Tennessee History Day Training for Area Teachers

     Tennessee Room staff and volunteers are very excited about our event next week: on August 25, the JMCL Tennessee Room will be the site of a workshop for History and Social Studies teachers. Area teachers will receive training for guiding student participants in Tennessee History Day.

     Tennessee History Day is a state history competition for Middle School and High School students. The competition adheres to the state's education standards for teaching Social Studies and History. Training for the Tennessee History Day competition will be conducted by the Tennessee Historical Society. 

     History Day competition begins at the regional level. Students determine original research projects based on a broad national theme. Research is conducted utilizing and analyzing primary and secondary sources. This independent research allows a student to explore a topic of interest and combine it with his or her learning style strengths to produce a unique body of knowledge. The research can be submitted in one of 5 categories:

Writing a paper
Making a documentary
Building an exhibit
Designing a webpage
Producing a performance

           It's like a science fair for history research!  The winner at the state level advances to the National History Day competition in Maryland.

           I discovered National History Day and Tennessee History Day as a result of press releases at the conclusion of the competition several years ago. Student research projects were impressive! As I explored further, I saw consistency both in contest standards and student work.

           What I didn't see was a great deal of participation from West Tennessee students!

           Knowing the kind of original materials we have in our archive, the ability of primary resources to bring history alive, and the capabilities of our West Tennessee students, I wanted to bring these elements together!

           We are preparing to welcome the Tennessee Historical Society representatives and area teachers this coming Tuesday, August 25 for a workshop.  We hope to encourage teachers, support area students, and advance the study of history. The Tennessee Room will be closed for the day and will reopen at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning.