train teachers to access primary source documents from the American Memory collection. Other sessions will feature distance-learning sessions with Library of Congress staff. Participants will be taught how to use both basic and advanced search strategies during their Library of Congress searches.

So that is the program. The $300 in mini-grant funding would cover things like traveling to a local research library, registration fees for students, digital cameras, student exhibit boards, supplies for the projects, and so on. There are only two key requirements for getting the dough: be sure that your students use Library of Congress' online resources for some of their research, and that they complete a National History Day project.

Even if you decide not to do the grant, this program also pays for NYSHD staff Tobi Voigt and me to take trips to classrooms to introduce the program and to do professional development on the LOC and using it for NHD topics.

So don’t hesitate! Apply today or call me at 607-547-1476 to arrange a visit, to answer questions!

Click this link to download our grant application form: Mini-Grant Application - TPS.doc

NHD Summer Teacher Institute - Post #5

2009-07-15T10:54:00.023-04:00

On Tuesday we heard an interesting presentation about medicine in 18th and 19th century Philadelphia by Janet Golden, Professor of History at Rutgers University.

Before we arrived in Philadelphia, we were asked to read two books on the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793. Both were written for juvenile students, both were very informative and interesting, and both made me terrified of mosquitoes for several weeks: Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793 and Jim Murphy's An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793.

During the epidemic, thousands of Philadelphia's citizens died of the disease. At the time, both the state and federal governments were based in Philly, and all legislators, including President George Washington, fled the city.

At the time, physicians, including the famous Dr. Benjamin Rush, had a very different understanding of medicine and the human body. Doctors believed that the body was made up of four different elements, called "humours". They were blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. When these humours were present in the body in equal amounts, a person was healthy. If there was an imbalance, a person was sick. This led to medical procedures like bloodletting; doctors felt that removing excess blood would bring the humours into balance.

Dr. Golden talked about the changes - or INNOVATIONS, if you will - in medicine in America throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. She talked about how doctors thought that the Yellow Fever epidemic was caused by the inhalation of bad air. In Philadelphia in the summer of 1793, a whole shipment of coffee from South America had rotted on the journey and was dumped on the docks. The offensive smell pervaded the city, and doctors were convinced it was the cause of the illness. However, as the 19th century progressed, doctors began to approach medicine from a scientific perspective. Although they wouldn't understand the concept of germs and viruses until the late 19th century, they did figure out how to treat some illnesses successfully through trial and error. For example, they learned that cleanliness seemed to reduce the transmission of disease.

As I listened, I came up with several ideas for History Day topics. I want to share just one potential topic with you today: the invention and popularity of patent medicines in the 19th century. Patent medicines were compounds of often unknown ingredients that claimed to sure any number of illnesses. These "medicines" often contained high levels of alcohol and other drugs that are illegal today, like opium and cocaine. The popularity of patent medicines was due in large part to the bright and colorful advertisements that the manufacturers would create. Dr. Golden showed us several examples, and I would like to direct you to a great online exhibition put on by the Hagley Museum and Library in Delaware were you can see more: http://www.hagley.org/library/exhibits/patentmed/history/history.html

An enterprising History Day student could find many potential topics for this year's theme in this exhibit. He or she could explain the state of medicine in the 19th century and demonstrate that patent medicines were an innovation. Or, he or she could talk about how the advertisements themselves were an innovation in the field of marketing.

In general, I think the history of medicine would make a perfect topic for History Day. Interested students just need to keep one thing in mind: narrow it down to something very specific. Patent medicines, for example, make for a great narrowed topic. I encourage you all to do your own investigations!

NHD Summer Teacher Institute - Post #4

2009-07-15T09:43:00.003-04:00

The institute is moving along well! In addition to the great academic talks and the wonderful tours, we have been tasked with creating a History Day exhibit. I admit that I had an anxiety dream about this last night! I woke both myself and my roommate up in the middle of the night when I was shouting in my sleep. I wonder what that means??? My group is doing our project on the Eastern State Penitentiary, which we will get to visit this afternoon. It should be a great time.

I am posting today about another great teaching tool we learned about on Monday. We were learning about immigration and ethnic history, and the staff at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania gave us a list of tips for teaching this subject. I am taking these pretty much directly from their presentation, which included a primary source observation lesson that was fantastic:

Teach the concept of ethnic identity, which is dynamic, rather than the concept of an "ethnic group," which is static and antiquated.
Teach that ethnic groups have an internal diversity and that there are cultural differences within a population.
Teach the concept that ethnic groups were dynamically involved in interactions with their environment, rather than the concept that ethnic groups assimilated (via hybridism, creolism, or syncretism) with the dominant culture.
Teach the context for particular ethnic groups - how experiences of immigrants were place specific.
Teach about the conflicts and tensions within ethnic groups as well as the celebratory aspects.
Teach about international interconnections and how it impacted immigration and ethnic identity (global markets, globalization, and transnationalism.)

I hope you find that helpful!

NHD Summer Teacher Institute - Post #3

2009-07-14T09:31:00.006-04:00

On Monday, July 13, we began the day at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The day's theme was Ethnic and Racial Engagements in America, particularly in Philadelphia. We heard from two scholars - Dr. Emma Lapsansky and Dr. Randall Miller - on African Americans and immigration, respectively.

Dr. Lapsansky spoke about the African American community in Philadelphia, or, as she stated, the African American communities of Philadelphia. She spoke about how historians have a tendency to categorize and simplify history in order to facilitate understanding. Although this tendency makes, say, textbook writing and curriculum development easier, it comes at a cost. She raised some important questions about the study of history:

How do we help students understand that historical narrative is shaped and distorted by those who present it?
How can we help them see that history can't be easily categorized (for example, the "black community" as a homogeneous group) and is instead as a collection of various historical stories?
How can we help students appreciate that history is a dynamic conversation between past and present generations in order to give meaning to our present?

These are questions that we all ask, whether we are teachers or academics, and the answers are sometimes elusive. However, Dr. Lapsansky offered her own suggestions. She encouraged teachers to have students find history in their own personal stories. And, more importantly, to help them they learn to appreciate the different (or complimentary) history in their classmates personal stories.

These are strategies that students can use to see that history has multiple perspectives, and hopefully help them understand that history is about interpretation and not a series of objective facts.

NHD Summer Teacher Institute - Post #2

2009-07-14T08:53:00.009-04:00

One of the key concepts that historian Gary Nash spoke about on Sunday night was the "dreaded I-word." To explain, I will quote him directly:

"What is the most offensive word in the historian's vocabulary? The word I have in mind numbs critical thinking, saps the desire to become an active citizen, and erases all remorse about dark and tragic chapters of history - in our history and that of any other nation. The word is 'inevitable.' And we can add synonyms: inexorable, unstoppable, unavoidable, inescapable."

What does he mean? Well, as soon as he said the word, an example popped into my head: European "conquer" of the New World. How many times have we heard historians of old speak of the inevitable domination of Native Americans? I also learned that our 26th president (and New York native) Teddy Roosevelt was one of the biggest proponents of this point of view. He is known to have said, "The settler and pioneer have ... had justice on their side; this great continent could not have been kept as nothing but a game preserve for squalid savages." (wow, that hurts, doesn't it?)

We know this point of view is offensive, and Dr. Nash tells us why: "The concept of historical inevitability is as old as the tales told by conquerors; it is a winner's argument. Those who are on the losing side of historical developments do not bend to the idea that major events and long-range phenomena happen inevitably. Would an African historian argue that the four-century Atlantic slave trade was inevitable? Try telling Jewish historians that the Holocaust was inevitable. What woman's historian would propose that men subordinated and exploited women because the biological differences between men and women made women's inequality inevitable?"

Nash argues that the concept of historical inevitability still rears its ugly head in scholarship today. He urged teachers to make students aware of this fallacy and encourage them to think critically about it.

I think this is a great tool that we can use to approach the teaching of critical thinking skills. Dr. Nash said that we should offer students a dime for each time they can find historical inevitability in secondary sources. (Clearly they will scoff at that, but you get his point.) Students must consult secondary sources for History Day in order to gain historical context for their topics. But they also need to understand that writers of these sources are prone to their own biases. Their books and articles - even textbooks - should be viewed with a critical eye.

NHD Summer Teacher Institute - Post #1

2009-07-12T21:28:00.002-04:00

A few months ago, I received an amazing invitation. The staff at NHD invited me, Tobi, to attend their 2009 Summer Teacher Institute. Needless to say, I felt very honored and agreed to go instantly.

So, here I am this fine Sunday evening, sitting in a room at the Union League of Philadelphia, the institution founded in 1862 to promote the preservation of the Union during the Civil War. To say this place is grand is an understatement. Tonight we took a tour and you can see my photos on our Flickr photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nyshistoryday/

I wanted to share with you some thoughts I had after listening to our speaker tonight, historian Gary Nash, who is a professor at UCLA and the director for the National Center for History in the Schools. I took away a few key points from his talk, and I want to share one with you now. (I'll share the other points later because I am too sleepy this night to write too much more in an intelligible way.)

Dr. Nash has a motto for history instruction that I really connected with. He said that we educators need to do three things with history: Dramatize, Personalize, and Localize. I love this concept. He spoke about the power of local history to connect people with broader themes in American and world history. Moreover, learning the stories of one's community can evoke a personal connection to history. As a concept, his point is probably not new to any of us. I just really liked how he was able to distill it all into three key words: Dramatize, Personalize, and Localize.

Ok, folks, I must go. Tomorrow we start at 7am and I still have some homework to do. I'll try and post more of my experiences tomorrow.

This Day in History

2009-07-10T13:34:00.001-04:00

Connecting Classrooms Kickoff workshop with teachers using nifty little computers to access a Library of Congress Webinar

I wanted to share a few things on this post. Wednesday was our Connecting with Classrooms Kickoff and we had ten teachers join us for a day of History Day and Primary Source goodies from the LOC.
My New Favorite is the Today in History Archive

It allows you to put in any topic from history and it will pull up a variety of primary sources from The American Memory Collection.

So when I do my search and put in "Brooklyn Bridge," I get a fantastic Image and great information :

On June 12, 1806, John A. Roebling, civil engineer and designer of the Brooklyn Bridge, was born in Muehlhausen, Prussia. The Brooklyn Bridge, Roebling's greatest achievement, spans the East River to connect Manhattan with Brooklyn. For nearly a decade after its completion, the bridge, with a main span of 1595 feet, was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Steel wire cable, invented and manufactured by Roebling, made the structure possible.

So this is a great resource and a great topic for this year's theme!
Judy Graves from LOC led us through the wealth of resources on a great low cost webinar software called OPAL which allowed us to hear and chat with her as we were taken for a real time tour of the sites and let to play. You can see a copy of the text chat that has lots of valuable links NYhistassn_text.dochere.
Beyond the great resources from LOC we shared new curriculum materials from New York State History Day and shared primary sources from the New York State Historical Association's Research Library.

Tobi Voigt shares an exercise with primary source documents from the NYSHA Library

The entire day was a great experience. If you are intrested in coming to our workshops or scheduling one in your area please email us and we will happy to see if we can make it out to share these esources with

Connecting Classrooms

2009-07-10T13:33:00.000-04:00

As I sit here on this Independence Day weekend one thought crosses my mind: I hope that aliens don't land and Jeff Daniels has to save us! But seriously this is a good weekend to think about primary sources and their importance. It is a wonderful time to remember that we have a national library that had dedicated itself to the preservation of EVERYTHING imaginable, from books, to documents to historic objects and that many of them are line in places like American Memory..
This summer we will be kicking off a new grant project together with Waynesburg University who is the
Eastern Regional Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Partnership representative

Waynesburg University, as the Eastern Regional TPS Partner, is responsible for disseminating TPS methods and materials to Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.

Teaching with Primary Sources is funded through the Library of Congress and is administered through the University. The TPS program has only five regional partnerships, each responsible for dissemination of TPS techniques and materials throughout states within the region.

These fine folks and the LOC have provided us with a grant that will allow us to offer a series of Workshops, beginning on July 8th, that will train teachers to use the LOC web resources, demonstrate how to integrate them into multiple disciplines, and we will be offering $300 mini grants to teachers who want to use LOC resources and New York State History Day staff to implement National History Day in their classrooms and schools.
This will give teachers dollars and training to implement the National History Day program, and use the natural on-line resource that is the Library of congress as a source for History Day research.
The grant is geared towards teachers in the Catskill region and much of the training will take place at the DCMO BOCES. Despite that teachers throughout the state are welcome to join with us and apply for the grant applications.
Information and grant applications can be found at The New York State History Day site after July 8th or email me at j.buchinger@nysha.oeg. Happy 4th of July!

2010 Theme Information Now Available!

2009-07-09T11:43:00.003-04:00

Lately I have been itching to get my hands on the National History Day theme information for 2010. It's not that I have a particularly large stake in the new theme - Innovation in History: Impact and Change. I think it's just that I am eager to get moving on the next History Day year.

I know I am not alone here. John and I conducted a teacher workshop yesterday with 10 teachers from all across the state. A few had already been discussing topic ideas with their students and it's barely July! I love it!

Well, my friends, I have good news. I discovered today that not only has NHD digitized the annual theme sheet, but also have made a copy of the new theme book available as a free PDF download. You can find both on our website at www.nyshistoryday.org/theme.htm

I am telling you this because I know you want to know, but also because I can't speak highly enough of the new theme book. It's leaner than in previous years, but chock full of really helpful information. I haven't been this excited about the content in an Annual Theme Book since, well, EVER!

It contains the theme sheet and list of suggested topics, as usual, but also has several short essays from educators and historians on the annual theme that are perfect reading for students or teachers.

Ann Claunch, NHD's Curriculum Director, wrote a great article on how to integrate History Day into the classroom that provides theme-related graphic organizers, lesson ideas, and a suggested calendar.

I think I am most excited about the article penned by Lee Formwalt, the executive director of the Organization of American Historians. Mr. Formwalt answers the oft-asked question "When is a history topic too recent to study?" This one article would be mandatory History Day reading for everyone if I ruled the world. But I don't, so I will urge you all to check it out on your own. :-)

Visit the New York State History Day website: www.nyshistoryday.org to get your free copies of the theme sheet and book now!

Tobi's looking to start somethin' new

2009-06-26T15:56:00.002-04:00

Hi folks! We've spent the last week wrapping up the 2008-2009 History Day year and are eagerly making plans for the fall. We had a big planning meeting yesterday afternoon and began to outline our program strategy for the year. It's too early to share much, but I will say that we will have a whole new set of teacher and student workshops for the fall. Stay tuned for details!

If you followed my old blog, "That History Day Gal", you'll know that posting on a regular basis was not a strength of mine. Nonetheless, this new blog is opening up so many great ideas for content, and I have an idea I'd like to float past you now.

I am going to be attending the National History Day Summer Teacher Institute in Philadelphia in a few weeks. To say I'm excited is an understatement. In order to prepare, Ann Claunch (the curriculum director at NHD) sent each attendee six books to read.

I'd encountered one of the books before: Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past by Sam Wineburg. It's academic to be sure. (It's written by a Education and Psychology Professor, for goodness sakes!) But it is chock full of great ideas that can only help history and social studies teachers (and History Day coordinators like me) learn more about understanding and analyzing historical information.

Soooo, I was thinking: what if a bunch of us read it together? I plan on posting about each chapter as I read them, but I think it could be exciting to get your thoughts too. So, I am issuing an open invitation to any History Day teacher, student, or parent out there: If you are interested in reading it along with me and sharing your thoughts here on this blog, send me an email at: t.voigt@nysha.org. I will even send you a copy of the book FOR FREE!!!

So who's with me?????

As one HD year ends, a new blog begins!

2009-06-23T11:56:00.003-04:00

Hi friends! Welcome to the new blog for New York State History Day. While brainstorming plans for the 2009-2010 History Day year, John and I decided to fold our personal blogs (which we have been less than good at using) and create one blog for the program.

We have the best intentions of using this new space to share information on the National and New York State History Day programs. You'll hear from John and me on a weekly basis, and we'll also invite guest bloggers who have helpful info to share. (Do you have some helpful info to share? Let us know at nyshistoryday@nysha.org)

We look forward to seeing you around!

New York State History Day

NYS History Day Photos now Available!

Performances

Exhibits

Papers, Documentaries & Websites

2012 Annual Theme

History Day Connects Buffalo Students to Hawai`i

National Teacher Award Nominations

Hello New York State!

2011 New York State History Day Special Awards Announced!

New Special Award for State Contest!

A new time for National History Day in New York State.

Annoucing NEW Teacher Workshops

October Conference for Teachers

The last post on the Annual Theme

New Special Award for 2011!

NARA's New Online Resource!

It's All about Diplomacy . . .

A New School Year, A New Annual Theme!

In 5 minutes or less, you can help save NYS History Day funding!

Albany Teacher Wins National History Day Award

New State and National Teacher Award!

And the T-shirt Contest Winner is . . .

ACTION ALERT! NYS History Day Needs Your Help!

2010 NYS History Day T-Shirt Design Contest

Guest Blog - Mandy Kritzeck, NYSHD Intern

Citation Clarification

Guest Blog - Christopher Zarr, National Archives

New York's Automobile Innovator

Developing a Thesis and Other Writing Gems

History Day Research Resources

Virtual Visit

Citizenship 101

How innovative are we talking about here?

A Guide to the Library of Congress

Armstrong's Floating Airports: Innovation in History

Web Site Category Makes Some Big Changes

Welcome back!

Summer Curriculum Sale!

How about $300 and someone to teach your class?

NHD Summer Teacher Institute - Post #5

NHD Summer Teacher Institute - Post #4

NHD Summer Teacher Institute - Post #3

NHD Summer Teacher Institute - Post #2

NHD Summer Teacher Institute - Post #1

This Day in History

Connecting Classrooms

2010 Theme Information Now Available!

Tobi's looking to start somethin' new

As one HD year ends, a new blog begins!