Social Sciences · Inquiry A · Years 7–8
Tō Mātou Rohe: Stories of Our Place
Your rohe has stories — on plaques, in kaumātua memories, in old photos, and in land features. Different people remember the same place differently. Your job is to weigh those accounts carefully.
Your mission
Why it matters
Historians ask whose story is told, whose is missing, and what evidence supports each account.
- You'll make
- A sourced narrative of your place with competing perspectives acknowledged, prepared for a museum, marae, or community archive.
- Who it's for
- Local museum, marae, or community archive
- How long
- About 4 weeks, in any term
- Who takes part
- The whole Years 7–8 class, together
Your first step
Map your inquiry place on paper. List three sources you could use (person, document, object) and what each might bias.
Your journey: TRACE
- Time & Place
- Relationships
- Accounts
- Causes & Consequences
- Evaluate
Every stage has Getting started, On track and Stretch support, so the whole class can work on it together.
Explore more
Trusted New Zealand sites for your research.
- DigitalNZ ↗
National Library of New Zealand
Millions of NZ photos, newspapers and records to use as sources.
- Te Papa Collections Online ↗
Te Papa
Objects and images from the national museum.
- Services to Schools ↗
National Library of New Zealand
Help finding and using sources for inquiry.
For teachers: how to run it
Facilitate a respectful sources lesson before interviews. Check cultural protocols for local iwi. Gallery walk of draft accounts in week 3.
Run it with a combined Years 7–8 class in any term. Students record each stage in Kōkiri Learn; you see progress by stage, never rankings or scores.
Ready to run it with your class?
Free trial for NZ schools. One combined Years 7–8 class, any term.