Day 1: The Early Years (Late 1800s – 1919)
Activity 1: St Joseph’s Cathedral
At the turn of the century, there was a great deal of construction happening in New Zealand. Many of the new British settlers wanted to build homes and community meeting places, such as churches. One of the largest buildings to be constructed during this period was St Joseph’s Cathedral in Dunedin.
St Joseph’s Cathedral is just one of hundreds of beautiful cathedrals around the world.
Use your search engine to find a picture of another famous cathedral. Post a picture of the cathedral on your blog. Underneath the picture tell us: the name of the cathedral, where the cathedral is located, when it was built, and how long it took to build.
Famous Cathedral
Name: Holy Trinity Cathedral
Located: Parnell, Aucland
Built: 1843
How many year's did it take to build: 174 years
Activity 2 | The Right to Vote
At the turn of the century, New Zealand elected its first ever government. Richard John Seddon served as the leader of the Liberal Party from 1893-1906. Prior to 1893, only men were legally allowed to vote. This all changed in the late 1800s when a woman named Kate Sheppard lead a suffragist movement in New Zealand calling for a change in law. Her hard work finally paid off when the Electoral Act was passed into law on 19 September 1893, giving women the right to vote. New Zealand was the first country to give all women the right to vote. There were still countries in the world (e.g. Saudi Arabia) who, until recently, did not allow women to vote.
On your blog tell us what you think about the fact that women were not allowed to vote in Saudi Arabia until 2015. Is it fair? Why or why not?
My thoughts
I think it's not fair because everybody should vote at the same time not just the men.
Bonus Activity: In Flanders Fields
As the new century dawned, New Zealanders settled into a period of relative calm. The calm lasted for about 15 years but came to a sudden end in 1914 when World War I erupted in Europe. The war lasted for almost five years and claimed the lives of 18,000 New Zealanders.
It also claimed the lives of thousands of men and women from countries around the world. Every year, we remember these brave men and women on ANZAC Day (25 April). Many people go to a special Anzac Day ceremony where they read a special poem that was written for the fallen soldiers. The poem is called ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae.
Read the poem. On your blog, tell us what you think of the poem. Do you like it? How does it make you feel?
It makes me feel very lucky to live in a beautiful, safe country like New Zealand. It also makes me feel sad for those who died in the war and for their families. I think that we are very lucky that they went to war and fought for our freedom. What do you think?
How it made me feel
It was really sad and lucky I didn't have to and get killed so thank you all those people who risk there lives to keep us safe. The poem was very emotional and really touch me.
Mōrena Opeti,
ReplyDeleteWell done for completing another day of activities. You've managed to complete quite a bit so far, so you should be really proud of yourself!
I'll start with Activity 1: St Joseph's Cathedral.
Well done for not only finding a Cathedral, but for finding one in New Zealand, too! I've not seen a student post about the Holy Trinity Cathedral before. Doesn't it look interesting? It reminds me of a cookie cutter.
It's outstanding that it took that long to build! Do you know if it required any refurbishing?
Activity 2: The Right to Vote.
Thank you for your thoughts on this activity. I'm pleased to hear that you think that it's not fair that women weren't allowed to vote. It's a struggle to push for equality throughout the world. Can you think of any other examples of inequality?
Bonus Activity: In Flanders Field.
Thank you for telling us about how the poem, In Flanders Field, made you feel. I have to agree with you, the poem made me feel really sad, too. And we are so lucky to not have to go to war. It makes me really appreciate the time that we live in.
Do you have any relatives that fought in the war?
Keep up the great work Opeti :)
Cheers,
Jordan.