Merced County Office of Education will host an Introduction to National History Day workshop to prepare teachers for the Merced County History Day in the spring, where nearly 80 student projects can advance to the state competition.
The training goes in-depth on the National History Day program specifics, how it fits with the California-History Social Science (CA-HSS) standards and how it helps students develop historical thinking skills.
Annie Olson, a key member of the California Foundation for History Education and National History Day – California is the instructor for the training.
The training on Monday, Aug. 1, from 8:30PM to 3:30PM, at the MCOE Downtown Center, 1715 Canal Street in Merced. The cost is $150 per participant and is open for all 4-12 grade teachers in or around Merced County.
To register for the workshop, email Stacie Arancibia at: [email protected] and ask for an online link to register.
As part of plans to start the program district-wide for the 2022-23 school year, Merced City School District has a number of prepaid spots available for MCSD teachers.
“As a former history teacher and history day coordinator, I understand the importance of the program and look forward to expanding to more districts,” said Merced County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steve Tietjen. “Attending the workshop is not required to start History Day at your site or district but we are excited to bring this opportunity to our teachers and staff to help them implement History Day in their classrooms.”
The Merced County History Day competition encourages students from across the county to conduct historical research on a topic of their choice that connects with the annual theme. After research is complete students choose a category to display their project. Categories are paper, poster, exhibit, website, performance, podcast or documentary and can be done in a group or individually.
Last year’s competition saw a total of 30 Merced County students advance to the state competition from Hilmar Middle School and High School.