EnglishFreePrintable

Local History Research Skills

A free english worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Local History Research Skills

Read the mini-investigation below, then use evidence to evaluate sources and plan a fair-minded local history inquiry. You may use a place you know, but all answers can be based on the material on this page.

Mini-investigation: The old harbour wharf

A town is researching why its wooden harbour wharf was replaced. The following sources were collected. Treat the details as a fictional example of the kinds of evidence local researchers might find.

A. Diary entry, 1948: “The wharf boards shook under the lorry today. Mum says the council should inspect the piles.” The writer lived nearby.

B. Council engineering report, 1952: A named engineer records that several support piles were badly weakened and recommends rebuilding. The report includes inspection measurements.

C. Local history website, 2022: An article by a named researcher says the wharf was replaced in 1953 after safety concerns. It lists a council report and two newspaper articles in its references.

D. Unsigned social media post, posted recently: “They knocked the wharf down because the mayor hated boats.” No evidence or links are supplied.

Read the evidence

1.Which evidence card is a primary source created closest to the time the wharf was being assessed? Choose the best answer.

2.Classify cards A, B, C and D as primary or secondary sources. Give one brief reason for each classification.

3.The diary writer says the boards shook and reports what Mum thought. What can this source help you learn, and what can it not prove by itself?

4.Which source is the strongest evidence for the wharf’s structural condition? Explain your choice using two details about the source.

5.The website (C) gives an author, a date and references. What do these features let you check, and why do they not automatically make every statement correct?

6.A classmate says, “The social media post proves the mayor caused the demolition.” Select the best response.

Agree: a confident statement is enough evidence.
Disagree: the post is unsigned and gives no evidence; check it against reliable records and other accounts.
Agree: social media posts are always primary sources.
Disagree: no local history claim can ever be checked.

Build a balanced inquiry

Good research compares evidence rather than repeating the first explanation it finds.

7.Write two different research questions that would help explain why the wharf was replaced. At least one question should investigate people’s experiences or perspectives, not just the engineering.

8.Name two useful places or collections to look for further local history evidence, and say what kind of source you might seek at each.

9.Why should a researcher seek more than one perspective when writing about the wharf’s replacement? Give one example of whose perspective might be missing from the four cards.

10.Write a two-sentence evidence-based summary of what the cards suggest about why the wharf was replaced. Use cautious wording such as “suggests” where appropriate.