Congratulations! You've just outlined your first DBQ essay. How did it go? In this discussion, you'll share your thoughts about the process, the challenges you faced, and any ideas you have on how you'll answer a DBQ question the next time you're faced with one.
Respond to one or more of these questions as you discuss the DBQ process with your classmates (in at least two separate postings):
- What was easy about the DBQ?
- What did you find most challenging?
- Did you come up with any tricks or shortcuts that will make writing future DBQs easier?
- Do you have any general questions (or answers) about DBQ writing?
- In general, do you think DBQs are a good tool for studying history? Why or why not?
Scoring
This discussion is worth a maximum of 15 points. You'll get 10 points for your first post. Your instructor will give you another 5 points if you post a follow-up comment or question that furthers the discussion.
Original: While usually I find that an outline hinders my process, when writing this DBQ essay the outline actually helped increase the speed in which I wrote the essay. To me, the most challenging part of writing a DBQ essay is incorporating enough outside knowledge and information.
ReplyDeleteThe easy thing about about outlining the DBQ essay is that I exactly what information to include.
ReplyDeleteTo: Alex
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Incorporating outside information can be tough, especially if the topic is an unfamiliar one.
Original:
ReplyDeleteMy method of outlining is quite different from a typical I, II, III, etc. outline. On the DBQs themselves, I use a process called PAPAS where I write out the purpose, author, point-of-view, audience, and side of support for each document. Mostly, I figure out the side the document supports and the purpose of the document and leave it at that. This method of outlining organizes my thoughts clearly enough in order to proceed with the essay itself. The only challenge I face when writing a DBQ essay involves using the outside information, especially when the topic might be one I am not extremely knowledgeable about.
To Alex:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the issue of an outline being ineffective for other essays but quite effective for the DBQ essays. I think because there needs to be documents included which require organization so an outline is the most effective way to deal with that amount of information.
The easy part about the DBQ was understanding the task and analyzing each document. I found most diffucult was organizing the information into an outline, because i usually just put main ideas in 3 paragraphs and somehow put a document on my way to the answer. I did not really find any tricks for writing an easier DBQ besides just cutting down to the main essentials of the DBQ and no-run arounds from the topic. I have no questions or answers about DBQ's. It is a cool tool to use cause it allows you to outline the main idea and use other sources of history to guide you on the way to an answer, but it very time consuming and the documents have to be used in the right way.
ReplyDeleteTo Jasbir:
ReplyDeleteI also remember PAPAS it does help organize each document faster, I should have used this when I was outlining the paper. I think it would have been less time consuming and easier to complete. IM SOOOO USING THIS ON THE NEXT DOCUMENT BASED QUESTION!
To Alex:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your 100% sometimes you know absolutely nothing about the topic and your forced to make up knowledge using a DBQ.
Original:
ReplyDeleteI find that the easiest part of the DBQ is analyzing the document. I also liked PAPAS because it allows you to figure out the critical points of the document and its usefulness to you quickly. I find that the most challenging part of the DBQ is organization. I think organization is very difficult because there are numerous things that must be incorporated into a DBQ for it to be substantial. I do not know whether I agree or disagree that DBQ’s are a good tool for studying history. While DBQs can help you organize history, I do not believe history is best learned though essays.
To: Shahnaj & Alex & Naomi
ReplyDeleteI think it is extremely hard to write an essay when you know nothing about the topic. Although the documents are there to help you, they can only take you so far. I also agree that an outline for a DBQ can be very time consuming.
The most simplest thing about the DBQ, is well its' a DBQ, document based question, in which the information is given to you, but when writing the essay, I myself and I would assume many people also fail to realise the need for a bit of outside information to organize and place a personal voice to one's essay.
ReplyDeleteI also found that i underestimated the level of the documents given. I always thought DBQs were simple becuase of prior experience, but this is not the case becuase it is after all AP US History. The level of the documents are much higher than that of past documents, which did prove to me a bit difficult for me trying to comprehend most of it.
In Response to Jasbir & Shevana:
ReplyDeleteI completely forgot about PAPAS, and to be honest, I am not sure if I remember what it stands for either. It is a useful tool, I know but I would like to know how it is used in such essays. I would like to see how using such a tool can chnage the level of an essay from say a 3 or 4 to a 8 or 9.
Original:
ReplyDeleteI had a pretty easy time writing this DBQ outline. It was easy to read and understand the documents, and I was able to use them to prove my point. I had a bit of trouble getting together my topic sentences, but after a while everything came together.
To Naomi:
ReplyDeleteI feel that writing a full outline can be unnecessary at times, but I usually make a quick outline to help when I'm writing an essay and I feel that that might be beneficial for you as well. Just jot your ideas down so that you know what you're going to talk about and where everything is going to go. I feel like it's a good reference tool to look back on when writing your essay. Hopefully it can help you.
I find the DBQ essays by far the easiest essays to write, mainly because all of the information is right there in front of you. Sometimes its almost had to incorporrate extra information because of all that the DBQ's give you.
ReplyDeleteTo Alex:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you're saying, its very hard to come up with outside information in relation to the topic. THe DBQ's have so much information, plus some information you would never even think of. It almost makes you doubt your own information, making it even harder.
I feel the easiest part of the DBQ is simply how to write it. Its one of the easiest type of essays to write because the information is right there for you. You simply have to take whatever info you choose and make a relevant essay out of it. That can bring the hard part about it which is getting the right amount of info and making a coherent essay about it. I will also agree that bringing in outside info is hard too because it must stay relevant and be original.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though the DBQ essay is very easily written based on the fact that the information that needs to be incorporated into your essay is given to you directly through the documents. On occasion the difficult part of writing these essays is analyzing and interpreting the documents given and incorporating as many documents as are necessary into your essay. Overall DBQ essays are extremely conveniant for using dates and having hard evidence throughout your essay.
ReplyDeleteXander
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the fact that it is almost difficult to incorporate outside information because so much information is given directly to you through the documents. Overall I feel as though it is better to have too much information than not enough.