The ABC's of the DBQ

The ABC’s of the DBQ…

Brandon WileyDirector of Staff Development/Social Studies (K-12)

West Seneca Central School District

What is a DBQ? A document-based essay question measure

the ability of students to work with multiple perspectives on social studies issues.

Students: Examine 6 to 8 sources on a particular historic

theme or issue Respond to questions following each document Incorporate documents and outside knowledge

into an essay response

The DBQ represents “real world” or authentic assessment in that students:

Read and analyze passages, charts, graphs, cartoons, and other visuals

Comprehend, evaluate and synthesize the information into a coherent package

DBQs assess both content and skills while incorporating higher order

thinking

Constructed Response The constructed response portion of the

test requires students to analyze a series of documents and answer several questions for each document. The questions are intended to build in difficulty, some requiring outside knowledge.

On this portion of the assessment, the documents are not related to one another. They can include a variety of document types.

What types of documents are used?

Graphs Charts Maps Cartoons Photographs Artwork Eyewitness accounts Historical passages

Scaffolding Questions This portion of the assessment again requires

students to analyze a series of documents. The documents are provided to help scaffold students’ background before writing the document-based essay. The number of documents typically can range from 4 – 9. The document are all related to the one another or the task.

Each document is followed by a series of questions. The questions are intended to build in difficulty, some requiring outside knowledge.

Historical Background

The document based question begins by providing students with a historical background. This background “sets the stage” for the documents students will analyze and the task which they will write about.

The historical background may be paraphrased in the students’ introduction, but should not be copied.

The historical background is followed by the task. The task explains to students what their final essay must be about.

Students must be taught to “break down” the task, as it may include multiple parts or requirements.

DBQ Writing is Different… Students need to understand that the

writing they must produce for a DBQ essay is somewhat different than the writing required in ELA or for creative purposes.

When I write a story (narrative), I need a beginning, middle and an end. But papers that share information (expository) have introductions, body paragraphs (development and explanation) and conclusions.

An introduction tells the reader what to expect and what information will be shared.

The beginning of a story pulls the reader into the story; it does not always give the reader advance warning of what is to come.

DBQ writing is about giving the reader information.

Why Do We Need to Teach Expository Writing?

Most of the writing that students will be asked to do in school and in the workplace will be expository.

Expository writing teaches writers to think clearly and logically.

Expository writing helps students learn content. Expository writing prepares students to give speeches and

oral presentations. Learning to write clear paragraphs, reports and essays

gives students confidence. Learning to write clear paragraphs, reports and essays

helps students perform better on writing assessments. Mastering expository writing helps students be productive

citizens who are able to take an active role in community affairs. Step-Up to Writing, Teacher’s Manual, p. 2-4

Rubric

The rubric is intended to be applied holistically to the piece.

Five-Step Model for Prewriting the Essay

Step One Read the question and highlight

(underline) action words. Determine required tasks. Identify key: words, eras, names, issues or categories

Step Two

“Break down” the task and consider all parts of the question.

Create a visual representation to highlight each portion of the task (e.g. a web or outline)

Step Three

Brainstorm the topic or era. Write down key facts about the topic. This encourages students to get down all

of their “outside knowledge” before even seeing the documents.

Step Four Read and analyze the documents:

Highlight (underline) key words Make margin notes Look at the author and when it was

written Identify:

Point of view Purpose of the document Frame of reference Type of document

Step Five

Make connections to outside historical information Students need to attach their outside

information to the information presented in the documents.

Using a Graphic Organizer…

I-chart 4-square Webs

Multiparagraph Expository Writing…

Multiparagraph Papers Include Five elements… An introductory paragraph with a thesis

statement and projected plan Organizational information created by blocking

out and creating informal outlines Transition topic sentences that introduce the key

ideas supporting the thesis statement Examples and evidence that elaborate on the key

ideas introduced in the transition topic sentences Conclusion that refocuses the reader’s attention

on the thesis statement

Writing the Essay

Write an introductory paragraph or thesis statement: A thesis statement is just like the topic

sentence you write when you write a paragraph. The purpose of a thesis statement is to identify the topic (the reason for writing) and the position (what you plan to prove or explain). This statement controls the rest of the paper.

Write the Body Paragraphs Develop information citing supporting

evidence from the documents and outside historical knowledge: Provide evidence: details, specifics, examples

and reasons List facts: dates, events, numbers, persons,

places Address all elements of the question Make transitions Use a varied sentence structure: simple,

compound and complex

Using the Documents According to the rubric, students must use

“one more than half” of the documents presented.

The preferred method for citing documents is parenthetically (Document 3) or simply by referring to information in the documents and implying their use.

Avoid the list-like approach of, “In Document 3,” etc…

Outside knowledge should be incorporated where appropriate to support the piece

Write a Conclusion

Restate the thesis and summarize major points

Let’s look at student work…