AP World History Writing the DBQ Essay Thesis

AP World History Writing the DBQ Essay

Thesis • Write a thesis statement that outlines what you plan to address in your essay. • The thesis statement is not a restating of the question. • It is an introduction that includes a careful constructed paragraph that lays out what you will write about.

Thesis Statement • If your thesis statement stated, “some things are similar and some things are different; ” that is not a thesis statement. • If you begin to write your essay in the introductory paragraph, you have not written a good thesis statement. • A thesis statement introduces the three areas you were tasked to address and weaves them into that paragraph.

Writing the Essay • Once you have written a strong thesis, you have an outline to help guide your essay. • Don’t include details in your thesis paragraph. You do that in succeeding paragraphs. • Conclusion needs to restate the main ideas of your essay. In other words - tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them with details that support your thesis and sum up by a strong conclusion.

Document Based Question (DBQ) Essay • You will be given between 4 and 10 documents to group and analyze. • There is a time limit of 40 minutes in which to write the essay and you will be given an additional 10 minutes to group and analyze the documents. • Documents may include maps, pictures, and charts.

How do you analyze the documents? • You must look for and state three (3) points of view (POV’s). • POV’s are identified as to the following: – Who – What – When – Where – Why

Document POV’s • What is the main idea or topic being said in the document? • Why would this person be saying/creating this document at this time and place? • How does the document help me answer the question that is being asked?

Scoring the DBQ • There a total of 9 points for the DBQ. • The basic core consists of either 6 or 7 points. • The expanded core will make up the rest of the total points. • YOU MUST SCORE ALL BASIC POINTS IN ORDER TO RECEIVE EXPANDED CORE POINTS.

Components of the DBQ Essay – Core Points (MANDATORY) • Thesis statement that is not just a restating of the question. • Using all but one of the documents in your essay. • Grouping and thoughtfully analyzing the documents. DON’T LIST DOCUMENTS! • Stating the point of view/perspective on minimum of three (3) of the documents • Using the documents to support your thesis. • Adding an additional document that would help support your thesis.

Components of the DBQ Essay – Expanded Core • Extremely strong thesis statement. • Adding more than one additional document to your essay. • Completely and thoroughly answering the question. • Remember, you must score all basic points in order to receive expanded core.

How I grade the DBQ Essay for AP • Basic core points are divided into 100. • Each basic point will then be worth whatever the result is. Example: – 6 basic core points divided into 100= 16. 67 points. – Essay is then graded using the following format: thesis statement, used all but one document, analyzed and grouped documents, noted point of view/perspective in at least three documents, added an additional document to help support the essay, answered the question.