THE ESSENTIALS AND ORGANIZATION DBQ ESSAY THE ESSENTIALS AND ORGANIZATION

Write a thesis Use a Chicken Foot! Pre-writing

PARAGRAPH #1 - INTRODUCTION Attention Grabber – Examples: Quote, fact, question Background Information Description of the time period Stating the question with key terms defined Clarify any important terms/vocabulary Thesis and roadmap PARAGRAPH #1 - INTRODUCTION

Example of Introduction What would it take to ensure the survival of a band of colonists looking to expand their world, their economy and increase their glory? In the early 1600s the world was becoming larger as Europeans sought to find new trade routes to India and China. A “New World” had been opened up by the European explorers during the previous century. North America was this “New World” full of opportunity, but it was also a land unfamiliar to Europeans and home to a great number of Native American tribes. There were many challenges that Europeans had to face when they tried to establish new settlements in North America. A group of these Europeans were the English who, in 1607, landed on the coast of an island that they came to call Jamestown. In the early years of this colony many members of this group did not survive and, by 1611, 80% of the 500 colonists that arrived at Jamestown were dead (background essay). So many of the colonists died in the early years of Jamestown because of harsh environmental conditions, the lack of essential skills, and poor relationships with surrounding Native Americans.

Body Paragraphs- Paragraphs #2, #3, and #4 Each body paragraph has: Claim/Baby Thesis for the category/bucket Evidence: Supporting details from documents with document citation Argument: Persuasive explanation that connects the evidence to your thesis Body Paragraphs- Paragraphs #2, #3, and #4

Example of a body paragraph Harsh environmental conditions was the first cause of why so many colonists die in the early Jamestown. In document B it shows a graph that reveals during the years 1607 and 1610 there was a less then average rainfall in the area of Jamestown. What this means is there were serious droughts during the time the colonists were trying to settle in the region. Droughts would have caused a shortage in water needed to survive. The colonists would have used this water to drink and possibly help grow crops for food. Not only was drought a problem in the Jamestown environment but it also states in document A that the island didn’t have “a great natural food abundance…” Without a reliable source of water and food the colonists could not survive and many perished.

Paragraph #5 - Conclusion Restatement of THESIS End with strongest argument A possible insight or “wrinkle” Paragraph #5 - Conclusion

Example of Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear to see that the colonists’ lives were taken as a result of harsh environmental conditions, the lack of important survival skills and their horrible relationships with Native Americans. The tough environmental conditions alone would have taken a large amount of lives, but when coupled with very limited coping skills and poor interactions with the Powhatan tribe, the very people that could have helped them learn skills and endure the environment, the colonists had no chance of sustaining the lives of so many of their people.

AP Scoring 8 - 9 •Strong, well developed thesis which clearly addresses the question; deals with the most significant issues and trends relevant to the question and the time period 5 - 7 •Has a valid thesis; deals with relatively significant issues and trends •Some accurate specific information relevant to the thesis and question 2 - 4 •Thesis may be absent, limited, confused, or poorly developed; may take a very general approach to the topic, failing to focus on the question; position may be vague or unclear 0 - 1 •Usually has no discernible thesis, contains a thesis that does not address the question, or simply r e s tat e s the question •Superficial, inappropriate or erroneous information; or information limited to a small portion of the prompt

Keep in mind… REMEMBER: You need: a strong thesis topic sentences for each supporting paragraph aim for 3 pieces of evidence in each paragraph a clincher sentence in each paragraph AND ALSO REMEMBER: Your essay is considered a ROUGH draft, not a final refined essay.

What do you predict your grade is in this class and why? Do Now

Self-assessing for DBQ essay: Read your essay at a level 1 voice Use the AP rubric to score your own paper. Circle and underline the parts you see in your paper that correspond to the rubric. EXIT SLIP: What improvements will you make in your next DBQ essay? (be specific!)