Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History

Every year National History Day frames students' research within a historical theme. The theme is chosen for the broad application to world, national or state history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more recent past. This year's theme is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. The intentional selection of the theme for National History Day is to provide an opportunity for students to push past the antiquated view of history as mere facts and dates and drill down into historical content to develop perspective and understanding.

Kids can celebrate history by participating in the National History Day Contest!

Designed for students ages 11-18yo, the contest challenges students to choose an event, era, important historical figure, etc. that fits the contest theme and create a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or web site explaining the topic that they chose and how it fits into the contest theme.

This year’s contest theme is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History,” and students participating can choose any historical event they want, from the beginning of recorded history to now.

The many different options for expressing learning provide students with an opportunity to be creative, while still showcasing their knowledge of history.  The contest is a great way for students to take a critical look at history, and provides an opportunity to learn about local history.  A great project could focus on an event at the local or state level, and discuss how it affected the student’s community!  To learn more about the contest, visit www.nationalhistoryday.org, or email info@nhd.org.

To discover Western MA history resources, revisit these posts from our archives:

• Local Hilltown History Website is Now “Live”
• Remarkable Women of the Pioneer Valley: Local History Resource
• We Are Pittsfield: Oral History Project in the Berkshires
• What’s Your Favorite Way to Discover and Explore History with Your Kids?