History documentaries transform research into powerful films that bring the past to life, helping to make sense of complex topics.
To coincide with the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, National History Day and PBS member station KQED, and PBS LearningMedia conducted a workshop to explore how history documentaries can help your students share their voice, knowledge, skills, and creativity.
During our workshop on December 9, 2025, we used National History Day’s 2026 theme of Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History and the Revolutionary Era as a case study to explore ready-to-use curriculum, practiced video pre-production strategies, and started a sample mini-documentary educators can use as a model with students. Educators were provided with everything they needed to start a history documentary project, including the documentary category for National History Day projects and PBS LearningMedia’s The American Revolution Youth Media Challenge hosted by KQED.
