Happy Thursday  Grab the graphic organizer off the front desk and take out your DBQ packet.

Picking a Side: Which side will you defend in your DBQ essay? DBQ Question: When it comes to membership in the European Union, do the benefits of membership outweigh the costs? Fill out the provided graphic organizer to make a final decision on the DBQ question. Hint: This will be a great tool for you to use when writing your paper! Be ready to share and defend your point of view!

Round Robin DBQ Question: When it comes to the European Union, do the benefits of membership outweigh the costs? Thrash Out Session: Based on your analysis of documents A- F, which side seems to have the strongest evidence: costs or benefits? Top three reasons why? Student with the longest hair goes first; rotate around the group until everyone has shared Whoever’s birthday is coming up next will be the spokesperson. They will summarize your table group’s overall point of view to the whole group after our Rally Robin.

Shoe Activity I need as many volunteers as possible to lend me one of your shoes. If you’re willing, please place them at the front of the room. I need at least 6 shoes.

Bucketing: Getting Ready to Write Come up with three STRONG reasons for your answer to the DBQ EITHER: The benefits on membership to the EU outweigh the costs. OR The costs of membership to the EU outweigh the benefits. Label your buckets with these reasons. These will become the body paragraphs of your essay. Using your graphic organizer, find the letter(s) of the documents that best support each reason. Add them to your bucket. This will become the evidence and support in your body paragraphs. Requirements: You must have at least 1 document in each bucket and use a minimum of 3 documents total. Documents may be used more than once.

Do the benefits of membership to the EU outweigh the costs? You’ve analyzed the documents and figured out your claim. The benefits on membership to the EU outweigh the costs. The costs of membership to the EU outweigh the benefits. You’ve created three buckets; in other words, three main reasons to support your claim. Outline this on the provided “chickenfoot” graphic organizer. Reason 1 Thesis: Opinion/Answer to DBQ/ YOUR CLAIM! Reason 2 Reason 3

What is a Thesis statement? Focuses your ideas into one or two sentences. Presents the topic of your paper and provides your position on the DBQ question. Previews the argument you will make. Guides your writing and keeps your argument focused.

Thesis Expectations Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Did the North and South fight in the Civil War for the same reasons? Sample DBQ Prompt Did the North and South fight in the Civil War for the same reasons?

This thesis statement would cause Mrs. K to cry… The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different.

This is better… While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions.

This is ideal!  While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government. Your thesis statement previews your body paragraphs!

Let’s Practice. In your groups, craft a solid thesis statement for our DBQ. It should be based on the 6 documents you analyzed and the corresponding buckets you created. Be ready to share! The European Union: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Costs?

Paragraph #1: Introduction Hook: Introduce the topic in an interesting way. Background: Essential information for understanding the topic (assume the reader has little to no background). Stating the question with key terms defined: Create a sentence that introduces the DBQ prompt. Address any terms in the question prompt the reader may not know. Thesis and roadmap: Your thesis tells the reader your standpoint and previews your topic paragraphs. Refer to page 3 in your DBQ packet – You’ve already don’t most of this! 

Paragraph #s 2, 3, & 4: Topic Paragraphs (Use CSET!) Baby Thesis for Bucket 1: Claim: State the main idea/argument of your first category. Set Up: Introduce your first supporting document related to your claim. Evidence: Make sure you cite each document! (i.e. “In Document K, the Native American…) Argument: This is the Tie-In: how do all of your documents relate to your claim?

Paragraph #5: Conclusion Tie everything together in a nice, little bow. Leave the reader with a warm and fuzzy, “I smelled what they were stepping in.” / “I picked up what they put down” kind of feeling. Ideas: Why is this discussion even relevant? Why is it important to discuss whether membership in the EU is worth it or not? What would have happened if the EU had never formed? Predict the future of the EU – do you think it’s going to stick around for a while? Why or why not?

A Couple Things to Avoid… In a formal paper, avoid referring to yourself or the reader “I feel…” or “As you can see…” Avoid contractions For example, instead of “can’t” or “don’t” type it all the way out – “cannot” or “do not”.