September 14, 2007
CW encourages student creativity for Virgina History Day entries
As students return to the classroom this fall, Colonial Williamsburg reminds teachers and parents to encourage them to begin thinking about projects for the 2008
September 14, 2007
CW encourages student creativity for Virgina History Day entries
As students return to the classroom this fall, Colonial Williamsburg reminds teachers and parents to encourage them to begin thinking about projects for the 2008 National History Day (NHD). The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the Virginia affiliate of National History Day, which invites students from across the country to enter an annual national history competition. The theme for 2008 is “Conflict and Compromise in History,” and students are asked to examine how both have shaped the course of history.
More than 600,000 students in grades six through 12, including 2,000 from Virginia, are expected to enter this year’s competition. Whether from rural or urban areas attending private or public schools, students apply the skills of a historian as they conduct research for projects they hope will take them all the way to the National History Day competition in College Park, Md., in June 2008.
National History Day promotes historical inquiry, knowledge and understanding among elementary and secondary students. Through an educational program culminating in nationwide competitions, NHD encourages the development of research skills, analytical thinking and creative expression. The most important purpose of NHD is to change the way history is taught – and learned – by challenging students to conduct meaningful historical inquiry and providing a positive learning environment in which students’ work is evaluated in a constructive manner outside the classroom by judges made up of university professors, high school teachers, museum curators and other public historians.
NHD encourages active learning and motivates teachers to use primary sources in their clas