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Christ Church Research Worksheet

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Christ Church Research Worksheet

Use the short information cards and your own careful observations to investigate Christ Church in Russell, Aotearoa New Zealand. Read about people and graves respectfully. When you make a claim, point to evidence that supports it.

Start with the evidence

Christ Church is an Anglican church in Russell, in the Bay of Islands. The church is widely described as New Zealand’s oldest surviving church, and its building dates from 1835. Russell was then known as Kororāreka. It was a busy settlement visited by Māori and people arriving by sea. The churchyard includes graves and memorials that record parts of the area’s past. A building, an inscription and a reliable written account can each provide different historical evidence.

1.The building dates from 1835. Which century is that? Explain how you know.
180018201840186018801900
2.The information card says Russell was a busy settlement visited by Māori and people arriving by sea. Give one reasonable explanation for why a church might have been built there. Label your idea as an inference, not a proven fact.
3.Choose the statement that is directly supported by the information card.
  • The church building dates from 1835.
  • Every visitor to Russell attended a service there.
  • The church was built because ships needed a lighthouse.

Read a memorial carefully

Imagine that, during a respectful visit, you can read this example inscription on a churchyard memorial: “In memory of Mereana R. 1848–1912”. This is a made-up example for practising historical thinking, not a real memorial at Christ Church. An inscription may tell us a name and dates, but it usually cannot tell us a person’s whole life.

MEMORIAL EXAMPLE In memory of Mereana R. 1848–1912

4.Use the example inscription. In what year did the person die, and how old might they have been? Remember that the exact age cannot be known without a birthday.
5.Name two things the example inscription does not tell you about Mereana R. Explain why a historian should not guess these details.
6.A visitor wants to photograph an old grave and read its inscription. Give two respectful actions they should take.
7.Match each source with the kind of evidence it could provide.
  • A church building
  • A grave inscription
  • A reliable history account
  • A name and dates
  • Materials and design choices
  • Context about people and events
8.You want to check whether Christ Church is still used for worship today. Which source would be most useful, and why?
9.Write a short visitor tip that explains one thing someone could learn at Christ Church and one way to care for the place.
10.Finish the sentence with one supported claim and the evidence for it: “I can say that Christ Church is historically significant because…”

3 printable pages

  • Christ Church Research Worksheet, page 1 of 3: Start with the evidence

    Page 1

  • Christ Church Research Worksheet, page 2 of 3: Read a memorial carefully

    Page 2

  • Christ Church Research Worksheet, page 3 of 3: 8. You want to check whether Christ Church is still used for worship today. Which source…

    Page 3

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