steps in writing a dbq. step 1: the pre-read & organization you will be given a 10-minute...

Steps in writing a DBQ

Step 1: The pre-read & organization

• You will be given a 10-minute reading period before starting your essays. Use this to organize your DBQ.– Read the prompt and figure out what the

question is asking.• Comparative, Cause & Effect, CCOT

– Read the historical background– Read the documents & think about what

groups they may fall into.– You can take notes during this time

Step 1: The pre-read & organization

• Please keep in mind, your essay is to answer the prompt, not summarize the documents.– If I asked you to write a comparative essay

about Goldilocks and the Three Bears with Little Red Riding Hood, what would be the difference in doing it from memory & doing it with copies of the story?

• The essay is about the prompt, not the documents

Step 2: Organize the Documents

• Remembering what the prompt is asking, organize the documents into three or more groups– Chronologically, thematically, culturally, or

whatever– One document may fit into more than one

group• These groups represent your body paragraphs,

so think of a topic sentence for each group– Pre-write a rough draft topic sentence

Step 3: Write your thesis statement

• Remembering what the prompt is asking, write your thesis statement.– Watch out for thesis killer words– Make sure it parallels your groups– Be as SPECIFIC as possible

• Make it clear and concise

Step 4: Write your body paragraphs

• Write one paragraph for each grouping• For each document in a group, you should first

summarize what the document means, without quoting. – This will earn the point for basic

understanding• Then tie your document back to the thesis

– For evidence points, choose a snippet of the document that you can connect back to the thesis

Step 5: Point of View

• You must analyze Point of View in at least 2 documents (I recommend 3)

• Analyze ≠ Summarize– Identify Who is speaking and what is their tone?– Classify Who they are– Explain What they believe– Define Why they believe it and tie it to their

group/classification

Step 6: The Additional Document

• Identify AND explain the need for an appropriate additional document.– Must be completely different from what you

have been given– Should be in the paragraph where it makes

sense– Try to come up with 3, not just one

Step 7: Conclusion Paragraph

• Restate your thesis statement in a different way than you did in the beginning, but it should be kind of similar.

• Remember, the thesis statement for WHAP doesn’t need to be long – a sentence or two will do. But it must be specific!

Prompt:Compare and contrast the political conquests and government systems of the Mongols with that of the Roman Empire or the Song Dynasty.

Thesis:The Mongols were similar to the Romans politically in that they were both very skilled conquerors and had powerful military forces; however they differed in that the Mongols were not very good administrators.


Thesis:The political conquests and government systems of the Mongols and Rome empire differed in that Rome’s government was heavily integrated in religion, and the Mongols failed to properly govern many of their conquered lands, but were similar in terms of military organization.


Thesis:The political conquests and government of the Mongols and of the Roman Empire were similar in the fact they were imperialistic but contrasted by who they used as officials, and that one’s bureaucracy was based on merit.