GENERAL FAQS

Who can participate in History Day? 

• National History Day® (NHD) is a year-long academic program that engages over half a million middle- and high-school students around the world annually in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. 

How much time is needed to complete a project? 

• NHD is a long-term research project, with most students beginning their work in September. Here is a sample timeline. 

Do students have to participate in the competition?

• Participation in any level of the competition is voluntary. 

Do Montana students have to participate in the Regional contest to advance to State? 

• Yes.

What if students have a schedule conflict with a contest date?

• For individual projects, students must be present.

• For group documentary, exhibit, and website, at least one member of the group must be present in order for the project to be eligible. 

• For group performance, all members of the group must be present to perform.

• Arrangements will be made for students whose religions observe a Saturday Sabbath. Please contact the coordinators if this is the case.

Do students who create website, paper, or documentary have to attend the contest if they are entered? 

• Yes. Although papers, websites, and documentaries are submitted before the contests, students are still required to attend the contests and be interviewed in person by judges. 

What if my teacher/school doesn't do History Day? 

• National History Day is open to any Montana student in 4-12th grade. (4th & 5th do not compete in person).

• Students can enter projects individually if their classroom/school doesn't participate. 

• Please make sure a parent/guardian signs up on the "teacher enrollment form" to receive important updates about contest deadlines.

Can homeschool students participate? 

• National History Day is open to any Montana student in 4-12th grade. Homeschool students can and are encouraged to participate. 

• Please make sure a parent/guardian signs up on the "teacher enrollment form" to receive important updates about contest deadlines.

When and where do the contests take place?

• Check the home page for contest dates and locations. 

How much help can students get from their parents or other adults? 

• Students are responsible for creating all aspects of the project. However, students may have assistance with tasks such as the use of tools to construct materials, carrying of heavy items (students must set up props), editing suggestions, or initial instruction on how to use computer software.  Please refer to "Rule 10: Reasonable Help" in the NHD Contest Rule Book.

Can students make changes to their projects between the Regional and State Contests? 

• Students are encouraged to use the constructive feedback that they receive at their school/regional contest to improve their project before the state contest. 

Can students choose a current event as a topic? 

• History Day projects should cover a topic that occurred at least 20 years ago because it allows the student to assess the topic’s impact. 

Who are the judges? 

• Our contest judges are local historians, museum professionals, archivists, librarians, educators, and other enthusiastic volunteers who are eager to meet the students.

CONTEST FAQS

What happens at the contests? 

Each regional will follow approximately the same itinerary:

• Check In, Exhibit Board & Prop Set Up, Judges Orientation 

• Welcome & Keynote Address

• Preliminary Rounds (Student interviews with judges)

• Tours & Workshops

• Exhibit Board Take Down

• Awards Ceremony

Which regional should I attend? 

• You should attend the regional that is geographically closest to you. If you aren't sure, or are halfway between two regionals, contact the coordinators.

How does one advance from regionals? 

• Any project named a "State Qualifier" may advance to State.

• Depending on how many projects advance to State, teachers may be allowed an additional number of spots at State that they can award projects at their discretion. 

Can teachers judge at contests?

• Absolutely! It’s one of the best ways to learn about NHD. Sign up on the homepage. Judges can earn 4-6 OPI renewal units.

TEACHER FAQS

How do I fit History Day into my classroom schedule?

• We believe that History Day won’t detract from your curriculum but will be a way to teach your curriculum. Use history day to teach primary source analysis, research skills, and to get your students interested and invested in different time periods and topics. To plan out your year, we have some sample timelines that you can use. Timeline 1      Timeline 2

How do I teach annotated bibliographies?

• Thinkport Research Learning Modules include instruction on annotated bibliographies, working with primary and secondary sources, and a number of other topics in creating a research project. Find the full list of modules here. 

History Day seems time-consuming. Is it worth it? 

• Sure, integrating History Day into your classroom is different than teaching out of a textbook and grading tests and papers all on the same topic with same general answers. However, students who do History Day tend to be more engaged, more creative, and thinking deeper and more critically. The payoff is huge for teachers and students. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, break up the program into smaller chunks spread throughout the school year. For ideas on how to do this, contact nationalhistorydaymt@gmail.com.

What if my students aren't “ready” to compete? 

• Have your students worked on a History Day project? Have they completed the required project components (even if they aren’t perfect)? Then they are ready! Remember, most of Montana’s teachers and students are new to this process. We have to start somewhere. We’ve intentionally set the regional competitions early enough to give students time to revise before state. Making revisions based on feedback is one of the many skills students develop through History Day, so give them the chance to practice it!