* This site was generated through a grant from the Mohonasen Foundation for Excellence.
"Working
with Documents" |
Table of Contents:
Purpose of this site:
Beginning in June, 2001, all 8th grade students in New York State are now
required to take the NYS Social Studies Assessment. This consists of Multiple Choice,
Constructed Response and Document Based Questions (DBQ). The DBQ requires many of the same
skills used in developing a research paper - interpreting and evaluating primary sources,
considering multiple points of view, and developing and supporting a thesis.
Since it is essential for students to be able to successfully answer DBQs, the purpose of this site is for students to choose and analyze documents that could be used in a DBQ question. Students will earn extra credit by developing a DBQ question instead of writing a DBQ essay. Students will be given an Historical Context (theme), or they may choose to write their own. Based on the Historical Context, students will use the Internet to select 4-6 relevant documents for the DBQ. Students are also required to write 2-3 questions related to each document.
It is my belief that if a student understands how a DBQ is constructed, he/she will therefore understand how to properly answer a DBQ on an assessment.
What
is a DBQ?
The DBQ is an essay
question that consists of two parts. In Part A, students are required to answer 2-3
questions for each of 4-6 documents. This generally involves interpreting the main
idea or point of view expressed in the document. Documents are primary sources such as
diaries, letters, poems, song lyrics, political cartoons, maps, charts, graphs, and
photographs. Part A "scaffolds" to Part B in which the student will write an
essay using the documents to respond to a specific question. In Part B, students are asked
to utilize the documents from Part A, plus their understanding of history to respond to a
question.
How to
earn Extra Credit:
* To earn extra credit, students will be creating the
"Part A" section of a DBQ Essay related to our current topic by selecting
Documents and writing questions for them.
Steps
for Selecting Primary Sources/Documents:
1) For each chapter we study, I have listed the HISTORICAL CONTEXT and TASK
(Part B) of the DBQ. Go to our current chapter and read the HISTORICAL CONTEXT
and TASK:
Chapter15-Road to the Civil War:
Slavery became an emotional issue in the late 1840s and early 1850s. The North and
South attempted to compromise, but a series of events pushed the two sections apart.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860, the South seceded from the United
States.
Task: Describe two reasons why the South seceded.
Chapter 16-The Civil
War:
The Civil War, a war in which Americans fought Americans, transformed the United
States. Each side believed its strengths would lead it to a quick victory.
Task:
List the advantages that the North and South had before the war and explain why the North
was able to defeat the South and win the war.
Chapter 17-Reconstruction:
After the Civil War, people in all parts of the nation agreed that the devastated
South needed rebuilding. Most important though was determining what rights newly
freed African Americans should have?
Task: Discuss the purposes of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Include the difficulties in implementing these amendments.
Chapter 18-The Western
Frontier:
(Information on upcoming chapters will be added during the year.)
2) Brainstorm on the type of primary
sources that could be used for your DBQ. Remember that primary sources can take
several forms. Examples include: photographs, political cartoons, graphs, charts, maps,
posters, lyrics to songs, and written documents (poems, letters, diaries, deeds,
etc.)
*Hint-Try to use a variety of sources when selecting your documents. For example,
don't use four political cartoons. Choose different types of documents.
Websites
to find Primary Sources:
3) Use the Internet sites I have provided to search for documents.
Click here for a list of Internet
sites to help you choose documents.
How to
Analyze a Primary Source:
4) Once you find a document of interest on the Internet, you need to
analyze it for accuracy, bias, and relevance. The following are questions to consider:
1. What kind of document is it?
2. Who is the author or source of the document? What motive did he/she have to produce the document?
3. What is the historical context of the document. For example, the time period, date, location, and most important, what was happening in the U.S. during this time?
4. What is the source about? What is the main point or idea? (The
title is usually a good
guide)
Worksheets to help
analyze documents:
The Library of Congress provides worksheets to help in
analyzing different types of primary sources.
The Library of Congress provides worksheets to help in
analyzing different types of primary sources.
Click here for a list.
5) Once you are comfortable that you
have an appropriate document, print it out on a sheet of paper.
Writing Questions for your Documents:
6) For EACH of your
documents, you need to write 2-3 questions. Write your questions on a separate sheet
of paper. When you are satisfied with the quality of your questions, PRINT
them NEATLY (in the blank space under the document) on the sheet of paper that you
printed the document out on.
*Some hints to writing your questions:
1) The first question should be
something factual from the document. For example, "What
is the title of the document?"
2) The remaining question(s) should be more difficult. They should require the
reader to
use some outside knowledge of the topic, as well as, the information from the
document. For example, "Explain why the SLAVE POPULATION and COTTON
PRODUCTION both increased in the charts?"
Checklist
When Your Finished:
1) Did you choose the
HISTORICAL CONTEXT and TASK from the current chapter?
2) Do you have four different types of documents?
3) Do the documents relate to the HISTORICAL CONTEXT and TASK of the DBQ
Essay?
(Obviously, this is the most important question)
4) Did you print out each of the documents?
5) Did you write 2-3 questions under each document?
6) Is your name, date, and class period on each of the documents?
Rubric for Receiving Extra Credit:
90-100: -
Majority of documents are relevant and appropriate
- Utilizes a variety of
documents
- Most questions require analysis of the documents
80 - 89 - Some of the
documents are relevant and appropriate
- Attempts to use a variety of documents
- Some questions require analysis of the documents
* No grades below 80 will be given because of the effort
and difficulty of this assignment. I want to only reward students for taking the
time and initiative to work on this exercise.
References:
I would like to thank Mr.
Peter Pappas for his online guides, "FrontPage 98 QuickGuide" and "Design
Your Web Site from the Bottom Up". Also for his site on "Working with
Documents". This information was invaluable to me. It can be accessed at
www.edteck.com
Maintained
according to Mohonasen Central School District Web Publishing Regulations by
Tom DiAcetis, Grade 8 Social Studies Teacher, Draper Middle School,
2072 Curry Road, Schenectady, NY 12303, (518) 356-8350
© 2001 Mohonasen Central School District-All rights reserved.
Last modified on Friday, September 14, 2001