Student Workshops
Field Trip
Exploring Rights & Responsibilities in History at Connecticut's Old State House:
Want to get your students excited about this year’s National History Day Theme of Rights & Responsibilities in History? Book a field trip to Connecticut’s Old State House in Hartford and take a guided tour of this 1796 National Historic Landmark and former state capitol. The tour will illustrate some major rights and responsibilities, their implementation, and impact, in Connecticut’s history. Visit ctoldstatehouse.org for field trip information and fees. Tour may be booked in conjunction with a free on-site CHD workshop.
To book a field trip, call 860.240.5340 or email OSHschools@cga.ct.gov.
In-Class Workshops
All in-class workshops are free.
To book a workshop, visit our CHD Workshop Sign-Up Form.
Introduction to Primary Sources Workshop
Are your students new to working with primary sources? This workshop introduces students to the various types of primary sources, how to analyze them for effective research, and why they are a crucial part of the research process. This workshop involves small group work and is best for middle level students or those who have never worked with primary sources. (Time: approximately 45 minutes)
History Day 101-Introduction to History Day Workshop
Introduce the History Day program to your students by “traveling” on a road trip for success with our CHD staff. This workshop introduces the process of creating a History Day project. Students will have stops along the journey to learn about the theme, categories, writing a historical argument, and building their project, and plenty of time for topic shopping and research. This workshop is designed for students at any grade level who are new to History Day. (Time: approximately 45 minutes)
REVISED!
2025 NHD Theme: Rights & Responsibilities in History Workshop
Each year, NHD selects an Annual Theme that serves as a lens for exploring an historical topic. This workshop delves into this year’s theme, and helps students consider how ideas, events and actions can be considered through the lens of Rights & Responsibilities in History. Students can brainstorm topic ideas with staff and discuss how they align with the 2025 Theme. This workshop will be most effective if offered early in the year, before students have settled on their topics.
Historical Argument & Thesis Statement Workshop
This workshop reviews the basics for conducting historical research with primary and secondary sources and the steps involved with crafting a good historical argument and thesis statement. Students will discuss examples of thesis statements and have hands-on time with writing a draft of their own thesis statement. This workshop will be the most effective if students have selected a topic and started their research but have not yet begun drafting the written portion of their project. (Time: approximately 45 minutes)
You Be The Judge Workshop
Judging History Day projects is a great way to learn about how to apply the rules and rubric to a project. Students will have a pre-visit activity to help them learn/review the NHD rules. On the day of the workshop, students will review the NHD evaluation criteria and then work in small groups to judge a project. This workshop is suitable for all grade levels and is recommended to be scheduled once students are familiar with the basics of completing a History Day project. (Time: approximately 45 minutes)
History Day 102—Project Check-in Workshop
Are your students on track with their projects? Do they need suggestions for research and project creation? A History Day educator will meet with your students, providing suggestions and strategy for their CHD journey. This workshop can be conducted in-person or virtually; if done virtually, we ask that you schedule separate workshops for your students by category. (Time: 45-60 minutes depending on the number of students)
Connecticut History Day is an affiliate program of National History Day (NHD). CHD annually engages over 4,000 middle- and high-school students in historical research, interpretation, and creative expression through project based learning. The program seeks to bring students, teachers, museums, and scholars together to support young people as they engage in history. Led by the Connecticut Democracy Center, CHD is presented with major funding and partnership support from CT Humanities.