Step 6:

Have Students Pick a Topic and Begin Research

A. Before beginning the research process, introduce your students to the difference between primary and secondary sources.
Primary sources are materials directly related to a topic by time or participation. These materials include letters, speeches, diaries, newspaper articles from the time, oral history interviews, documents, photographs, artifacts, or anything else providing a first-hand account of a person or event. An interview with an expert (a professor of Civil War History, for example) is not a primary source. Quotes from historical figures in secondary sources are not considered primary.

Secondary sources are usually published books and articles by authors who base their interpretation on primary sources. A documentary on the History Channel, for example, would also be a secondary source.

B. Begin the research process by looking for good secondary sources on the topic.
Students need a basic knowledge of their topic before they become experts. They can start with encyclopedias and historical dictionaries but need to advance to solid secondary sources.  Examples of secondary sources are books written on historical topics (monographs) and biographies of important people involved in their topic. From these sources they will create a timeline of events and an understanding of cause and effect plus other important characteristics of their topic. Students need to ask questions as they read and research. One question they need to continually ask is how does their topic relate to this year’s theme (2005-2006 theme: "Triumph and Tragedy in History"). Their questions will lead them deeper into the research and help them develop their thesis statement.

C. After students have a sound knowledge of their topic and a working research question (thesis statement), students can now start to look for primary sources.
The primary sources should relate to their research question and should be used to give greater depth to the students’ understanding of the topic. For example, if your topic deals with the role George Washington played during the Constitutional Convention, then a letter Washington wrote during the French and Indian War would not be appropriate (even though it deals with George Washington) while a letter written to his wife Martha during the convention describing some of his duties probably would be very insightful.

D. After students have a good grasp of their topic and have found sources to illustrate their thesis, they need to begin work on their history day projects.
Categories can also dictate the types of sources students need. Documentaries are difficult to produce without a variety of good images from which to choose.  Likewise with exhibits, but with exhibits the student can develop graphs and timelines, etc. to add to the visual impact of the board. Historical quotes can be used effectively in all categories but definitely are  effective when worked into the scripts of performances. Students should be given plenty of time to develop their projects - for pointers on category development see Category Tips and Strategies. Nothing should ever been done "permanently." Exhibits should be created so that modifications can be made once they are evaluated.  Performance script dialogues may need alteration and relearning