How do I write a DBQ essay?

1. How do I write a DBQ essay?

2. Read the Task

3. Introduction Paragraph • 4-5 sentences • Restate the historical context in your own words • Thesis statement: What are you going to be discussing in your essay? • Last sentence of your introduction paragraph

4. Historical Context

5. Body Paragraphs • 6-10 sentences • Topic Sentence: First sentence of your body paragraph that lets everyone know what the paragraph is about • Transition Sentence: Last sentence of your body paragraph that takes the reader to the next body paragraph

6. Conclusion Paragraph • 4-5 sentences • Sum up your arguments that you used in your essay

7. Introducing documents into your essay • Golden Rules for using documents: • NEVER START A BODY PARAGRAPH WITH A DOCUMENT • NEVER END A BODY PARAGRAPH WITH A DOCUMENT • NEVER USE BACK TO BACK DOCUMENTS • HALF + ONE

8. Introducing documents into your essay • Introduce documents by author or title • Examples: • Thomas Whatley suggests, “We are not yet recovered from the War undertaken solely for their protection…a War undertaken for their defense only…they should contribute to the preservation of the advantages they have received” (document 1). • If you are not quoting directly from the document you use the same format, but you do not use quotations

11. Practice introducing documents • _____________________________,“___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________” (document # ).

13. Practice introducing documents • _____________________________,“___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________” (document # ).

15. Practice introducing documents • _____________________________,“___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________” (document # ).

17. Practice introducing documents • _____________________________,“___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________” (document # ).

19. Practice introducing documents • _____________________________,“___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________” (document # ).