Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

This section contains answers to frequently asked questions.

If there are additional details in another section, a link to that section is provided.

ELIGIBILITY

Q. Are for-profit private schools eligible to participate in History Uncovered?

A. All accredited schools are eligible to participate in History Uncovered.

Q. What restrictions or requirements are placed on the Coaches or students?

A. Coaches must be:

Students must be:

There are no age restrictions placed on students. See Rules and Regulations.

Q. If our school is located outside the United States, are we eligible to participate?

A. The History Uncovered Competition is open to schools located within the United States and territories of United States, as well as Department of Defense Dependents’ Schools. See Rules and Regulations for more information about eligibility.

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STUDENT TEAMS

Q. Do I understand correctly that a student Team can include students in different grades and they do not have to be enrolled in the same history or social studies course?

A. Yes, a student Team may have members in different grades, and the students do not have to be enrolled in the same class.

Q. Whose responsibility is it to assemble a student Team?

A. You may handle the formation of a Team or Teams as you see fit. You can put together Teams with students whose abilities complement one another, or you may choose to let your students form their own Teams.

Q. Does it matter how many members are on a student Team?

A. The only requirement is that there be a minimum of two (2) members and a maximum of six (6).

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THE CHALLENGE

Q. Does a Team have to represent each classification when making their selection of the top ten people, events, and places that shaped the course of history?

A. Yes. The top ten choices must include at least one from each classification. Beyond that, the Team can combine people, events, and places as they wish, as long as the total number of selections is ten (10).

Q. How are “people,” “places,” and “events” defined for the purposes of the History Uncovered Competition?

A. Taken from the Team Entry Guides:

People: an individual or a group of individuals who share purpose, ancestry, or ethnicity, e.g., Mahatma Gandhi, the Huguenots, the Aztec civilization

Event: a specific day, date, or happening, e.g., D-Day; July 4, 1776; the Boxer Rebellion

Place: a geographical location, area, or political entity, e.g., the Gobi Desert, Plymouth Rock, Cuba

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THE CATEGORIES

Q. What is the purpose of the categories?

A. The categories are broadly aligned to the courses and curriculum offered across the nation. They also provide general parameters for the student Teams’ top ten selections.

Q. If our school is a middle school that includes grade 9, which set of categories should the students select from?

A. We have not specified which grades can be included in “middle grades” because the definition varies by location across the United States. In the situation described above, you may decide whether to choose from the middle grades categories or the high school categories.

Q. In the middle grades categories, at what point in time would Ancient Civilizations end and Middle Ages begin?

A. Although the Middle Ages are often dated from approximately A.D. 500 to A.D. 1500, students will be given some latitude in their selections of people, events, and places at the turn of the 6th century because there is no universal agreement on when the Middle Ages began.

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MIDDLE GRADES STARTER LISTS

Q. What is the purpose of the starter lists for middle grades Teams? Do the students have to use the lists?

A. ABC-CLIO has provided a starter list for each middle grades category (Ancient Civilizations, World History: Middle Ages to Contemporary Times, and U.S. History and Government). The starter lists are an optional resource for the middle grades students. Middle grades Teams may make all, some, or none of their ten selections from the starter list for their chosen category.

Q. Do the starter lists apply to the high school competition?

A. No, they are only applicable to middle grades curriculum and the middle grades competition.

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MIDDLE GRADES GUIDING QUESTIONS

Q. What is the purpose of the guiding questions for middle grades students?

A. The guiding questions help middle grades students frame their research. They are:

  1. In your own words, how would you describe the impact or contribution of each selection?
  2. How did each choice "shape the course of history"?
  3. What evidence or research did you find that supports your choice?

Each of the guiding questions is explained in more detail in the Middle Grades Team Entry Guide.

The guiding questions are also provided here as a PDF that students can use to take notes and organize information.

Q. Should the students’ Entry respond directly to the guiding questions?

A. The guiding questions are intended to serve as a prompt. Students must cover the information that is asked for, but they do not need to address each question explicitly.

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ROLE OF THE COACH

Q. What is expected of a Coach?

A. The Coach serves as a resource and advisor to the Team. Coaches may assist students by offering guidance and technical assistance if needed; however, a Coach may not work directly on any part of the Entry. When a student Team is ready to submit an Entry, the Coach should:

See the Rules and Regulations for a detailed description of the role of the Coach.

Q. Who are school site-based Coaches for a student Team?

A. A Team may be coached by a social studies teacher and/or a school library-media specialist.

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DEVELOPING AN ENTRY

Q. Are there guidelines on how students should choose the top ten people, events, or places to include in their Entry?

A. There are no guidelines or requirements that govern or restrict how student Teams select their top ten people, events, or places, except each classification must be represented once.

See the Middle Grades Team Entry Guide or High School Team Entry Guide, for more information.

Q. Can you explain what you mean by this statement, which appears in the Team Entry Guides? “Your entry can be a “collection” or an assembly of “connections.” You may want to consider telling a story, or following an organizational theme.”

A. Student Teams have the option of choosing ten people, events, or places solely based on their individual merit. In this case, the Entry would feature selections that fit in the chosen Entry category, e.g., Ancient Civilizations, or Geography, but are otherwise unconnected. Another option, at the student Team’s discretion, is to identify a theme or organizing principle that applies to their selections, such as influential women, religion, technological developments, military events, etc. This is not required; however, some students might find that having a theme or organizing principle helps them develop a cohesive Entry.

Q. Does it matter which Entry format the Team chooses?

A. Student Teams may submit an essay, video, audio podcast, animation, or slide show. The Team should choose the Entry format that they feel is the best medium to present their choices and their research. The judges will not assign more value to one Entry format over another.

Q. Is it okay to mix media types in an Entry?

A. Yes! For example, an essay or slide show might be enhanced with photographs, video, or audio clips. You may either embed other file types, such as photos, so they are included in the Entry file, or link to an external file, such as a short movie clip. If you link an external file to your Entry, don't forget to include it when you submit your Entry. You would do this by creating a single zip file that contains your Entry and the linked file or files. Entries submitted as zip files cannot exceed the 75 MB file size limit.

Q. One of the competition requirements states that Teams must include at least one citation from an ABC-CLIO database per each of the ten selections that comprise an Entry. Can the students include research from other sources?

A. As long as the above requirement has been met, Teams may include information they have learned in class, from their textbooks, or from other sources. Students must cite external sources as well. Review the Copyrighted Content, Plagiarism, and ABC-CLIO Database Citations sections of the Rules and Regulations for more information.

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SUBMITTING AN ENTRY

Q. Can my students submit their Entry when they are ready?

A. Students cannot submit an Entry directly. The Coach must complete the Entry Submission form, which includes an affirmation that the Entry is the original work of the student Team, and the Coach must upload the form along with the Entry file or files.

Q. How do I upload an Entry file?

A. The process is straightforward. If your Team Entry includes any linked files, create a single zip file that contains your Team Entry and the linked file or files. Linked files might include a short movie or audio clip that is included in an essay or slideshow Entry, but is not actually embedded in the file.

Have the Team Entry file either loaded on your computer’s hard drive or available from the desktop if it is on external media, such as a CD, DVD, or flash drive. Click Submit Entry from the History Uncovered home page: www.abc-clio.com/historyuncovered. When you have completed the online Entry Submission form, simply click the “Browse” button on the form. A list of files from your computer’s hard drive will appear in the window. If the Entry file is on external media, you may have to click on the name of the CD, DVD, flash drive, etc., to see the file. Select the Entry file and follow the on-screen prompts. When your file appears in the upload field on the Entry Submission form, you are ready to submit.

Q. How will we know that our Entry has been received?

A. When you have successfully submitted a Team Entry, a confirmation screen will appear after the file transmission is complete. You will also receive a follow-up confirmation via email.

Q. Why does ABC-CLIO ask for the name of a site-level administrator with legal signing authority?

A. After we receive your Team Entry, an email is sent to your school principal or another site-level administrator to confirm that your school meets the eligibility requirements for History Uncovered and verify that the administrator understands and agrees on behalf of the school to abide by the Rules and Regulations of the competition. You will receive a courtesy copy of this email at the same time.

If a student Team from your school produces a winning Entry, ABC-CLIO will require an administrator with legal signing authority to return a signed Affidavit of Eligibility and Release form before prizes may be distributed.

Q. Does the principal have to respond to the confirmation email that is sent after we upload a Team Entry?

A. No, the principal (or other administrator) is asked to reply only if your school does not meet the eligibility requirements, or if he or she does not agree to the Rules and Regulations. In either case, we will automatically disqualify your Entry. We recommend that you discuss your participation in History Uncovered with a site-level administrator before submitting an Entry.

Q. We’re having trouble uploading the file. What should we do?

A. There are a few things you can try:

If you continue to have difficulty, request assistance using the contact information on the Entry Submission form, and a representative from ABC-CLIO will respond to your request.

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EVALUATION CRITERIA

Q. Will the evaluation criteria be applied to each top ten selection within an Entry or to the Entry as a whole?

A. The judges will score the student Team’s analysis and defense of each of their ten selections, and they will assess the Entry as a sum of all its parts.

Q. What kinds of things will affect our score?

A. There are two rubrics, one for high school and one for the middle grades. Each identifies the evaluation criteria for those Entries, and the distinctions among the levels of quality for each criterion. You may download the Evaluation Criteria here or by clicking “Downloads” on the History Uncovered  Welcome Page: www.abc-clio.com/historyuncovered.

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PRIZES

Q. When are the prizes awarded?

A. Monthly drawing winners will receive their gift certificate for ABC-CLIO print resources within 30 days. Other prizes are awarded after judging of all submitted Entries has been completed and the winning Teams and a site-level administrator with signing authority for the school have signed and returned the required forms to ABC-CLIO. See the Rules and Regulations for more information about the required forms and distribution of prizes.

Q. What happens if a winning Team and school do not return the required forms?

A. The prize may be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner. ABC-CLIO may, at its discretion, review special circumstances before taking this action. ABC-CLIO’s decision will be final and binding. Please read the eligibility requirements and information about prize distribution in the Rules and Regulations.

Q. What is the History Uncovered Hall of Fame?

A. The History Uncovered Hall of Fame is an online showcase that will feature all grand prizewinning Entries, as well as two additional Entries per each category in both the high school and middle grades competitions.

Q. What are the criteria for inclusion in the History Uncovered Hall of Fame?

A. Entries are evaluated using the evaluation criteria that corresponds to the competition level the student Team is participating in—middle grades or high school. After all Entries have been scored and grand prizewinning Entries have been identified, the Competition judges will review the merits of the remaining high-scoring Entries to select the Hall of Fame winners. For more information about prizes, review the Rules and Regulations and the Prizes page.

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