Level 2 History students are currently working on 2.2 (AS 91230) which asks them to examine an historical event of significance to New Zealanders.

The context for this assessment is about protest movements. Students are advised to select the subject of their research of a protest movement for 2.1.

Students may also examine the Black Panther Movement.


Students will present the information about the causes, course and outcome of the protest movement in a powerpoint presentation. Here is a guide to the powerpoint presentation style.

Students must avoid telling the story of the protest movement. Rather, the presentation must contain key historical ideas. You may organize your information along cause and effect diagrams in the planning and then develop your ideas in the powerpoint.

We have analyzed the long term and underlying causes of the Black Power Movement leading to the Black Panther Party.

This is a source that represents that Black Panther Party.

Here is a Marxist (an historical force that led to Communism) perspective on the Black Panther Party.

This site shows evidence of the Black Panther community programs.

This site focuses on the Black Panther activity in one community, Seattle, Washington.

The Black Panther site also has information on their battle with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States law enforcement agency.

These are primary source documents of the FBI on the Black Panther Party.

This is a useful secondary source about the FBI and the BPP and the Vietnam War protest movement.

These articles detail how New Zealand was influenced by the Black Panther Movement.

Protestors, Dissenters, and Reactionaries- The Year 12 Research Project

The inquiry process is the most important and fundamental tool we use in history. This is the process of planning, collecting, processing, evaluating and reporting information about the past. This process not only helps us find information, but also helps us judge what material is most truthful, important and useful.

 Level 2 students at Tangaroa College are in the process of starting their own research project about a protest movement. Students will choose one of the following protest movements effecting New Zealand. Each word below has a link to help students find out basic information about the protest movements :

Protest Movements

·         Women’s suffrage movement

·         Temperance movement

·         Parihaka

·         Māori King movement

·         Conscientious objection (WW1 and/or WW2)

·         Anti-conscription (WW1 and/or WW2)

·         Springbok Tour protest (1981)

·         Vietnam War protest

·         Protest against nuclear testing in the Pacific

·         Depression riots

·         Rua Kenana separatist movement

·         Bastion Point

·         Māori Land March, 1975

·         Occupation of Moutua Gardens

·         Nuclear-free New Zealand

·         Environmentalism

·         Homosexual law reform

General Sources
The following links are to large data bases that have many primary and secondary sources. Please use them.

• The National Library of New Zealand
• The University of Otago
• The New Zealand and Pacific Collection
• Local History Links
• New Zealand History On-line

I want to share an awesome series of links about Russian history suitable for all 2.1/2.2 projects from Bucknell University.

Royals and Revolutionaries: A Research Project Odyssey

Year 12 students are now working on a research project using two assessments, 2.1 and 2.2, that will be worth eight credits. The focus of the research will be on an important figure involved in the revolutions of 1917 in Russia. Students may research Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, Rasputin, Lenin, or Leon Trotsky.

Students will then report the key historical information about their subject and how they influenced and were influenced by the March Revolution and/ or November Revolution of 1917. Students will write a script of an interview involving their research subject with the purpose of showing their actions and perspectives about these events.

Below are some links relevant to this project.

General historical research links:

There are guidelines and questions that any historian needs to ask in order to conduct a successful research project.

This is a great database and starting place for most historical research.

Russian History sites:

This has dozens of links to primary and secondary sources about Russian history. You may find information about individual figures like Nicholas II, events like the February-March Revolution, or political parties like the Bolsheviks.

Nicholas II and Alexandra and the Romanov dynasty links are here. There are also links to Rasputin's involvement with the Tsaritsa Alexandra here.

There are many secondary and some primary links about Rasputin.

Here a various biographical works and interviews of Lenin.

Here is a positive historical view of Lenin by a British scholar.

This interview with Richard Pipes, one of the leading Russian historians, gives more insight into Lenin's views and actions.

This transcript of a documentary about the Russian Revolution and Lenin's role has some useful information from important historians.

This website collects writing and speeches by Leon Trotsky, as well as numerous accounts of the Russian Revolution.

This is biographical site about Trotsky.

What is history?

History explains who we are and how our society got here. Another way to look at history is that it helps us to understand other cultures and the world we live in. Finally, history also teaches us a set of skills that helps us to find out information and judge what is true and what is false. History is also a lot of fun!

Here is a short film about the history of the Haka.

After viewing the short film, write one paragraph explaining where the Haka comes from and what it means to Aotearoa. Post your paragraph in the comments section below.

Next is a history skills module from Durham University that helps understand some basic concepts about history.

Work through this website and complete the questions on the module worksheet.

Nazi Propaganda Links

Here is a vast collection of primary sources of Nazi propaganda.

Another rich source of primary and secondary source information for Nazi propaganda is provided by this link from the United State Holocaust Memorial Museum website.

This extract from "Mein Kampf" provides Adolf Hitler's view of the value of propaganda.

Here is some information about Führerprinzip, German for "leader principle." This was belief was a major part of Nazi ideology and promoted heavily by Nazi propaganda.

2.1 and 2.2 Research Assessments- Nazi Propaganda

We are currently working on the 2.1 and 2.2 research assessments (90465 and 90466) that judge a student's ability to conduct an inquiry of an historical topic and communicate the key information from their research. These two assessments are worth a total of 8 credits. 2.1 is due on Friday, July 24th and 2.2 is due Friday, August 14th. The focus of this research is on Nazi propaganda in 1920's and 1930's. This coincides with our unit on Weimar Germany and the Nazi State.

There are three assignments for 2.1. The first assignment is planning the inquiry project. Students must choose a specific topic, write at least three focusing questions, consider possible sources for their project and make a personal timetable.

The second assignment of the assessment is the collection and organization of evidence for the research. Students must collect at least three different sources for each focusing question. What do you do with these sources?

* Accurately record the source details.
* Organize the selected evidence to go with each focusing question in the folder.
* Highlight, or underline relevant information you will use from text.
* Include notes on your interpretation of any visual sources.
* Complete summary of information worksheet for each focusing question.


The last assignment for 2.1 is the evaluation of the inquiry process. In the coming weeks, I will include more specific information about the tasks involved with 2.2.