LEVEL 3 ESSAY 3.4 & 3.5 “DECISIONS ‘N’ ISSUES” THE ULTIMATE HOW TO GUIDE

DECISION – what the markers say (2005) Those who achieved: covered the THREE content requirements (context of the decision, the factors that led to it & the consequences of it) structured their answers with an intro, series of well structured & sequenced paragraphs, and a conclusion

DECISION – what the markers say (2005) Those who didn’t achieve: provided only a downloaded narrative didn’t address the ‘consequences’ part of the essay question didn’t answer the question topic set by the current paper but instead tried to use a prepared answer to a question from the year before. So, saw a loose connection between topics and spat up an essay that didn’t answer the question

DECISION – what the markers say (2005) Those who achieved Merit & Excellence: detailed understanding of the decision they were writing about within its historical context ability to describe the factors that led to the decision & EVALUATE the consequences, weighing up the positive & negative aspects of the decision for the people involved understanding of elements of the historical debate (and/or views of contemporaries) that surround the historical decision well organised, fluent, insightful, planned and COMPLETE!

DECISION – the thing to watch for In order to avoid the wrath of the maker and the “downloaded” or “prepared” essay curse ASK YOURSELF… “How has the decision been PHRASED?” Decision of Maori to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 Decision to present Maori with the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 Decision of Maori to convert to Christianity Decision of Samuel Marsden to establish a mission in NZ Decision of the CMS to establish a mission in NZ Decision by Wakefield to establish the NZ Company to systematically colonise NZ between Decision of Wakefield to introduce planned settlements

DECISION – it writes itself! If you cover EACH required part the essay will almost take care of itself! INTRO (ESTABLISH WHAT YOUR ARGUMENT IS) DESCRIPTION OF THE DECISION (WHAT WAS THE DECISION?) PUT THE DECISION INTO A CONTEXT (WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT THE TIME) DESCRIBE FACTORS THE CONTIBUTED TO THE DECISION (WHAT IMPORTANT THINGS HAPPENED THAT LED TO THE DECISION) EVALUATE THE CONSEQUENCES (POSITIVE & NEGATIVE) CONCLUSION (SUMMARISE YOUR ARGUMENT)

AND…. – recognise & describe historical narratives in relation to the decision Use the views of historians and/or people at the time to support your argument. This means you can also critique their views if it helps your essay

DECISION – introduction -don’t just rewrite the question -It’s here that you introduce the main ideas of your essay - It’s here that you clearly establish what your argument is… Eg: The decision by Maori to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 Argument could be: “Maori believed that signing the Treaty was in their best interests” OR “Maori signed because of a lack of understanding” “Maori believed that the intentions of the British were genuine”

DECISION – description of the decision DECISION= Maori to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 Desciption: Over 500 Maori chiefs decided to sign the Treaty of Waitangi over the months that followed 6 February, That’s it! But needs to be accurate and then you need to put it into…

DECISION – historical context DECISION= Maori to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 So what had happened: - Declaration of Independence - European influx had begun - initial land sales - French/US interests - Strong humanitarian influence in Brit govts - Misbehaviour of uncontrolled Europeans in places like Kororareka NOW THE TREATY WAS HERE TO SORT THESE THINGS, SO…

DECISION – what factors contributed DECISION= Maori to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 So why did they sign? (each one a paragraph) (actual factors that convinced them to sign) - Influence of Missionaries - Advantage of being a British subject - Chieftainship was assured - Bond of Treaty and Queen of England - Europeans controlled by Governor - Promise of increased trade - ALSO CONSIDER REASONS WHY SOME DIDN’T SIGN eg refusal to be ruled by a woman, feeling of little choice but to sign, fear of outcome

DECISION +/- consequences DECISION= Maori to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in Loss of income for some chiefs due to no more custom duties (provide example) - Pre-emption led to low land prices (provide example) - British law began to be applied to Maori (provide example) Constitution Act left Maori out of the governing system - parallel governing systems developed (provide example) - complete sovereignty of land passed to the Crown Colony government EACH CONSEQUENCE A NEW PARAGRAPH!!

DECISION - historiography DECISION= Maori to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 Many ways to incorporate: - “Hone Heke seemed to both agree & disagree…” -“According to Claudia Orange…” - “As Orange (1985) described…” - “Orange believed…” - “Orange says that Maori..” - “Direct quote” (Orange, 1985)

DECISION - conclusion DO - Summarise the main points of your argument and bring everything to a logical close – but… DON’T – introduce new material DON”T – just repeat your introduction

ISSUE – what the markers say (2005) Those who achieved: accurately described the issue planned answer so that it covered the requirements of the criteria (application of terms, identification of change (or continuity), influence of the issue on people) & timeframe of topic structured their answers with an intro, series of well structured & sequenced paragraphs, and a conclusion

ISSUE – what the markers say (2005) Those who didn’t achieve: only a small part of time period covered or aspects missed didn’t answer the question topic set by the current paper but instead tried to use a prepared answer to a question from the year before. So, saw a loose connection between topics and spat up an essay that didn’t answer the question provided only a downloaded narrative with no evaluation of consequences and/or influence on people

ISSUE – what the markers say (2005) Those who achieved Merit & Excellence: knowledgeable, tightly structured essays comprehensive coverage of different aspects of the essay question and the timeframe of the topic shaped answers to meet requirement of the current paper Perception & fluent language Sustained argument detailed well organised, fluent, insightful, planned and COMPLETE!

ISSUE – the thing to watch for In order to avoid the wrath of the maker and the “downloaded” or “prepared” essay curse ASK YOURSELF… “How has the issue been PHRASED?” The impact on Maori of contact with Pakeha, before 1840 Contact and exchange of ideas between Maori & Pakeha before 1840 The interaction between Maori and Pakeha prior to 1840

ISSUE – it writes itself! If you cover EACH required part the essay will almost take care of itself! INTRO (WHAT IS THE ISSUE?) (ESTABLISH YOUR ARGUMENT ABOUT WHAT THE SIGNIFICANCE IS OF THE ISSUE) PUT THE ISSUE INTO CONTEXT (WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT THE TIME) (APPLY TERMS, CONCEPTS & IDEAS RELATEDTO THE ISSUE) EXAMINE CHANGES (OR CONTINUITY) TRENDS & PATTERNS OVER TIME (WHAT CHANGED OR STAYED THE SAME?) EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF THE ISSUE ON PEOPLE (POSITIVE & NEGATIVE) CONCLUSION (SUMMARISE YOUR ARGUMENT)

AND…. Use the views of historians and/or people at the time to support your argument. This means you can also critique their views if it helps your essay - in this essay, hist’s show your knowledge

ISSUE – introduction -don’t just rewrite the question -It’s here that you introduce the main ideas of your essay - It’s here that you clearly establish what your argument is… Eg: The impact on Maori of contact with Pakeha, before 1840 Argument could be: “The impact was extremely significant, influencing Maori culture, lifestyle and identity ” OR “The impact on Maori was considerable but they used the best parts of European culture to their own benefit”

ISSUE – description of the issue ISSUE= The impact on Maori of contact with Pakeha, before 1840 Description: The nature of contact (what the contact was) and its influence on Maori culture, lifestyle and identity. That’s it! But needs to be accurate and then you need to put it into…

ISSUE – historical context DECISION= The impact on Maori of contact with Pakeha, before 1840 So what had happened over the period: - explorers - whalers, sealers, traders - missionaries - Musket Wars - involvement of the Crown - inter-marriage - Maori visiting Europe SO THIS WAS THE CONTACT. AS YOU DESCRIBE IT USE…

ISSUE – TERMS/CONCEPTS/IDEAS ISSUE= The impact on Maori of contact with Pakeha, before 1840 TERMS/CONCEPTS -Maori Agency (using the best bits of Pakeha) -Acculturation -Annexation -Fatal impact -Conversion -Oral history - etc USE & DEFINE!

ISSUE CHANGE/CONTINUITY/TRENDS/ PATTERNS - ASK YOUSELF… What stayed the same or was consistent during the period (good & bad?) eg continually poor land sales continual lack of consideration for Maori needs Maori beliefs about sovereignty didn’t change What changed? EgThe Wakefield system broke down Maori literacy boomed after a slow start Maori warfare changed because of the arrival of muskets -EACH CCTP NEW PARAGRAPH!!

ISSUE - influence on people ISSUE= The impact on Maori of contact with Pakeha, before 1840 ASK YOURSELF – how were Maori influenced? How were Pakeha influenced? Should try to always explore both - disease in certain places - Musket wars – new warfare about old issues - Pakeha involvement in inter-tribal affairs (eg Elizabeth Affair) - Maori taking Pakeha goods and ideas, using them for their own reasons - experiences of missionaries & their wives & families EACH INFLUENCE A NEW PARAGRAPH!!

ISSUE - conclusion DO - Summarise the main points of your argument and bring everything to a logical close – but… DON’T – introduce new material DON”T – just repeat your introduction

HAVE CONFIDENCE - Everyone has written an essay before in some form & you know the rules * avoid first person * answer the question (ATBQ) * always plan * introduction, body & conclusion * paragraphs should be structured 1. topic sentence – introduces the point of the paragraph 2. Explanation of that point with evidence/examples 3. link back to the question – shows you are answering the question

HAVE CONFIDENCE - RESOURCES ARE READILY AVAILABLE NZQA WEBSITE – past exams, marker reports, suggested answers etc; BUT not YOUR TEACHER – I will mark as many as you write EACH OTHER – conversations, hints, peer-assessment OTHER PUBLICATIONS – study guides etc In preparation, for the exam you need a broad range or bank of essays from across the time period that you can use as a BASIS to write your EOY essays. You MUST, MUST, MUST adapt to the question & topic you get on the day though.