Using Document Based Questions to Assess Student Learning

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Schedule for the daySession 1: 8:15-9:35 What does a DBQ look like

at the different grade levels?

Session 2: 9:40-11:00 DBQ Assessment Process

Lunch 11:00-12:30

Session 3: 12:30- 1:50 Implementing DBQ Skills

Session 4: 1:55-2:55 Putting It All Together

2:55-3:30 Closing

Goals for the day• Understand how to implement historical

writing routinely grades 6-12• Understand the benefits of using historical

documents to write• Understand how the writing and analysis

process works• Leave here with strategies and resources you

can implement immediately within your curriculum

What we need from you…

• Good Attitude• Stay focused• Ask questions• Be Professionals• Plan to Implement

Fears/Complaints/Obstacles• I don’t have enough time to have students

write in class I have too much material to cover.

• I don’t want to grade ALL those essays.• My students can’t write an essay- they don’t

even know how to write a complete sentence.• Students just plagiarize these days.• I’m not an English teacher- I don’t know what

to grade.

Why do we need to Write in History Classes?

• Students need to learn how to think. • Learning to think requires frequent and

ongoing practice. • Thinking is hard work.• Thinking is for all students.• Thinking is clarified by writing.

- DBQ Project

What is a DBQ?• Commonly found on AP tests starting in 10th

grade– 8th grade and 9th grade STAAR and EOC will have a

similar format• Analyze primary source documents to create

an original answer to a question in an essay format

Session 1: What does the DBQ look like at various levels?

Grade Level What is the student task?

How are the students assessed?

What does the teacher need to know to prepare students?

6th World Cul

7th TX His

8th US His

World Geo (9th)

World His (10th)

US History (11th)

GOV/ECO (12th)

Be specific in your answers

Break5 minute break

DBQ ASSESSMENT PROCESSSession 2 9:40-11:00

1. What are the common elements that DBQs share at every level?

2. How do these elements factor into grading?

3. What can rubrics look like and how do they assist in the grading process?

DBQ Assessment Process Rubric Building

To be successful, students have to do the following:

• quickly read and understand document content

• interpret documents to use as evidence to answer a question

• craft a cohesive and persuasive written argument using document evidence

Session 3 will cover how to teach these 3 distinct skills to students

What are the common elements that DBQs share

at every level?

Purpose of DBQ Rubrics1. Measure distinct DBQ skills

• Understanding• Interpreting• Crafting an argument

2. Provide effective feedback to students (goal: future improvement)

• Must be timely (while the question and process are fresh)

• Must be specific (grade alone doesn’t facilitate improvement)

3. Facilitate grading

• Must make the process relatively easy for teachers• Must encourage consistency in grading from student to

student

Holistic Scoring

Core Scoring

Scale Scoring

Types of Rubrics

The 8-9 Essay

Contains a well-developed thesis that addresses all parts of the question

Supports the thesis with effective analysis Effectively uses a substantial number of documents Supports thesis with substantial and relevant outside

information May contain minor errors Is clearly organized and well written

The 5-7 Essay

Contains a thesis that addresses part of the question Has limited or implicit analysis Effectively uses some documents Supports the thesis with some relevant outside

information May have errors that do not seriously detract from

the quality of the essay Shows acceptable organization and writing; language

errors do not interfere with the comprehension of the essay

Holistic Scoring• Essays are judged in

their entirety• Scores are assigned

based on successful demonstration of skills • Scores divided into

ranges based on the traits to the right

Core Scoring• Essay are judged for core elements• Scores are based on the accumulation of successful core parts (given points)• Scores developed from this accumulation of points

Scale Scoring• Essays are judged in

their entirety• Scores are based on

achieving key skills• Scores are qualitative

and descriptive in nature

11th

Core Scoring 10th Grade

Scale Scoring Any Grade

Questions• How did using the rubric facilitate grading?

• How did using the rubric facilitate giving students feedback?

• What was still difficult about grading?

Tips for Grading• Don’t score for grammar

• Think of these as rough drafts– Grade ideas, analysis, use of evidence, structure of

the argument

• Teach the rubric to students before writing

Tips for Grading• Standardize or grade a few with a fellow teacher

first to establish a standard

• Read through some of your students to see a spread of responses before you start grading

• Have students grade according to rubric– Peer grade– Ratiocination

Tips for Grading• Full DBQ is summative – grading parts of the

process before this step is crucialExamples:– Grade thesis one time– Grade use of evidence another time

• Feedback must be timely– the more times you grade, the better you’ll get

Break- Lunch see you at 12:30

IMPLEMENTING DBQ SKILLSSession 3 12:30-1:50

Speaker- describe what you know about the person who wrote the document

Occasion- what was going on in history

Audience- who is the reader? Who is the person speaking to?

Purpose- intent, reason, goal

Subject- topic

Speaker- describe what you know about the person who wrote the documentOccasion- what was going on in history

Audience- who is the reader? Who is the person speaking to?

Purpose- intent, reason, goal

Subject- topic

Point of view- authors background (bias?)

Tone Implied attitude toward the subject and the audience

Overview- what do you think this is?

Parts- pieces of the picture

Title- what is it and how does it help you understand the picture

Interrelationship- connections between the parts and the title

Conclusion- why is this picture important historically

On the Move Analysis• With your group choose

a poster• Each person pick a

letter that you will be responsible for (SOAPS- written documents, OPTIC-visuals)

• On your sticky note write your letter and the correct response.

• When all group members are complete

• write one conclusion about the document at the bottom of the poster

Rotate!• At your new document:

– Add 2 scaffolding questions that would help a student with analyzing this document

• At your new document:– Answer the 2 scaffolding questions

Cubes• Tactile document analysis method• Label the cubes SOAPS or OPTIC• Each group completes one letter for the

document• Presenter shares the document and the letter

explanation that was rolled.

White Board Warm Ups• Source: Las Vegas & Greenland Tourism

Boards

1.What do both of these places have in common as to how their physical geography impacts their human geography?

Bucketing• After reading through all the documents

students determine where they will use them in their essay.

Reason 1Document B

Reason 2Documents A,C

Reason 3Document A,D

Shoes• Everyone throw one shoe in the center of the

room• Volunteer #1

– Group the shoes anyway you want– Explain your grouping strategy

• Volunteer #2– Group the shoes in a different way– Explain your grouping strategy

Shoes

• Group the shoes this time according to the following prompt:– “How can these shoes represent globalization?”

Understanding DBQ Prompts

Verbs:IdentifyDescribe

Explain – How and why

a) Identify two animals.

b) Describe the two animals.

c) Explain how one has an advantage over the other.

Understanding DBQ Prompts

Verbs:Identify-to recognize or

establish as being a particular person or thing

Describe- to tell or depict in written or spoken words; give

an account ofExplain – How and why-to make known in detail

Suggestions• The “primary reason” is one thing – If you

laundry list you will not get credit.• Do not say “Because the dog is bigger.”—THAT

IS DESCRIBING. Explain why the dog being bigger gives him an advantage over the kitty.

• Explain – be able to answer “and so what?” – good idea is to use the sentence and throw in a “because” and be able to answer that.

Thesis Writing• Since it is NOT acceptable to simply restate the

question we will be using a formula. The Thesis Formula: X. However, A, B, and C. Therefore, Y.

• ‘X’ represents the strongest point against your argument.

• ‘A, B, and C’ represent the three strongest points for your argument.

• ‘Y’ represents the position you will be taking; in other words, your stand on the prompt.

Thesis Statement

Question or ThesisMain Idea #1

Main Idea #2

Main Idea #3

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

The Question:Analyze the changes that occurred during the

1960s and the goals, strategies, and support of the movement for African American civil rights.

The Civil Rights movement in the United States gave more Americans rights.

UUUGGGGLLLYYYDoes not answer the prompt

Question: Analyze the changes that occurred during the 1960s and the goals, strategies, and support of the movement for African American civil rights.

Many changes occurred in the 1960s in the goals, strategies, and changes in the movement for civil rights Bad

Answers the prompt but is not very specific. Re-states the question.

Question: Analyze the changes that occurred during the 1960s and the goals, strategies, and support of the movement for African American civil rights.

Civil rights’ goals shifted from achieving legal equality to social and economic rights in the mid-1960s. As the movement broadened nationally, methods shifted from nonviolence to violence. Support for civil rights fractured along racial and generational lines.

Good

Preparing for the DBQ: 15 Minute Drill

• Read the prompt. What is the task? What is the prompt asking you to determine or answer?

• Create your conceptual framework.• Brainstorm SPECIFIC background information.

Place as much SPECIFIC information in the space provided below.Analyze the ways in which the Vietnam War

heightened social, political, and economic tensions in the United States. Focus your answer on the

period 1964 to 1975

Putting it all together• Document sources other than print can:

– Keep students engaged– Expand source material– Feel good

Caribbean Culture DBQ:The Music of Bob Marley

& the Wailers• Analyze each document (song)• Discuss key points of each document with

your small group• Group the documents into categories• Create a thesis to share with the class

– Be prepared to explain which documents go in which groups

Session 4: 2:05-3:00Putting it All Together

“I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter.” James Michener

“The wastebasket is a writer's best friend.” Isaac Singer

"I write to find out what I think.“ Stephen King

S4

Truths about writing 1. The writing process embodies higher order

thinking.

2. Writing is a skill; practice is the only way to improve.

3. Timely, specific constructive feedback leads to improvement.

Putting it All TogetherS4

Truths about teaching writing1. It requires planning, preparation, and practice

throughout an academic year; it is not just a summative exercise for tests.

2. To elicit higher order responses, questions/prompts must also be higher order and not just definitional.

3. Times for feedback, conferencing, and peer grading/editing should be included; students must see and discuss writing to know how to improve

Putting it All Together

What could this look like in a six weeks period?

Mon Tue Wed Thu FriDebrief DBQ

rubric and sample prompt

Doc analysis exercise

Read and score sample DBQ

responses

Thesis writing exercise

Discuss new DBQ prompt

Group doc analysis practice

Thesis writing

Prewriting& Outlining

Conference on thesis writing and outline

Draft Peer editing

Final draft due Peer scoring

Teacher conferencing

Teacher conferencing

Teacher conference

All activities above do not take the entire block period – 30 minutes for most. The first two days and the drafting day are the only times that 60 minutes is used

Each activityleading up tofinal draftis a formativeassignment.

Be wary of grades thatmeasuremastery at introductorystages of the process

What could this look like in a six weeks period in 7th/8th grade?

Mon Tue Wed Thu FriQuestion Analysis-

brainstorms answer

questions and possible proof

needed

Document 1: SOAPS with

cube

Document 2: Independent Analysis with Scaffolding

questions as a class

Document 3: Analysis as a group with roles: Reader, Vocabulary, and Presenter

Document 4: Dry Erase- each

row has a different letter

Thesis Writing as a group- all must contribute

Group Writing Day

Peer Editing Paper Due

All activities above do not take the entire period – 15 minutes for most. The writing and Editing days are the only full class periods.

Each activityleading up tofinal draftis a formativeassignment.

Be wary of grades thatmeasuremastery at introductorystages of the process

Goals for Session 4• Develop and integrate a DBQ writing program in

your grade level.– Integrate DBQ process into an existing unit

• Scaffold individual skills (Session 3) into lessons– Include opportunities to draft and re-draft– Include opportunities for teacher and student feedback

– At your campus - Create a DBQ• Develop a higher level prompt according to grade level TEKS• Share resources (print and internet) to build a document set• Create a rubric that measures the essential DBQ skills

appropriate to your grade level

Thank you for coming• Please complete online survey through

Eduphoria to earn credit for this course.