Document Based Questions

Document Based Questions An Interactive Approach

Welcome Welcome to the interactive program designed to assist both students and parents in understanding the fundamentals of writing a Document Based Question. The program is designed to take you through the parts of a Document Based Question.

To effectively navigate through this program, the user is asked to follow some simple directions. • Proper navigation will occur with the use of the forward and Backward buttons located at the bottom of the slides. • Throughout the program, there will be the opportunity to view examples, just click on the word example, and you will be shown benchmarks.

Become familiar with the DBQ Utilize the documents Meet the DBQ standards

A Document Based Question (DBQ) is designed to test the student’s ability to analyze documentary materials and to use the materials to support an essay • This assessment requires the use of specific skills such as interpretation, analysis, integration, and synthesis.

Simply, if you were writing the history, what would your write about according to the documents Don’t Stress

Scaffolding Strategy Essay Design Referencing Thesis

art 1 Scaffolding Building with your objective (the essay) in mind.

What is a Document? A document is a printed or written paper that provides the student with facts, or information.

Types of Documents Primary Secondary

Short Constructed Response Maps / Charts Political Cartoons

Short Constructed Response Photos Charts

Short Constructed Response (Text) Document 4 This is "Maria's story" describing her life in Guatemala. Only thirteen years old, Maria works at Sung Sil A.S., a . . . Machine shop . . Which is located in a recently constructed factory park ten miles outside Guatemala City. Maria lives with her brothers, her parents, and her grandmother in a two-room shack on a dirt road near the modern factory. She does not attend school and cannot read. But Maria can sew – for eleven hours a day, six days a week she works. When management requires, she works until 3:00 a.m. and then rises four hours later to begin again. (Aug 2000) The Estates-General of 1789 was the first meeting of the FrenchEstates-General, a general a

Questions ask for a specific piece of information Answered in one or two short sentences

DBQ Acronym "READ"

Read the Task Examine Document Answer Scaffolding Develop Essay

R e a d • Underline the content words: [time, period, location, topic area (What are you suppose to know)] • Underline the question words: (What are you suppose to do)

Interpretation: To make clear or intelligible through examples • Analyze: To determine the nature and relationship of the component elements. • Synthesis: To bring the component parts together. • Evaluate: To examine and judge the significant worth, or condition of; to determine the value of.

Historical Context: Despite the horrors of the Holocaust, abuses of human rights have continued in the post-World War II era. • Task: • Describe examples of human rights abuses in the post-World War II era • Discuss efforts that the world community has made to eliminate these human rights abuses

E x a m i n e • Pay attention to the titles and captions. • Identify primary or secondary document • Carefully read the document making notes in the margin. • Be brief

Document 2 Ask the journalistic questions who, what, where, when, why, and how? Tiananmen Square (1989)

Document 2 Use of force, Student demonstrations, Daring attempt Tiananmen Square (1989)

A n s w e r • Use complete sentences • Use specific examples from the document • Use nouns instead of pronouns • Begin whenever possible using the author’s name.

Scaffolding Document 4 This is "Maria's story" describing her life in Guatemala. Only thirteen years old, Maria works at Sung Sil A.S., a . . . Machine shop . . Which is located in a recently constructed factory park ten miles outside Guatemala City. Maria lives with her brothers, her parents, and her grandmother in a two-room shack on a dirt road near the modern factory. She does not attend school and cannot read. But Maria can sew – for eleven hours a day, six days a week she works. When management requires, she works until 3:00 a.m. and then rises four hours later to begin again. (Aug 2000)

Scaffolding Question “How are Maria’s human rights being violated in present-day Guatemala?”

Scaffolding Answer “Maria is forced to work for eleven hours each day, six days a week’ she is only 13 and works in a factory.”

States how Maria’s human rights are being violated. “Maria is forced to work for eleven hours each day, six days a week’ she is only 13 and works in a factory.”

Cites information from the document to explain the violation “Maria is forced to work for eleven hours each day, six days a week’ she is only 13 and works in a factory.”

D e v e l o p • Re-read the question and develop a one sentence answer (Thesis) • Briefly outline around the concept of PERSIA (group the documents) • Introduction, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusion

Introduction Body Paragraphs Conclusion

Introduction Hook / Que Transitional Thesis

The Body Paragraphs Document Grouping Proper Citation Outside Information

Hook / Topic Sentence • Let the reader know what the paper is about. • Attract the readers interest. • Avoid generalizations • Include the time, the place, the people involved, and the topic

General Topic Sentence • Throughout the course of history, peoples of the past have significantly impacted future civilizations. • The statement “throughout the course of history” is difficult to prove. • Lacks a defined subject and time frame.

Good Topic Sentence • Historians of ancientGreece have studied the political, social, and artistic impact of that civilization. • Time • Place and People • Topic

Thesis Statement • Informs the reader of your interpretation and conclusions. • Arguable and debatable point

Poor Thesis Statement • The Middle Ages has often been called the Age of Feudalism, the Dark Ages, and the Age of Faith. • Restates the question • Does not give the reader an interpretation • Does not give a conclusion

Good Thesis Statement • Today’s technologies, belief systems, political systems, and economic systems have evolved as a result of the legacy and accomplishments of the ancient Greeks. • Draws a conclusion • Organizes thought

Transitional Sentence • Sophisticated form of writing • Creates flow and prompts the reader as to the information in the next paragraph

Good Transitional Sentence The Greeks left behind for us meaningful pieces of art and literature, fantastic creations of architecture, beliefs systems of daily life, and a political system that promotes the involvement of the citizens

Groupings • Political, Economic, Religious, Social, Intellectual, and Artistic groupings. (PERSIA) • Chronological groupings. • Importance • Spatial Order (according to location)

Technological Economic Document Groupings Social Political

Reference and Citation • When quoting directly from the document, the student must use a parenthetical reference Example • Students are urged to paraphrase the information from the document, and attribute that information to the author, thus avoiding the need for a parenthetical reference. Example

Attribution of the Author Theodore Roosevelt maintained the axiom that education truly allowed the individual with ability to blossom and prosper.

Parenthetical Reference “Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow.” (Doc 1)

Outside Information • When writing a DBQ, the student must demonstrate an understanding of the global picture of history by including outside information. • This can be accomplished by recognizing the era of the topic, people, and events not mentioned within the documents.

Document Based Questions