2021 Theme: Communication in History
When: Saturday, March 6, 2021
Where: Online
Dates to remember
Feb. 17, 2021
Registration deadline
All online form submissions and $12 payments should be in the hands of the WMU History department on this day. We ask that you do not send in multiple envelopes of your payments; please hold your payments until you have collected them all and then send them in at that time.
*ONLINE REGISTRATION FORMS MUST BE COMPLETED ONLINE VIA THE LINK LISTED ABOVE.
February 21, 2021
Deadline for all category submissions.
Category Information
You will submit entries to a specific email account based on which category you choose; these emails are listed in the instructions for each category.
Documentaries
Video files must be uploaded via Google Drive on or before February 21, 2021. Title the file exactly the same as the project entry listed on this form.
Exhibits
Please follow instructions listed on this page.
Papers
Word files must be emailed to wilson.warren@wmich.edu on or before February 21, 2021.
Performances
If you are doing a group performance and cannot meet in person to film, please use a video chat platform such as Zoom or Webex to record a table read or something similar.
Websites
Your website will be locked at 11:59 p.m. on February 21, 2021.
Please direct all questions to wilson.warren@wmich.edu
Website Builder and Instructions.
2021 State Finals: Virtual contest with information forthcoming
Resources
Parent and teacher recommend History Day Contest
If you are a teacher, either considering participation with your students or continuing to work with students in the competition, please read the following:
- Common Core Standards
- The Rule Book is effective as of 2021
- Why NHD Works
Michigan History Day
Michigan History Day (National History Day in Michigan) is a competition sponsored by the Historical Society of Michigan for students in grades 4 through 12 that offers an exciting means for students to learn history. Students, working as groups or individuals, prepare exhibits, media, projects, dramatic performances, or historical papers that explore a broad theme set each year by the National History Day contest.
The Southwest Michigan District #6 includes Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Hillsdale, Jackson, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties. Qualifying entries at the district level may compete at the state finals in late April. Qualifiers at that level are eligible to enter the National History Day contest in early June at the University of Maryland.
You are invited!
We invite you to consider having your students participate in the National History Day contest. NHD is a highly regarded academic program for elementary and secondary school students.
Contest background
The contest began in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1974, and has grown to include more than a half million students nationwide. In Michigan, students in grades 4-12 can participate. The contest is organized into three levels of competition: district, state and national. The first stage of the competition is at the district level. Michigan is comprised of 11 districts. Kalamazoo County and 10 other counties in southwest Michigan constitute District 6. Since 2001, Tom Dietz from the Kalamazoo Valley Museum coordinated the District 6 competition. Beginning in 2015, the Department of History at WMU sponsored the contest with the competition taking place in the Bernhard Center. Dr. Wilson Warren is the coordinator of the event. Successful entries can be entered in the state contest, which will take place in late April. Top entries at the state contest are then eligible to compete at the national contest at the University of Maryland in College Park in June.
For the contest, students choose historical topics related to the annual theme. After selecting a topic, students conduct extensive primary and secondary source research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. Many of these materials are available online.
The NHD’s website includes extensive research links. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance, students present their work in one of five categories: papers, websites, exhibits (posters), performances (generally short skits) and documentaries (generally PowerPoint presentations). These productions are judged at each level of the competition by panels of professional historians and educators. For more detailed information about the competition, see the National History Day website and the Michigan History Day website.
In addition to investigating exciting historical topics, NHD helps students develop attributes that are essential for future college and career success, including critical thinking and problem-solving skills, research and reading skills, oral and written communication and presentation skills, self-esteem and confidence, and a sense of responsibility for and involvement in the democratic process. NHD has also developed a detailed handout on how the contest is linked to Common Core standards.
Dr. Warren and Dr. Koenig are happy to answer any questions and talk further with you about preparing your students for the contest.
Past History Days at WMU
See past History Day results: 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015