NHD Research Project

Lesson #8

Step #6 - Analyzing & Interpreting Sources
Step #7 - Developing a Thesis
Sources: Reliability & Validity

INTERNET

.edu - educational (usually a reliable source from

a college or university)

.gov - governmental (dependable most of the

time)

.com - commercial (could be promoting a

project)

.net - network

.org - organization (nonprot institutions have

their own points of view)
Interpreting My Research

My Topic (briey describe)

Immediate Impact of My Topic

Long-Term Impact of My Topic

{Topic}
{Topic} > {Immediate Impact}
{Topic} > {Immediate Impact} > {Long-Term Impact}
My Topic
Social climate of the time
period (describe)
Main events
which
occurred right
before my
topic
Key people
in the time
period
Political climate
(briey
describe)

Country:
World:
Science &
Technology
of the period
(e.g. new
inventions)
Economic
conditions:
(briey
describe)

Country:
World
World Context
Regional & National
Context
My Topic
2 Steps To Thinking Like A Historian

Step #1: Learn something new about the past.

Step #2: Help your audience learn something about

the past
Developing A Thesis Statement

A good thesis statement:

addresses a narrow topic

explains what the researcher (you)

believes to be the historical signicance
of the topic

connects your topic to a National

History Day theme
Thesis Statements & National History
Day Themes
1.) Remind yourself of the theme

2.) What specic part(s) of your topic t well into the theme

3.) As you write the specic part(s), make sure that you tie in the
theme by:

* using theme words
* explaining how the part relates to the theme
An effective thesis statement tells
readers specically what you plan to
write about in your paper. A thesis
statement usually takes a stand or
expresses a specic feeling or feature of
your subject.

- Writers, Inc.
Thesis
Your thesis statement will explain what you believe
your research project can prove or support with
appropriate facts and details.
A Particular
Stand,
Feature,
Connections
= +
A Specic
Subject
An Effective
Thesis
Statement
Your thesis statement is like a lighthouse...
because it will guide you along the way.
Sample Thesis
History Day Theme = Legacy and Leadership in History

Basic Interest Area = World War II

Narrowed Subject = The treatment of Jewish people during World
War II

Working Thesis Statement = Due to the leadership of Adolf Hitler,
Jewish people became the subject of
mass killing and racial violence.

Final Thesis Statement = The attempted annihilation of the Jewish
people during World War II ended with the
deaths of 2/3 of the Jewish population of the
world, this is the legacy of Adolf Hitlers
leadership of Germany.