DBQ-Document Based Questions
Document Based Questions are collections of primary source documents that designed to answer an over-arching question. They are an excellent literacy tool that is gaining popularity in the Social Studies classroom. They were first used in the AP and IB programs but have since been adapted for general education populations. Instead of reading a textbook, students are reading first hand accounts and evidence from a time period and interpreting the documents. Students must take into consideration not only the information present in the document but the biases of the writer. The documents vary in their complexity, presenting a challenge to many students, but one that they can accomplish.
Students are then instructed to write an essay answering the over-arching question of the DBQ, using the documents as evidence. DBQs offer an opportunity for developing and fine tuning critical thinking skills. In their interpretations of the documents, students become historians.
The DBQ Project offeres a selection of DBQs and Mini-Qs for US and World History. The materials are alined with the Common Core Standards and offer a wide range of grade levels. DBQ topics include:
The Mongols: How Barbaric were the "Barbarians" (SSWH4d)
What Were the Underlying Causes of WWI? (SSWH16)
Why Did Islam Spread So Quickly (SSWH5)
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