DBQ—what it is
Writing an essay in a specific time period where you emphasize what you know about history/the topic and use primary sources for proof! – An introduction showing the setting of the topic should lead into
the thesis statement (opinion of topic with hint of what essay will explain)
– ¾ of essay should be historical knowledge that you know
– ¼ of essay should reference relevant documents that address points you make
– Terms that are used should be defined such as social, political, economic, industrial, revolution
– A conclusion should explain what the essay means—such as are the positives more powerful, long lasting, meaningful, etc. than the negative aspects of the Industrial Revolution?
DBQ—what it is not
It is not:
– Writing about documents
– Ignoring the documents
– Quoting the documents
Using Primary Sources
SOAPSToneS: A strategy to get information from a variety of primary source documents (maps, letters, quotes, pictures, political cartoon, official documents, etc.) that can be useful for including in the essay. This strategy can also show which documents you might wish to ignore.
SOAPSToneS
Subject
– What kind of document is this?
– What is the general topic, content ,ideas in the text, picture, etc.?
– Describe subject in a few words
SOAPSToneS
Occasion –What event is going on in history?
–How does this document fit into history—setting/context of the piece?
–What are the circumstances around this document?
SOAPSToneS
Audience –Who is supposed to read, hear,
receive this document?
– Is the audience important?
SOAPSToneS
Purpose –Why was the document created?
–What did the author/creator want the audience to think, say, do, believe?
SOAPSToneS
Tone
–What emotion/feeling is in the piece?
–What bias is evident?
–What Point of View is being shown?