Strategies for Writing the U'S' History DBQ

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Strategies for Writing the U.S. History DBQ
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What is a Document-Based question?

• A Document-Based Question (DBQ) requires students
  to write an essay in which the defense of the
  thesis comes from an analysis of original source
  documents as well as outside knowledge of a
  specific time period and topic

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To Feel Comfortable Answering a DBQ

• Analyze Documents on a Routine Basis
• Analyze documents using AP PARTS

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• A
• P
• P
• A
• R
• T
• S

• Author
• Who created the document?
• Does the author have a viewpoint that affects the
  meaning of the document?
• Place and Time
• Where and when was the document created?
• Does the place and time affect the meaning of the
  document?
• Prior Knowledge
• What do you know beyond the information provided
  in the document?
• Audience
• For whom was the document created?
• Does the intended audience affect the documents
  reliability?
• Reason
• Why was the document produced at the time it was
  produced?
• The Main Idea
• What is the document about?
• What point is the document trying to convey?
• Significance
• So what? How does the document relate to the
  topic you are studying?
• Why is the document important?

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Writing the DBQ A Five-Step Process

• Step 1 Read the question and make sure you
  understand all parts of the question
• Sample DBQ To what extent did the idea of
  equality, as stated in the Declaration of
• Independence, bring about the Civil War in 1861?

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• Step 2 Read and analyze each document using AP
  PARTS.
• Remember to list outside information as you
  analyze the documents

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• Step 3 Make an assertion. Remember to answer the
  question.
• Sample Assertion Although some may argue that
  economic differences led to the Civil War, the
  war was caused primarily by political
  disagreements over the nature of equality.

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Step 4 Test your assertion and prepare your
essay using the Yes/Butstrategy.

• Yes
• Calhoun, a spokesperson for the South,
• did not believe that all people were
• entitled to liberty.
• Lincoln, a spokesperson for the North,
• viewed the Declaration of Independence
• as the central idea of the United States
• The anti-slavery developments of the
• 1850sas seen in the publication of
• Uncle Toms Cabin, protests against the
• Fugitive Slave Law, protests against the
• Dred Scott decision, and the raid on
• Harpers Ferrywere increasingly seen
• as a threat to the southern way of life.

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• Step 5 Write the Essay.
• On the AP exam students will have 60 minutes to
  answer the DBQ. Students should spend
• 15-20 minutes on the first four steps.
  Writing the essay should take 40-45 minutes

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Rubric for Document-Based Question (DBQ)

• 8 9
• a.______ Well-developed thesis that addresses
• the question
• b.______ Considerable specific and relevant
  outside information to support the thesis
• c.______ Effective analysis of a substantial
  number of documents
• d.______ Organized and well-written
• e.______ May contain minor errors that do not
  detract from the overall quality of the essay

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• 5 7
• a.______ Acceptable thesis
• b.______ Some specific and relevant outside
  information to support the thesis
• c.______ Effective analysis of some of the
  documents
• d.______ Acceptable organization and writing
• e.______ May contain some errors that do not
  seriously detract from the quality of the essay

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• 2 4
• a.______ Thesis is nonexistent, confused, or
  unfocused
• b.______ Little specific or relevant outside
  information
• c.______ Little or no analysis of the documents
• d.______ Problems in organization and writing
  that detract from the quality of the essay
• e.______ Contains major errors that detract from
  the quality of the essay

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• 0 1
• ______ Incompetent or inappropriate response to
  the question
• ______ Little or no factual information
  substantial factual errors
• U
• ______ Completely off topic the paper is blank
  or not turned in

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Information to Help You Write Better DBQs

• 1. DBQ essays with no outside information or no
  analysis of the documents will receive a score no
  higher than four on a nine-point assessment. A
  thorough analysis of the documents with an
  adequate thesis and no outside information will
  generally receive a four. Students who add some
  outside information will generally receive a five
  or higher

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• 2. Students who make Yes/But statements will
  probably drive their scores into a higher range.
• 3. Students should make sure they stay in the
  time period required by the question

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• 4. Students should avoid quoting long passages
  from the documents this leaves little time for
  analysis of the documents.
• 5. Simply restating what a document is about is
  not enough. Students should make sure they
  analyze the documents and make inferences from
  the documents

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• 6. Making an inference from a document can count
  as outside information.
• 7. Students should avoid writing a laundry-list
  analysis of each document.
• 8. Although student scores will not be hurt by
  referring to documents in parentheses with the
  letter of the document (e.g., Document A), we
  should hold students to a higher standard and ask
  that they refer to documents within the text
• (e.g., According to the Census Report of
  1890 . . . or As evident in John Kennedys
  Address to Congress in 1961 . . .).

6. Making an inference from a document can count
as outside information.
6. Making an inference from a document can count
as outside information.
7. Students should avoid writing a laundry-list
analysis of each document.
7. Students should avoid writing a laundry-list
analysis of each document.
8. Although student scores will not be hurt by
referring to documents in
8. Although student scores will not be hurt by
referring to documents in
parentheses with the letter of the document
(e.g., Document A), we should
parentheses with the letter of the document
(e.g., Document A), we should
hold students to a higher standard and ask that
they refer to documents within
hold students to a higher standard and ask that
they refer to documents within
the text (e.g., According to the Census Report
of 1890 . . . or As evident in
the text (e.g., According to the Census Report
of 1890 . . . or As evident in
John Kennedys Address to Congress in 1961 . .
.).
John Kennedys Address to Congress in 1961 . .
.).
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• 9. Students should use specific names, terms, and
  events (i.e., proper nouns) as outside
  information.
• 10. Students should make sure they keep returning
  to the main topic of the essay

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• 11. Students should use the introductory
  paragraph to define terms, provide historical
  background, define the time period, and state
  points of validation. In most cases, students
  should not write an introduction that is too
  long introductory information should be kept to
  a minimum.
• 12. Errors in grammar and style are not a serious
  problem unless they detract from the
  comprehension of the essay