How To Do an A. P. Euro.

How To Do an A. P. Euro. D B Q Ms. Pojer Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY Revisions by J. Sieg- Keystone Oaks HS

Overview of the National Exam • The national APUSH exam is broken into two major sections: • Section 1 (55 minutes) • 80 multiple choice questions • Section 2 (130 minutes) • DBQ essay (15 minutes to plan; 45 minutes to write) • 2 free-response essays (70 minutes)

Overview of Section 2: the Essays • For the essay section of the national exam, there will always be 3 essays (1 DBQ & 2 FRQs): • The DBQ requires the use of both prior knowledge & document interpretation • The FRQs require only prior knowledge to answer • See examples of each…

Documents can be images, charts, quotations. There are usually between 7 and 10 documents per DBQ. Each document includes a “source” that should be carefully examined. More on the DBQ in a minute….

For the FRQs, the College Board has given you choices. Students must choose one of the two essays from Part B (Colonies through Civil War)…

How will the DBQ be scored? The College Board uses a 9-point scale for DBQs, so we do too: Essays are scored as such: 9 (100), 8 (94), 7 (88), 6 (84), 5 (78), 4 (70), 3 (65), 2 (60), 1 (55) The rubric is tailored each year to the specific DBQ essay, but all rubrics look for these themes…

DBQ Generic Rubric • Contains a well-developed thesis that clearly addresses the question • Presents an effective analysis of all parts of the question, although treatment may be uneven • Uses substantial number of documents effectively • Uses substantial, relevant outside information to support the thesis • Clearly organized and well written • May have insignificant errors

What do I do??? • Read the instructions. • Analyze the documents. • Write a well-organized essay. • Integrate the documents into your essay as support.

Rule #1: Don’t Freak Out!If you can read you’ll be fine • The answer is in the documents. • Research essay with the research already researched! • Time is short and worry wastes time. • Get moving to maximize each moment.

Rule #1: Don’t FREAK OUT!READ! (Continued) Read quickly (SCAN) Make notes in the test booklet as you read Place documents in Categories as you read

Things to Remember: • You may not know much about the topic. • You are being judged on your ability to analyze documents. • You don’t need to use all of the documents.

DBQ Tips • There is no right way to answer a DBQ. Every question can illicit an infinite number of responses • The key is to make an argument (your thesis) & support it with evidence • All DBQs are written so that they can be argued from multiple viewpoints

DBQ Tips • Be sure to answer the question • This begins by gaining a clear understanding of what the question is asking • Read the question three times & write it on your own words • Pay attention to all parts of the question, especially the verb (compare, evaluate, assess, to what extent, etc.) & time frame (stay inside the era)

DBQ Tips Political, Economic, Religious, Social, Intellectual, Artistic trends of the era • Brainstorm & outline your essay • Before you look at the docs or write your essay, take time to jot down what you know about the topic (PERSIA) • What is your gut response to the question? This is usually your thesis (argument) • What outside information do you remember about the topic?

DBQ Tips • Organize your essay: • Chronological arguments are effective for questions that ask (or imply) change-over-time • Similarity/difference arguments are appropriate for comparison questions; Making direct comparisons within paragraphs is much more analytical than separate descriptive paragraphs about each item

Before you start writing: • Read and Analyze the Documents for Reference and Use

Analyze using the “APPARTS” Method • A: Author • P: Place and Time • P: Prior Knowledge • A: Audience • R: Reason • T: The Main Idea • S: Significance AP-PARTS?

Author Who created the source? What do you know about the author? What is the author’s point of view?

Place and Time Where was the source produced? When was the source produced? How might this affect the meaning of the source?

Prior Knowledge What do you know that would help you further understand the primary source? Do you recognize any symbols?

Audience For whom was the source created? How might this affect the reliability of the source? How might this influence the viewexpressed?

Reason Why was this source produced at the time it was produced? What was the motivation for its production?

The Main Idea What point is the source trying to convey? Is the point objective or is the purpose totally to influence or persuade?

Significance Why is this source important? What inferences can you draw from this document? Ask yourself,“So what?” in relation to the big issue.

Before you start writing: • Outline and pre-write: It will help your organization.

As you write. . . . • Stick to your thesis (topic). • Follow your outline but be willing to adjust. • Stay organized.

As you write. . . . • Use every document appropriate to support your argument(s). • Make notes as new ideas come to you.

The Introductory Paragraph The “Top Bun” of your essay! 4-6 sentences

The Introductory Paragraph • EstablishTIME & PLACE. • Create a clear,THESIS STATEMENT.[underline or highlight it!] (can be 2 sentences if need be)– THESIS MUST STATE WHAT WILL BE IN YOUR MAIN BODY • Allude to theSUB-TOPICSor categories or groups you will discuss to support your thesis statement • Focus on the question at hand—do NOT begin with a “flowery” sentence! No “laundry list!”

The "Meat" Paragraphs The “tasty” part of your essay! 8-12 sentences+ per paragraph

The "Meat" Paragraphs • Identify your sub-topic or category in the first sentence. (TOPIC SENTENCE) • Include the documents that are relevant to support the ideas in the paragraph. • Use most of the documents given [70%]. • Be sure to indicate Point-of-View(POV)/bias. • Bring in supportive outside information [o.i.]. This is critical! • Why were these documents selected?

Questions to Ask Yourself About the Documents • Attribution Who is this person? • Why might they be significant? • What is the point of view (POV) of the author? • How reliable and accurate is the source? • What is the tone or intent of the document author? • What other information does this document call to mind? Use all available clues. Remember, docs. can be used in a variety of ways!

Demonstrating (POV) / Bias • Attribution:cite the author by name, title, or position, if possible. Why is this person and document selected? How does it help me answer the question?

Demonstrating (POV) / Bias EXAMPLES: John Tyler, an English writer, said: “...” A Dominican monk in Florence described….

Demonstrating (POV) / Bias • Authorial Point of View:you show awareness that the gender, occupation, class, religion, nationality, politicalposition or ethnicidentity of the author could influence his/her views. How does this apply to the question? Why has the author written what he/she has?

Demonstrating (POV) / Bias EXAMPLE: Balthasar Rusow, a Lutheran pastor, was naturally upset by the celebration of a Saint’s Day, since Lutherans don’t venerate saints.

Demonstrating (POV) / Bias • Reliability and accuracy of each source referenced:you examine a source for its reliability and accuracy by questioning if the author of the document would be in a position to be accurate. How might this help you answer the question?

Demonstrating (POV) / Bias EXAMPLE: Niccolo Machiavelli’s book on the political tactics of a Renaissance prince was probably accurate as he observed the behavior of the prince, Cesare Borgia, for many years.

Demonstrating (POV) / Bias • Tone or Intent of the Author:you examine the text of a document to determine its tone (satire, irony, indirect commentary, etc.) or the intent of the author. Especially useful for visual documents, like art work or political cartoons.

Demonstrating (POV) / Bias EXAMPLE: In his great sculpture of “David,”Michelangelo wanted to convey the confidence, and even arrogance, of Renaissance Florence at the peak of its cultural influence in 16c Europe.

Demonstrating (POV) / Bias • Grouping of Docs. by Author:you show an awareness that certain types of authors, simply by their authorship, will express similar views when you group documents by type of author.

Demonstrating (POV) / Bias EXAMPLE: As Northern Renaissance humanists, Erasmus, Sir Thomas More, and Cervantes all poked fun at the foibles and scandals of late medieval society as well as of their own.

AP LINK: ON POV • http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/eurohistory/pov.html

How to Reference a Document in Your Essay • Baldassare Castiglione, in The Handbook of the Courtier, said: “………………….” • Erasmus of Rotterdam, a northern Christian humanist, agreed with… • The 19c historian, Jacob Burkhardt, felt that ………………….(Doc. 9) NEVER begin with: In Document 3, …..

Citing Documents • Thomas Paine, in his pamphlet, Common Sense (Doc A), said: “…” • Joe Shmoe, a Western delegate to the Republican convention in 1912 (Doc B), agreed… • The 19c historian, Frederick Jackson Turner, believed... (Doc. E) NEVER begin with: In Document G…

DBQ Tips USING Documents • Do NOT quote, paraphrase, or describe documents. The essay reader already knows what the docs say • Do NOT laundry list (an essay that merely describes what the docs say without analysis) • Use all the docs, unless you don’t understand one • Cite documents…

The Concluding Paragraph The “Bottom Bun” of your essay! It holds it all together! 3-4 sentences

The Concluding Paragraph • Start with a “concluding phrase.” • Restate your thesis statement a bit differently. • Put your essay answer in a larger historical perspective. End of some trend/movement/idea, etc. Beginning of some trend/movement/idea, etc. End of one & beginning of another. Do NOT end on the note that this is the reason we are where we are today!

Put It All Together

How To Do an A. P. Euro.