Scroll down to access History Day resources, meet our teacher ambassadors, and learn how to bring Alabama History Day to your school.
Ready to bring some exciting project-based learning to your classroom through the History Day program? Let’s get started! National History Day has developed a supplementary theme graphic organizer. Access the organizer HERE.
Alabama History Day provides everything teachers need to bring students on an unforgettable learning adventure that integrates with and enhances standards-based curriculum. The program taps into intrinsic motivation by allowing students to self-select topics of interest and providing a variety of choices in presentation.
Our job is to facilitate the rewarding experience of participating in Alabama History Day. We have begun by creating a general walk-through for students that you, as a teacher, may find helpful as well! Below, we have provided some resources that we hope will be of use in your classrooms.
What are you waiting for? If you are new to the program and need assistance getting started, please get in touch: [email protected]. All comments, questions, and suggestions are welcomed as we work to identify best practices for supporting educators and students participating in Alabama History Day.
The use of primary sources is foundational to every History Day project. The Library of Congress has created simple, user-friendly instructions for Using Primary Sources In The Classroom. Be sure to check out the variety of “Teacher’s Guides” customized for specific forms of media, as well as their student “Analysis Tool.”
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Colorado Department of Education collaborated with the Wisconsin Historical Society to identify connections and correlations between the Common Core State Standards and the National History Day Program.
Below, you can access a variety of assignments, handouts, research skills activities, tracking tools, and rubrics. They are provided as Word documents and can be edited to best fit your classroom needs.
National History Day Teacher Resources
AHD Teacher Orientation workshops are an opportunity for Alabama educators to learn the intricacies of the NHD program. With the guidance of an Alabama NHD master teacher, NHD newcomers learn how to incorporate NHD into the classroom or extracurricular setting. Participating educators will receive the following:
• One-on-one mentorship with a seasoned National History Day Alabama teacher
• Presentations from historical and cultural institutions from across the state
• Resources to incorporate Alabama History Day into classroom lessons
• 3 – 4 hours of continuing education credits (CEUs)
• $75 stipend
If you are a teacher or school official and are interested in starting Alabama History Day at your school, consider requesting a teaching training workshop!
Rebecca Heaton's been a History Day advocate since 2008, including as director of Alaska History Day. A Huntsville native, Rebecca also has experience as a journalist, museum curator, and as program coordinator of the Western History Association.
Connect with Rebecca
Cheryl Burch is a retired teacher, former business executive, and a passionate History Day advocate. The longtime Mobile resident is a National History Day Master Teacher and has been Alabama's Patricia Behring NHD Teacher of the Year award-winner.
Connect with Cheryl
Use these classroom and planning resources to get your students started in Alabama History Day and National History Day! This zip file includes a timeline for the year, process overview, topic starters, research guides, lesson plans, and much more!
Download History Day teacher resources!
Use these resources to help your History Day students pick a topic for their research based on this year's theme of "Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas."
Download History Day topic resources