How do I use a DBQ with my students?

Have you ever had that moment in class where you are introducing a DBQ essay and you realize your students are looking at you like you have three heads 👽? Not only do you realize that your entire lesson for the day is officially out the window, you also have to come up with something on the fly to walk your students through a DBQ and what it is. You have to remediate and you have no clue where to start.

It can be a daunting task when you have a regular class, but you have ELLs, SpEd kids, and a group of 40 kids crammed in your room.

Fear not! I am going to break down the DBQ essay process in this four-part blog series, and you will be able to get your students up to speed even if you are in the second semester and testing is around the corner.

This four-part series will cover how to incorporate:
1) teaching students how to annotate
2) analyzing the DBQ itself
3) writing the DBQ essay
4) peer editing

So let's jump in with annotating! Many students think that annotating is simply a skill used in ELA, but it is essential in the history classroom.When teaching students how to annotate a reading or a DBQ, you have to implement it consistently. That is where many teachers fall short (myself included!). They go over annotation, then forget about it after the lesson was over. Until it is a few weeks later and time to practice annotating again. They expect the students to magically remember what to do, but then the teacher gets mad at them self for not reviewing it.

How can you be consistent? One way is to incorporate annotating into everyday activities. This can be done with warm-ups/bellringers, exit tickets, and homework. You want the students to be so used to annotating DBQs and readings that they start doing it in other classes. You want them to come up to you at school and tell you how they annotated something in their sleep.

To start off practicing with your students,

1) pick 6-10 DBQs that pertain to a time period you (preferably) have already covered. The DBQs should be a picture of pictures and quotes/readings.

2) Cut them out and place them all on the same sheet of paper. Make it double-sided if needed.

3) make a copy for each student

4) As a class, go through the first document together. Explain what your expectations are when it comes to annotating (I like to color-code, personally). Are you lost as to what students need to know? Try out my Pre-AP/AP History Helper so students have a easy guide to reference!

5) Have students practice the second document with a partner, then review it together as a class. What did they get right? What was missed?

6) Allow students to complete the next few on their own, but also to check with a partner if they want. It makes the activity a little less overwhelming if they know they can ask a friend.

It will probably being quite a painfully slow process at first. But if you spend the time to make sure that your students truly feel comfortable with annotating, it will pay off in the long run. But once again, BE CONSISTENT! Annotate at least three times a week.

Next week, how to analyze the actual DBQ...