Writing the Free Response Essay: A Guide to Writing for Students Who Don't Know How To Write

1. Writing the Free Response EssayA Guide to Writing for Students Who Don’t Know How To Write 1. Focus on the Introduction (2 pts.) A. Contextualization (1) • Set the question in time • Statements which place the question in context • How do I do this? • What came before • What came later • What else was going on at the time

2. Writing the Free Response EssayA Guide to Writing for Students Who Don’t Know How To Write B. Thesis Statement (1) • A strong thesis statement which clearly defines the claim you are making or the position you are taking • An organizational statement(s) which sets up (categorizes) the rest of the essay – here’s how I’m going to prove my thesis

3. Writing the Free Response EssayA Guide to Writing for Students Who Don’t Know How To Write Examples of Categories (PERSIA+) • Political, Economic, Religious, Social, Intellectual, Artistic, Technological • These are broad categories which do not necessarily fit all questions. How do I create my own categories? • From the question itself • From your knowledge of the time period

4. Writing the Free Response EssayA Guide to Writing for Students Who Don’t Know How To Write How many categories do I need? • There is no set answer to this question – you will need at least two to give your essay some structure. • The question, your thesis, and your knowledge of the time period will determine the type and number of categories.

5. Writing the Free Response EssayA Guide to Writing for Students Who Don’t Know How To Write Context, background information Thesis Statement, hypothesis Approach/plan of attack to prove the thesis

6. Writing the Free Response EssayA Guide to Writing for Students Who Don’t Know How To Write Q1 Contextualization Sample By the beginning of the 17th century, North America had been colonized by the Spanish, French, British, and Dutch. As England established colonies along the east coast of North America, regional diversification emerged.

7. Free Response Essay Writing • 2. First body paragraph • Should address the first category of your organizational statement • Should contain at least two facts supporting your thesis/claim • Should contain analysis of these facts related to the thesis/claim • Should end with a transitional statement for the next paragraph

8. Free Response Essay Writing • COMPLEX SENTENCE writing • Term+ identification phrase + interpretive commentary = analytical (complex) • The Stamp Act, which required printing in the colonies on specially stamped paper, was passed in 1765. • The Stamp Act, a tax on legal documents during the colonial era, united the colonies in protest against British policy. • The Stamp Act, a tax passed without colonial consent, angered many colonial leaders.

9. Free Response Essay Writing • 3. Next body paragraphs – rinse, repeat • Should address the other parts of your organizational statement • Should support your thesis • Should include supporting facts, analysis, and a transitional sentence

10. Free Response Essay Writing • 4. The “Money” Paragraph/Conclusion Option • Presents the other side • Shows the reader that you are aware of other arguments, other factors, other effects • Warning – this should be a brief presentation and not a contradiction of your thesis!

11. Free Response Essay Writing • 5. Don’ts!! • Use the words I, we, our, you, us • “I think that…..” (don’t think, prove with facts) • “We achieved the goal of…..” • “As you can see…..” • Wave the flag • “……and because of this, the United States became the great nation that it is today.”

12. Free Response Essay Writing • 6. Don’ts!! • Try to be creative • This is NOT a literature paper. • You are not being evaluated on humor and cuteness • Use a pencil ever everever (don’t type it either) • I will not read your paper • You will write it again

13. Writing the DBQ 2018 • Major Points • 1. The DBQ is like any other essay question – it must be answered. • 2. The DBQ gives you a set of 6-7 documents to HELP you formulate your answer. • 3. The DBQ is scored on a 0-7 scale.

14. Writing the DBQ 2018 • 4. Document-based writing is a major component of the IB History exam senior year and the APUSH exam • 5. The DBQ is NOT about the documents! It is an essay question that must be answered, but you get a cheat sheet to help you!!

15. Citing the Documents in a DBQ • There are numerous ways. • 1. Reference the documents parenthetically in the middle or at the end of a sentence. • Booker T. Washington supported vocational education (Doc 1) as a means of gaining economic independence for black citizens. • Booker T. Washington supported vocational education as a means of gaining economic independence for black citizens (Doc 1).

16. Citing the Documents in a DBQ • 2. Reference the documents by name. • In a speech given in Atlanta, Booker T. Washington outlined his strategy to black citizens for achieving equality in the United States.

17. Citing the Documents in a DBQ • 3. Do both. • In a speech given in Atlanta, Booker T. Washington offered a strategy to black citizens for achieving equality in the United States (Doc 1). He supported vocational education to enable blacks to gain economic independence as a first step toward full equality. He founded Tuskegee Institute to provide such training in an educational setting.

18. How NOT to Cite the Documents in a DBQ • Document 1 says…….. • Document 2 is about……… • Document 3 shows how…….. • The DQB is NOT about the documents!! (Did I say that yet?) • Quoting the Documents

19. The Rubric • Updated for 2017 • Easier to follow • 7 points possible • Save in your notebooks • DBQ Scoring Rubric

20. Scoring the DBQ 2018 • Refer to the handouts: DBQ Rubric • Based on a 0-7 scale. • 0-1 points. Thesis • 0-1 points. Contextualization • 0-3 points. Uses at least three, or up to six, of the documents. Describes and connects them to the thesis and to each other when appropriate. Connects them to the context, purpose, intended audience, or point of view (POV) being expressed.

21. Scoring the DBQ 2018 • 0-1 point. Essay provides outside information/evidence of historical examples not included in the documents to support the thesis. Outside evidence must advance the essay – more than just a mention.

22. Scoring the DBQ 2018 • 0-1 point. Essay analyzes the information (documents and outside evidence) by: • extending the thesis OR • providing contradictory evidence of another argument (money paragraph) OR • connecting the question to other historical periods outside of the question OR • considering alternate points of view.

23. Scoring the DBQ 2018 • Summing Up the DBQ • Thesis – in the Introduction (1 pt.) • Context – in the Introduction (1 pt.) • Use of at least three documents – described relative to the prompt (1 pt.) • Use of at least three documents – purpose or POV or intended audience or context (1 pt.) • Use of at least six documents – described and connected to your argument/thesis (1 pt.) • Outside information (1 pt.) • Complex understanding through alternative arguments or contexts aka money paragraph (1 pt.)

24. 1st DBQ 2019 • Evaluate the extent of change in ideas about American independence from 1763-1783. • Seven documents – what’s in them?, what context clues do they provide for outside information/examples you might bring into your answer? • Your answer is a combination of info in the documents and outside information/examples

25. 1st DBQ 2019 • Due Tuesday October 30th • HW – read the docs, note the purpose, POV, extract the essential message or info, what O.I. does the document trigger