<p>I hoping some of you can help. My younger son (going into 7th grade) is a big history buff and is really excited about NHD. </p>
<p>Last school year was his first to participate. The theme was "Taking a Stand" and he did the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during WWII. He took first place in regionals, but didn't place in state. (He is in Colorado).</p>
<p>I think he has a bit of an idea as to why he didn't place in state -- his research. He was very new to this and didn't write down all the sources he used, etc. Also -- he has a bit of trouble showing the significance in just 500 words (he did the junior individual exhibit).</p>
<p>He really wants to place at state this year (of course) and is looking for some suggestions.</p>
<p>This year's them is "Triumph and Tragedy". He could use the Warsaw Ghetto again, it fits in really well with the theme. Is that a problem? Do they care if you use your research and stuff again and work to improve it and do it more in-depth?</p>
<p>Also -- he focused on all the Jews in the ghetto, but in particular he focused on the young jews who decided to fight. Would it be better to focus on a single individual or just a small group?</p>
<p>It's generally accepted that it's very poor form to reuse entire bodies of research or the same topics, especially the year immediately after one originally did it.</p>
<p>Pick an aspect of the Warsaw ghetto uprising that struck a chord with him--was it the youth? WWII? Polish history? Jewish history? the drama and pathos of the situation? Take that aspect and find another historical event, person, or situation that appeals to him in a similar way. I'm convinced that picking a great topic is the most important part of NHD, so don't be afraid to take some time selecting one.</p>
<p>If he wants to succeed at NHD, he ABSOLUTELY MUST cite every source he used. Annotated bibliographies must be varied and descriptive. I used mine as an opportunity to discuss different aspects of my topic that I didn't get to write about in my paper--how it affected women, race, etc. Minor things that I found interesting but didn't fit in the word limit.</p>
<p>I think the individual vs. group issue comes down to personal preference, so whichever one he is more comfortable with or likes more would be fine.</p>
<p>thanks for the help -- he really wasn't sure what was kosher. He has some other ideas and I think I will encourage him to do some thinking of what will work the best.</p>
<p>As far as citing sources -- last year was his first attempt at this and they really didn't explain it well in school at the start. By the time he figured out he even had to do an annotated bibliography, he was well into his research. This year, he knows that the research and the bibliography can make or break the project (I think that is the main reason he didn't place at state).</p>
<p>haha my only advice is to write about something that everyone feels bad about. Like the Jews. My friend wrote a horrid paper about the genocide and scored very well. While my friend and I, the two best history students in the class, picked more radical topics and were given the lowest scores in the class. His was the french resistance and mine was Che.</p>
<p>the only problem with picking a topic that everyone feels bad about -- it seems to be overdone! Interesting topics about things that not everyone knows about seem to have an edge, but sometimes their significance is questionable or just too regional.</p>
<p>The key to winning is coming up with an original thesis and proving it well. An obscure topic would better allow the student to come up with an original interpretation based on primary sources and not merely re-state or synthesize conclusions made by other scholars in the field. Because the 500-word limit for exhibits is restrictive, all 500 words should be used to explain <em>only</em> the student's original ideas. Facts and evidence should be in quotes taking up about 1,000 words (in addition to the student-composed words). Projects are judged based on the depth and sophistication of the thesis, analysis of what the topic reveals about how historical change happens, and the evidence used to prove the thesis. Please send me a PM for additional help.</p>
<p>I did NHD in 6th grade and got 1st at regionals, 2nd at states, and didn't place at nationals. Then is 7th grade, i got 1st at regionals and 3rd at states. My main suggestion is that your son make a really good impression with the judges. For example, he's going to want to stand out so he should really do some extraordinary research and go beyond the obvious sources. For example, my topic in 7th grade was Martha Graham: A Revolutionary in Modern Dance. I wrote letters to numerous dancers that worked with Martha Graham and actually got a response from one of her main dance partners. This type of research shows the judges that you go beyond the expectations. Good luck!!</p>
<p>You might be allowed to enter two categories, I don't know, but I would not recommend it. If you want to "succeed" at NHD, both in the sense of scoring/ranking well and doing some seriously in-depth research, one project a year (plus the general stress associated with junior year!) is more than enough.</p>