specially designed for 6th–8th grade students seeking to develop a strong foundation in historical inquiry, critical thinking, and academic writing. Rooted in History 101, the program introduces students to major historical themes, influential works, and evidence-based argumentation, encouraging them to examine the past through diverse perspectives and develop independent interpretations.

Building upon this foundation, students can pursue one of two advanced pathways: National History Day (NHD), which emphasizes original historical research, critical analysis, and the presentation of historical findings, or The Concord Review (TCR), which focuses on rigorous independent research and sophisticated scholarly writing for submission to a prestigious historical journal. Through these opportunities, the Brown Bundle Program cultivates intellectual curiosity, analytical depth, and academic confidence while preparing students to engage with history at a more advanced scholarly level.

Understand Our History 101 + National History Day 

Objectives:
✓ Develop a fundamental understanding of history and its role in shaping human civilization, society, and culture
✓ Explore historical perspectives across philosophy, technology, economics, politics, the environment, and the arts
✓ Examine historical events and their connections to contemporary issues through critical inquiry
✓ Practice historical discussions and debates to strengthen analytical thinking and reasoning
✓ Learn to critically read, interpret, and paraphrase historical texts and scholarly materials
✓ Understand the distinction between primary and secondary sources in historical research
✓ Develop essential research skills, including Chicago-style citations and annotated bibliographies
✓ Practice constructing clear, evidence-based historical arguments through analytical writing
✓ Learn to identify meaningful historical topics and formulate focused research questions
✓ Apply historical research and analytical skills to develop an original National History Day (NHD) project
✓ Strengthen academic writing through structured outlining, drafting, editing, and revision
✓ Prepare a well-researched historical project for National History Day competition submission

Learning Outcomes: 

✓ Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of historical inquiry and its interdisciplinary applications
✓ Can critically examine historical events and interpretations from multiple perspectives
✓ Understands how historical evidence supports, challenges, and shapes interpretations of the past
✓ Can identify, evaluate, and effectively incorporate primary and secondary sources into historical research
✓ Demonstrates proficiency in historical analysis, paraphrasing, and evidence-based argumentation
✓ Understands Chicago-style referencing and the development of annotated bibliographies
✓ Can formulate original research questions and construct well-supported historical arguments
✓ Develops advanced critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and academic writing skills
✓ Can organize historical research into a coherent, logically structured academic project
✓ Understands the research, writing, revision, and submission process for National History Day
✓ Can effectively communicate historical findings and defend interpretations through evidence and reasoning
✓ Gains the intellectual independence, research discipline, and academic confidence necessary for advanced historical study and competitive academic research

Class Timeline:
✓ 45 mins. per lesson (20 mins. for instruction, 20 mins. for discussion & debate, 5 mins. for homework review & Q/A)
✓ Part One: Meets twice a week, Part Two: Meets once a week

Detailed Lesson Plan:

Part 1 (History 101) 
Module I: What is History? 

• Week 1a: Defining and exploring what “history” is and 6 main themes of history
• Week 1b: Theme #1: Philosophical history
• Week 2a: Theme #2: AI history
• Week 2b: Theme #3: Economic history
• Week 3a: Theme #4: Environmental history
• Week 3b: Theme #5: Political history
• Week 4a: Theme #6: Art history
• Week 4b: Capstone Project-evaluation/feedback

Module II: Historical Analysis

• Week 5a: Paraphrasing #1
• Week 5b: Paraphrasing #2
• Week 6a: Historical analysis #1e difference?
• Week 6b: Historical analysis #2
• Week 7a: 2 Types of research: Primary and secondary
• Week 7b: Chicago referencing style
• Week 8a: Annotated bibliography
• Week 8b: Capstone Project-evaluation/feedback 

Part 2 (National History Day)

• Step 1. Ideation & Brainstorming
• Step 2. Topic Confirmation 
• Step 3. Lecture 
• Step 4. Seminar 
• Step 5. Outline 
• Step 6. First Draft (Client)
• Step 7. Editing & Feedback #1 (J&B)
• Step 8. Second Draft (Client)
• Step 9. Editing & Feedback #2 (J&B)
• Step 10. Final Draft  (Client) 
• Step 11. Final Editing & Polishing (J&B)
• Step 12. Submission Guidance