Don't Have One
New York State United Teachers: "Helping your students master DBQs"
FOR TEACHERS:
Minding their DBQs
Tips for helping your students master Document-Based Questions
What's a DBQ? DBQ stands for Document-Based Question. DBQs are a key component of Regents social studies exams and other tests from elementary through high school. DBQs measure students' knowledge, their intellectual habits, and whether they can apply those skills to new information. A high-school level DBQ typically has two parts. Part A has students examine six to eight documents on a particular theme and answer questions about each document. Known as "scaffolded" questions, they are designed to build a foundation for a response to the essay question that follows in Part B, where students must incorporate documents and outside knowledge into their response. In one sample DBQ on the United States becoming a more industrialized society, documents included a chart on the impact of industrialization from 1870-1910, quotations from Samuel Gompers and Jane Addams, and a political cartoon on Andrew Carnegie. After answering one or tw scaffolded questions for each document, students had to write an essay discussing the advantages and disadvantages of industrialization to American society between 1865 and 1920 and how industrialization affected different groups. Document-Based Questions may be the state's newest challenge for students, but DBQs are really nothing new. When you show students an illustration and ask them, "What's going on in this picture?" you're asking for a scaffolded response - a big part of the DBQ process. Following are some suggestions to help students do their best on DBQs. Elementary school and beyond l The best way to understand the DBQ process is to create your own practice questions. Don't rely on commercially prepared DBQs. Charts, graphs and maps are commonly used documents. Work with them often so students will know how to extract needed information. Social studies
FOR TEACHERS:
Minding their DBQs
Tips for helping your students master Document-Based Questions
What's a DBQ? DBQ stands for Document-Based Question. DBQs are a key component of Regents social studies exams and other tests from elementary through high school. DBQs measure students' knowledge, their intellectual habits, and whether they can apply those skills to new information. A high-school level DBQ typically has two parts. Part A has students examine six to eight documents on a particular theme and answer questions about each document. Known as "scaffolded" questions, they are designed to build a foundation for a response to the essay question that follows in Part B, where students must incorporate documents and outside knowledge into their response. In one sample DBQ on the United States becoming a more industrialized society, documents included a chart on the impact of industrialization from 1870-1910, quotations from Samuel Gompers and Jane Addams, and a political cartoon on Andrew Carnegie. After answering one or tw scaffolded questions for each document, students had to write an essay discussing the advantages and disadvantages of industrialization to American society between 1865 and 1920 and how industrialization affected different groups. Document-Based Questions may be the state's newest challenge for students, but DBQs are really nothing new. When you show students an illustration and ask them, "What's going on in this picture?" you're asking for a scaffolded response - a big part of the DBQ process. Following are some suggestions to help students do their best on DBQs. Elementary school and beyond l The best way to understand the DBQ process is to create your own practice questions. Don't rely on commercially prepared DBQs. Charts, graphs and maps are commonly used documents. Work with them often so students will know how to extract needed information. Social studies