Our Documents - Competitions for Teachers

Teaching Our Documents

A National History Day Lesson Competition for Educators

Communication in History

Again this year, NHD is offering an opportunity for history, social studies, civics, and government teachers to develop document-based lesson plans for national awards and distribution. Teaching Our Documents: A Lesson Competition for Educators invites teachers to develop and test a classroom lesson focusing on one or several of the 100 Milestone Documents in United States history. Lessons should engage students in a meaningful examination of the documents within their historical context. Awards will be announced at the annual National History Day national competition, June 12–16, 2005, at the University of Maryland at College Park. Teachers should adhere to the following guidelines in preparing for the Our Documents teacher competition.

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Contest Rules:

I. Participation

Participation is open to history, social studies, civics, and government teachers in public, private, parochial, and home schools.
Participation is open to teachers in upper elementary grades (grades 4-6), middle schools, and high schools.
Participating teachers must engage their students in “Understanding Our Documents: Communication in History,” National History Day’s 2005 student program theme.

II. Lesson Content

Our Documents Connection
Your lesson should focus on a teaching activity related to your choice of one or several of the 100 Milestone Documents, and it should explain the connection between the document(s) and NHD’s 2005 theme, Communication in History.
Historical Background
Your lesson should include a brief section on the historical background (context) of the document(s).
Cross-curricular Connections
You should include a statement explaining your lesson’s relationship to history as well as to classes in other disciplines. (e.g., How can this lesson be used in classes other than American History?)
Teaching Activities
Your lesson should include a substantive teaching activity that engages students in a critical examination of the documents within the context of United States History (and World History, if appropriate). The lesson should also identify skills that are developed through this lesson (e.g., technological skills, reading, etc.)

III. Lesson Format

Your lesson must follow the following format:

Title
Our Documents and Theme (Communication in History) Connection
List of Document(s) (If using more than one Milestone Document, list documents in chronological order.)
Historical Background
Cross-Curricular Connections
Teaching Activities (All teaching activities must be explained clearly and thoroughly enough that other teachers would be apply to understand and apply the lessons verbatim in their own classrooms)
Project Grading/Assessment (Explain how student performance was evaluated)

Please be sure to attach a cover sheet with your home and school contact information, including home address and phone number, and school name, address and phone number, and your email address.

IV. Lesson Success

Include a two-page report on the success and usefulness of your lesson.
Include two letters of recommendation from your students detailing their experience and perspective on the success of your lesson. This means you must pilot your lesson in your classroom!

V. Awards

Awards will be presented to teachers in elementary, middle and high schools for the Outstanding Document Lesson related to Communication in History.

Mail your lesson by March 30, 2005 to:

Teaching Our Documents
National History Day
0119 Cecil Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

(Please remember to include your contact information as described in Part III.)

Results of the 2004 Teaching Our Documents Educator Competition:

Additional Results from the 2004 National History Day Competition

Webcast of the 2004 National History Day Competition