Riverside Unified School District History Day competition follows all the rules in the 2022 RCOE History Day Rulebook.pdf. Please ensure you understand the rules of the competition prior to submitting your project.
What is National History Day?
(from the NHD 2021 Theme Book)
National History Day (NHD) is a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for teachers and students to engage in historical research. NHD is not a predetermined, by-the-book program but rather an innovative curriculum framework in which students learn history by selecting topics of interest and launching into year-long research projects. The mission of NHD is to improve the teaching and learning of history in middle and high school. The most visible vehicle is the NHD Contest.
When studying history through historical research, students and teachers practice critical inquiry, asking questions of significance, time, and place. History students become immersed in a detective story. Beginning in the fall, students choose a topic related to the annual theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, exhibits, performances, websites, or documentaries. These projects are entered into competitions in the spring at local, affiliate, and national levels, where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates at the national competition held each June at the University of Maryland at College Park.
Each year National History Day uses a theme to provide a lens through which students can examine history. The annual theme frames the research for both students and teachers. It is intentionally broad enough that students can select topics from any place (local, national, or world) and any time period in history. Once students choose their topics, they investigate historical context, historical significance, and the topic’s relationship to the theme by conducting research in libraries, archives, and museums; through oral history interviews; and by visiting historic sites.
NHD benefits both teachers and students. For the student, NHD allows control of his or her own learning. Students select topics that match their interests. Program expectations and guidelines are explicitly provided for students, but the research journey is driven by the process and is unique to the topic being researched. Throughout the year, students develop essential life skills by fostering intellectual curiosity. In addition, students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that will help them manage and use information now and in the future.
The classroom teacher is a student’s greatest ally in the research process. NHD supports teachers by providing instructional materials and hosting workshops at local, affiliate, and national levels. Many teachers find that incorporating the NHD model into their classroom curriculum encourages students to watch for examples of the theme and to identify connections in their study of history across time.
NHD’s work with teachers and students extends beyond the contest and includes institutes and training programs, which provide teachers with opportunities to study history and develop lessons and materials they can share with their students. In addition, NHD offers continuing education courses for teachers (for graduate credit or professional development hours) to improve classroom practice (nhd.org/onlineeducation). NHD also offers teaching resources to help teachers integrate primary sources and critical thinking into the classroom. These resources are free and accessible to all teachers. Visit nhd.org to learn more.
Riverside Unified School District
Virtual History Day 2021
Communication in History: The Key to Understanding
Friday, January 15, 2021
11:59 PM – All project due to https://ca-rusd.nhd.org/
All projects must be uploaded to the Riverside Unified School District Contest website, including website URLs; PDFs of the posters, exhibits, and historical papers; and mp4s of the documentaries. Websites will be LOCKED and students will no longer have access to them for additional changes.
Monday, January 25, 2021
5:00 PM - Judge Orientation
Link for the meeting will be sent to judges directly. This event is open to judges only.
Wednesday, January 27 - Wednesday February 3, 2021
Student project judging
There will be NO STUDENT INTERVIEWS at RUSD, Riverside County, or NHD-CA levels for the 2021 National History Day experience.
February 3, 2021, 11:59 PM - All judge decisions due to RUSD History Day Central.
Thursday, February 4 - Sunday, February 7, 2021
Public Open House
All student projects will be on display on the Riverside Unified School District Contest website for public viewing.
Saturday, February 6, 2021
4:30 PM - Awards Ceremony (YouTube link TBD)
Once the link is available, it will be sent to all students, parents, and judges. Feel free to share the link with family and friends.
Teachers: Feel free to hold virtual award ceremony parties by site, so students can watch together!
Monday, February 8, 2021
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM – Mandatory Winners Meeting (Link will be provided directly to winners)
Students who are moving on to Riverside County History Day (as well as their parents and teachers) will receive important information regarding the next steps required to participate in Riverside County History Day.
Registration deadline: Thursday, February 11, 2021
Riverside County History Day Virtual Contest: Friday, March 12, 2021
Riverside Unified School District
Virtual History Day 2022
Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences
Thank you for volunteering to judge RUSD History Day. We would not be able to run this quality program without your willingness to volunteer your time. THANK YOU!
We are looking for judges who:
- Are available to interview students on Saturday, January 29th, 8:00 - 12 noon;
- Will give positive feedback in order to help students improve;
- Will donate a few hours to review student projects and discuss their perspectives with fellow judges;
- Value consensus;
- Care about student learning;
- Can follow a rubric;
- Love (or even just like) history.
Judges DO NOT need to:
- Have extensive knowledge about history or any particular historical topic.
