How to Analyze DBQs in the Pre-AP and AP Classroom

Document-Based Questions made easy

Usually, the biggest problem teachers face when teaching their students to analyze DBQs (document-based questions) is which acronym to use. Should I use HIPP since that is on the AP exam? Or SOAPSTone because that is what another teacher likes to use?

In reality, it doesn’t matter what you use, but at the same time, it does. You’re probably thinking, Wait, what? That isn’t helping me! The biggest problem I encountered was not making sure my students became comfortable with one analysis acronym before moving on to the next. I wanted to use all of the acronyms! This week SOAPSTone, next week APPARTS, then next month was OPTIC. But that was the problem. My students never had a chance to feel successful with analysis before I threw something else at them. My poor eighth graders. I am glad they were so forgiving. 

This is where you get to learn from my mistakes! If you follow these steps, when March rolls around and your students are arguing with a friend over which acronym is better for analysis, then you know they have arrived.

1. Pick an acronym. Sounds simple enough. You can pick the acronym you like the most, or you can pick up my History Helper and I do all the work for you!  I started with SOAPSTone because I had a high number of English Language Learners, and I was more comfortable with SOAPSTone. Either way, pick one that you can implement for at a month. 

2. Practice annotating at least once a week as a class. Students need to hear your thought process as you go through the analysis. I used to put the DBQ under my document camera and project it on the screen. Then, as I went through each letter, I would have the students discuss the answer with their table partner. Here is an example of the conversation I would have with the class. I am going to use the Boston Massacre engraving by Paul Revere as an example:

Me: “So who is the speaker? Who created this? Most artists sign their work, and it is usually around the edge of the art. So, take a look at the picture and then discuss your answer with your shoulder partner.”

Students discuss answer

Me: “Then, write your answer on the small white board on your desk”

Students write Paul Revere on their white boards, and we discuss how they knew the answer. 

Me: “What was the occasion for this engraving? What was going on during this time? What clues do you see to support your answer?”

Students discuss answer

Me: “Now, write your answer on the small white board on your desk”

Students discuss the American Revolution. The evidence in the engraving are the redcoats worn by the soldiers and the church in the background of Boston.

This continues until I have made it through the entire SOAPSTone acronym. It is really important for students to have the opportunity to discuss their answers with a classmate because it takes helps them process their thoughts. A lot of students are not given the opportunity to think aloud. I also encourage the use of white boards for each set of partners. This allows the shy kids to participate without becoming anxious, it keeps the class a bit quieter (if only for a few seconds!) and also allows you to do a quick check for understanding.

You don’t have to take this long approach each time. If you have a class that just gets it, slowly ease them into analyzing on their own with less guidance from you.

3.Change up the acronym. After about a month, or until your kiddos can analyze using the first acronym pretty easily, it’s time to throw another acronym at them. Maybe you decide to try APPARTS with them. Follow the same steps as before. But this time, switch back and forth between the first acronym you taught them and the current one. Just because they learned one thing doesn’t mean it is on the back burner forever. When you have the students practice a DBQ analysis on their own, allow them to choose which acronym they want to use. I would make copies of the SOAPSTone analysis and the APPARTS and tell the kids that it was their choice. It was an extra five minutes on my part to create an extra answer key, but I knew down the road, the students wouldn’t forget how to use either one.

4. Keep repeating step 3 until students are familiar with all the major acronyms. I even got the language arts teacher in on using the acronyms in her class. Everyone knew that my students knew how to use them, and so there was no argument from the kids about “I don’t know what to do.” It also helped the students when they use the acronyms to analyze information from a different subject. Processing the information in new ways helped them retain that information in their long-term memory. 

Stay tuned to learn more about using DBQs in the history classroom!