Whose WW1? · Assessment rubric
He pātai matua: How did the First World War change what it meant to be a New Zealander — and who got to define that identity?
Your final museum brief is assessed on the reasoning underneath your choices, not on choosing the “right” items. A strong brief explains what it leaves out.
The four criteria
| Criterion | Outstanding | Secure | Developing | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Evidence range | Draws widely and precisely on phases across the whole unit — Europe and causes, empire and choice, war experiences, contested loyalty at home, the peace, and memory — including Māori service, Waikato resistance and Sāmoa. | Uses evidence from at least four phases, including at least one Māori perspective and one home-front or peace example. | Evidence clusters in one or two phases (often Gallipoli alone); Māori perspectives absent or generic. | Restates the national story without selecting evidence. |
| 2 · Perspectives & contest | Te Puea Hērangi, Māui Pōmare and Āpirana Ngata kept distinct and historically grounded; explains why responses differed (iwi experience of the Crown), not just that they did. | At least two perspectives compared fairly; differences acknowledged with reasons. | Perspectives named but merged into “Māori responses” or one is flattened. | Single-perspective telling. |
| 3 · Identity reasoning | Treats “the war made the nation” as a contested claim, tests it against evidence (including Sāmoa and who was left out of ANZAC memory), and answers who got to define the identity. | Recognises the claim as debatable and supports a position with evidence. | Asserts “WW1 created New Zealand” (or denied) as settled fact. | No identity claim engaged. |
| 4 · Curation & communication | Museum choices justified one by one; exclusions named and defended; clear, structured presentation for the intended audience. | Most choices justified; exclusions mentioned. | Choices listed without reasons. | Summary of the war, not a curated brief. |
Self-check before you submit: Can you point to where each piece of evidence came from (deck phase, handout, source)? Can you name one perspective your brief leaves out — and say why? Does your final paragraph answer who got to define the identity, not just what it was?
Use your National Identity Evidence Matrix → · The Whose WW1? task →