Step 1: Read the Historical Context and write the first sentence (or two) of your essay.

The Historical Context can be of varying lengths, from a short paragraph to a full page essay. The earlier you are in your DBQ experience the longer the Historical Context may be. High School DBQs will likely come with shorter Historical Context information than Middle School. This is because high school expects you to have more background knowledge on the historical context in your own memory than in middle school. Remember to use the knowledge already in your brain as a resource, too! You should never be given a DBQ cold - that is, without having had a lesson taught about the historical context. A DBQ is a tool that expressed your ability to assess and synthesize information, it should not be an historical lesson all on its own.

The first sentence (or two) of your introduction paragraph should grab the reader's attention by targeting the historical context of your essay. It does not have to be a fancy or exciting "grabber," but if something creative springs to mind, that is acceptable. Dull and factual is just as acceptable - this is an essay, after all, not creative writing. Can you begin with a question? Sure... but that is always advised against - you should be answering questions with essays, not asking them. The historical context of your essay should attempt to address the relevant parts of:

• PERSIA: political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, and artistic portions of the time period

• The 4 W's: Who, What, When, Where (avoid "Why" or the often included "How" until later, possibly in your thesis)

• Actually including the time period by dates ("from about 500 to 1500"), name ("the Middle Ages"), or bookending events ("from the fall of Rome to the voyages of Christopher Columbus") is also super helpful.

Remember the final essay is about the point of view you use to answer the question (you are actually arguing your point! The DBQ is a form of persuasive writing!!)- it is not focused on recalling factual information about a topic. With this in mind, the historical context of your introduction should be concise and to-the-point and no more than two sentences.

NOTE: It is handy to write the bulk of the introduction paragraph before looking at the documents for two reasons: 1) to prove to yourself you are familiar with the information already and you have prior knowledge you can tap into and 2) to avoid looking to narrowly at only the documents provided.

Step 2: Read the question or writing prompt, consider the possible points of view

(or: Understanding the question and pre-bucketing)

The question will be included with all DBQ documents and should be right up front. It is not something students need to search for. It is also given at the beginning for a reason - to be successful, you have to keep this question in mind as you analyze the documents. In the end, you have to see in what way each document helps to answer the question. Each document is a piece of the puzzle and the question is like the picture on the front of the puzzle box showing you how the pieces fit together.

Look at the question. Really look at it and dissect it almost like diagraming a sentence. What is the main subject of the question? Is there any qualifier or descriptor that needs to be addressed to narrow the subject even further? Are there any terms that need to be defined? Are there any terms that have an acceptable synonym? How do the terms and word choice of the question fit to the historical context you already wrote down?

Go back to your writing page and continue your introduction. Read the historical context you already wrote and then continue: restate the topic of the question in different words as a statement (instead of a question). This is easier to do than it sounds, it takes only a little practice.

EXAMPLE: What caused the fall of Rome?

"A variety of factors led to the conquest of the Roman Empire by outside forces."

There is no "right answer" to the question. Before you even peek at the documents, how might you approach a response to this question? Can you think of 2 or even 3 possible ways to look at an answer? Does the question directly offer you possible points of view? This is most common when the question is an "either / or" question. In this situation, you need to start with that choice given, THEN think of obvious reasons why this may be the case. DO NOT be wishy-washy and begin with saying "both." Know that the documents provided should give evidence for all sides - you have to decide which is the stronger, more supported argument.

EXAMPLE: Who killed Reconstruction, the North or the South?

"Many factors point to the reason the North was to blame for ending Reconstruction."

This step is helpful because the documents selected for any DBQ often fit to 2 or 3 obvious points of view people have on this question. By having possible responses in mind before you begin the document analysis you are already "scaffolding" (layering/constructing) a response. But remember, it is possible that some of the points of view you came up with do not match up with the documents - that's OK, as long as you can see the points of view (bias) the given documents have. This can be called "pre-bucketing." You can also change your mind/pre-bucketing later if you feel your gut instincts are not supported.

Step 3: Look at the documents - mark them up, answer analysis questions, consider the source of each document

Time to look at the documents - finally! Each document should be labeled with a letter (Document A). Documents can be any primary or secondary source. Primary source types include, but are not limited to, diaries, speeches, transcripts of court interviews, photographs or drawings, data tables, political cartoons, maps, or song lyrics. Secondary source types include newspaper articles, diaries where the person was an observer rather than a participant, portions of text books, and magazine articles.

Mark up the document: if you're allowed to use a highlighter, use one to selectively highlight key terms or point out pieces inside an image. You can always use your pen or pencil to underline or circle important clues. Off to the side, you can write what theme or point of view this document represents even before answering the questions given. Do not limit yourself to the questions given - those should be the last thing you look at with each document.

REMEMBER TO LOOK AT THE SOURCING AND ANY BACKGROUND OR NOTE INFORMATION GIVEN - this can include who wrote or spoke these words, drew this picture, photographed this scene, when this document was created and/or when it was published for public use for the first time. Sourcing information is necessary to really clue you into the bias of the document. This is where your outside knowledge is essential. You also need to begin thinking as a detective, piecing together clues and deciding what they mean. Why would Franklin Roosevelt (source info tells us it was FDR) say (source info tells us this was a speech, the words were spoken aloud for people to hear) "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" on March 4, 1933 (source information gives us the exact date)? Oh, because he was president, that's his first inauguration day so he's new on the job and he's trying to get the American public to realize that they aren't really afraid of anything.... but what did people think they were afraid of? 1933.. Oh! The Great Depression started in 1929 so they were afraid for their jobs, the roof over their heads, food on the table - he's telling people if they stop being afraid they can all work together to solve the real problem...

Think about common symbolism, especially if you are looking at a political cartoon or reading a statement with a lot of description. Decode metaphors in creative language.

Read and respond to the analysis questions. Do the best you can. If you did a good job interpreting them as you marked them up, the analysis questions should be pretty simple. If any do stump you, skip it for now and be sure to ask about it if there is class discussion. If there is to be no class discussion, skip it for now anyway and go back after you've looked at all the documents.

DBQs will have 4 to 7 (D-G) documents. Once you've gone through all of them, go back to Document A and do a "quick once-over" - see if anything jumps out at you that you may have missed the first time around. Look at the document, then look again at the analysis questions and your responses. Add, change, or fill in anything needed. If you still have any gaps at this point, then you really will have to be sure to ask in a class discussion - if there is no class discussion planned leave it blank.

Step 4: Get ready to write - brainstorming, bucketing/grouping, and thesis writing

Thanks to steps 1-3 you are already off to a good start and your mind is already warmed up. While many students want to jump directly in to the rest of the essay at this point SLOW DOWN for just a few minutes. Formal DBQs usually require a minimum of 5 minutes of prewriting anyway, so get used to using it. Now is the time to ORGANIZE those thoughts racing through your mind.

• BUCKETING or GROUPING

The Mini-Qs used at SGM use the term "bucketing" while other DBQ materials or teachers may choose to call this stage "grouping" - it's the same thing. Remember those "points of view" you came up with in Step 2? And in Step 3 it was suggested to write the theme or point of view on the side of the documents as you analyzed them? This is where those steps pay off. Sort the documents according to point of view - there should be at least two obvious points of view reflected in the given documents. Often there can be 3 or more, but don't spend too much time trying to make more buckets than needed. Write down the 2+ points of view and then use the letter of each document and label each point of view with a document that supports it. It is possible one document does support more than one point of view but don't focus on this. Be sure to sort all given documents. If you find you have not listed one of the documents, think about what point of view it reflects then add that point of view and document letter to the list.

• WHICH BUCKET or GROUP HAS THE MOST SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS?

If there is a clear winner, circle it and then that is the point of view you will use to write your essay. If there is no clear winner, cross off any clear losers first. Now look at those remaining. Consider each point of view and the documents that support them. Which feels like an easier argument to make? Circle it, that is the point of view you will use to write your essay. Still not sure? The clock is ticking, flip a coin or "eanie meanie" your way to a choice. It's possible you're having difficulty with a choice because the DBQ does not interest you - this is a possibility that you will face and the only advice to give it this: it doesn't have to be interesting to you, it just has to be supportable. There are many writing assignments that students are not interested in, we soldier on and complete it anyway.

NEVER give up and decide to write an answer to a question you made up; ALWAYS answer the question given.

• WRITE A THESIS

Students struggle with this in DBQ writing and in research paper writing. What is a thesis? A definition is: a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. A simpler way of saying this is: your educated opinion on the topic that you can (and will) prove with evidence; also called a "claim," particularly in social studies. Remember when Step 2 told you "there is not right answer" - any answer/response given is an opinion, but one that many people may agree on and certainly one that has a lot of solid evidence (from the documents!) to convince the reader that this is a convincing point of view. Sounds a lot like a "generalization," because it is!! A thesis does not have to be a ground-breaking, never-been-thought-of-before idea. Don't make the thought of a thesis more intimidating that it actually is.

Create a road-map for the rest of your essay. With the Mini-Qs, they call this step "chicken foot" because you write your thesis on one line, and from that line there are 2 or 3 offshoots - this diagram looks like a chicken's foot. It reminds you that once you have your thesis, you need to break it down into 2 or 3 sub-topics or categories of support. Each topic has its own line on the chicken foot and each topic has its own body paragraph in the essay.

At this point we are using the word TOPIC on purpose - you want to be thinking in terms of "ideas" and not documents - the documents are really the final piece of the puzzle. Your essay, once complete, should be readable and make sense if all of the references to documents were taken out.

Reread your introduction paragraph so far - historical context followed by the reworded question-as-statement. Add your thesis using wording that flows with everything you already wrote. Your introduction is now finished. DO NOT write a "preview statement." Preview statements are NOT the same thing as a thesis, and while welcome in writing that is meant to later be read (like a speech), they are NOT welcome in DBQs.

Step 5: Outlining Your Essay

Like a research paper, you should outline your DBQ before you continue. If you have not already written your intro along the way as included in these steps, the introduction should also be part of your outline. In Middle School you will always receive a skeleton of an outline to fill in. In high school, you may not. You are expected to be familiar with the DBQ outline by high school. Here are two examples that are essentially the same, just visually different. After those there is a link to a Google Doc that is a generic outline for a DBQ you can fill in. One will be provided for you with each DBQ that is tailored for that topic.

Step 6: Write your body paragraphs

Start writing your body paragraphs by briefly reviewing your outline and then reading over your introduction. PRO TIP #1: every time you go back to writing after a pause, start from the beginning by reading everything you've written so far to remind yourself of where you left off. PRO TIP #2: every time you reread, you should also be editing (inserting, crossing off, fixing) as needed.

REMEMBER YOUR MECHANICS OF WRITING:

• indent paragraphs

• capitalize first words of sentences and all proper nouns

• third person - remove any I, me, you, we, us pronouns

• punctuate appropriately

• use transitional words and phrases within paragraphs

Each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence. Think of a topic sentence as half of your thesis. Instead of addressing all parts of the thesis, your topic sentence addresses one of the chicken feet and connects to the thesis. I recommend using the “rule of 3s.” The rule of 3s means that you should have 3 sentences any time that you use a document and 3 sentences when you bring in an example of outside information and you should have 3 major ideas within each topic. This works out to 3 sentences about a document, 3 sentences about a second document or outside information, and 3 sentences of more outside information. The outside information can be done in two ways. It can be 3 sentences paired up with the discussion of one of the document topics OR it can be a stand alone topic that was not in a document. You must also remember to use transition sentences when changing topics. This means writing a sentence like: “Another colony that was formed for economic reasons was…” Any time you change ideas, ALWAYS use a transition sentence. You should also be sure to not end abruptly. Have a sentence at the end to wrap-up the big topic of the whole paragraph.

Your body paragraph will be structured something like this:

• Topic sentence

• 3 sentences of document information or outside information (first idea)

• Transition sentence (or this can be a transitional phrase at the beginning of the first sentence in the next "group of 3 sentences")

• 3 sentences of document information or outside information (second idea)

• Transition sentence (or this can be a transitional phrase at the beginning of the first sentence in the next "group of 3 sentences")

• 3 sentences of outside information or outside information (third idea)

• A sentence to wrap-up the paragraph

It doesn't matter if your ordering goes "document - outside - document" or "outside-document-document" or "document-outside-outside" or any combination of 3 you can think of. You MUST have both document information and outside information to support the topic of every paragraph. Can you include more than this? Sure, but don't go overboard, you are on a time limit. This "rule of 3s" is just a guideline to fall back on if you're struggling to think. However you organize (which hopefully you laid out in your outline), be sure to that your writing flows.

Step 7: Write your conclusion

You just finished your body paragraphs. Go back to the beginning and read the whole essay before writing your conclusion. (PRO TIP #2: every time you reread, you should also be editing (inserting, crossing off, fixing) as needed.)

Conclusions should be easy because you DO NOT include anything new. Start by restating your thesis in different words. Next, summarize (but do not list!) each of the topics (body paragraphs) you used to support/prove your thesis. Finally, wrap-up the entire essay with one good concluding sentence that gives a judgement or lesson or even a warning about your point of view on the original question. Reread to make sure it flows, edit as necessary. The concluding paragraph should be shorter than your introduction paragraph, but not by much - this isn't a research paper with a gigantic introduction paragraph, it all follows a formula that you are expected to follow.

FINAL TIPS AND REMINDERS:

• be sure you understand the rubric ahead of time

• documents are not used or cited in the introduction or conclusion

• use half the documents, plus one at minimum

• make reference to your thesis when explaining the use of documents and outside information. This may feel repetitive but it is up to you, the writer, to connect the dots and prove your point, not the reader (grader) to have a revelation about what you are hinting at

• use subject specific vocabulary - explain or define it when necessary

• use contextually key word and phrases

• don't use documents your don't understand - this may only weaken your argument

• remember you are arguing - DBQs are a form of persuasive writing as much as it is a form of a research paper

• do not be afraid to edit along the way - cross offs and insertions are normal and expected

• be aware of time - there is no "finishing for homework"

• if given the opportunity for a "rewrite" as a learning experience - take it!

• never end with "I ran out of time" - every student has the same amount of time, use it wisely.

• on that note, an incomplete essay is better than a rushed and poorly organized essay, just trust me on this one