INFORMATION FOR
New Jersey National History Day will be celebrated at William Paterson University with more than 400 students from across the state on Saturday, May 6, from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. The opening ceremony will be in the University Commons Ballrooms and followed by students presenting research on “Taking a Stand in History” through performances, exhibits, documentaries, papers and websites at various sites on campus in Wayne.
This year’s topics are local, national and international. Some sample New Jersey topics include Alice Paul and the Women's Rights Movement: Taking a Stand for Gender Equality; Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: Taking A Stand at the Paterson Silk Strike, Paterson Silk City Strike: Workers vs. Owners; and Sarah Corson Downs: Fighting for Temperance and Women's Rights in New Jersey.
State qualifiers were chosen as the best entries at regional competitions held at Monmouth, Kean and Rutgers (Camden) Universities. The top entries at the state contest at William Paterson University will represent New Jersey at National History Day in June at the University of Maryland. Judges for the program include university professors, museum curators, historians and teachers.
National History Day is the largest history education program in the country whose mission is to provide students with opportunities to learn historical content and develop research, thinking and communication skills through the study of history and to provide classroom teachers with resources and training to enhance classroom teaching
An independent national study found that after introducing National History Day into their classrooms, teachers reported that 95% of their students showed academic improvement. Students concurred – nearly 80% believed that the skills they gained from History Day would help them with other school work. Students’ ability to identify a primary source increased from 13% to 73% and attendance increased 50%.
For additional information, contact Nancy Norris-Bauer, coordinator, at (973)-720-3131 or norrisn@wpunj.edu.
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