我在參訪新北美國學校的時候，發現他們國中的歷史課程都在進行 National History Day Project ，上網GOOGLE 一下，發現這是個國際型的比賽，每年都有幾十萬的各國學生參加比賽，學生組隊後，選一個跟當年年度主題相關的歷史事件，根據這個事件去做第一手或是第二手資料的搜查，他們可以去圖書館尋找相關文獻，可以訪問耆老，或是直接參訪歷史事件地點等等。接著，他們必須要分析解釋你找到的資料，以固定的格式書寫，成果展現: 可以是報告，展覽，表演，文獻，或是網頁等等。
新北美國學校的作法是，每個人根據這個問題，去尋找相關的主題，做初步的了解後，找個時間全班進行辯論，從中選擇較適合發展成報告的歷史事件，分組後去做深入的報告。小組產出之後，全校會有一個展覽，擇優參加比賽。
National History Day project
How to find a suitable topic ? - Why did my topic happen at this particular time and in this particular place?
- What were the events or the influences that came before my topic?
- How was my topic influenced by and how did it influence the economic, social, political, and cultural climate of the time period?
報告格式參考 : NHD projects should do more than just tell a story. Every exhibit, performance, documentary, paper and website should make a point about its topic. To do this, you must develop your own argument of the historical impact of the person, event, pattern or idea you are studying. The point you make is called a thesis statement. A thesis statement is not the same as a topic. Your thesis statement explains what you believe to be the impact and significance of your topic in history.
Example:
Topic: Battle of Gettysburg
Thesis Statement: The battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point of the Civil War. It turned the tide of the war from the South to the North, pushing back Lee’s army that would never fight again on Northern soil and bringing confidence to the Union army.
A primary source is a piece of information about a historical event or period in which the creator of the source was an actual participant in or a contemporary of a historical moment. The purpose of primary sources is to capture the words, the thoughts and the intentions of the past. Primary sources help you to interpret what happened and why it happened.
Examples of primary sources include: documents, artifacts, historic sites, songs, or other written and tangible items created during the historical period you are studying
A secondary source is a source that was not created first-hand by someone who participated in the historical era. Secondary sources are usually created by historians, but based on the historian’s reading of primary sources. Secondary sources are usually written decades, if not centuries, after the event occurred by people who did not live through or participate in the event or issue. The purpose of a secondary source is to help build the story of your research from multiple perspectives and to give your research historical context.
An example of a secondary source is Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson, published in 1988. They are a great starting point in helping you see the big picture. Understanding the context of your topic will help you make sense of the primary sources that you find.
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