1. What Caused the Civil War?
DBQ: Document Based Question

2. The DBQ Project Method Step 1: The Hook (Engaging the students)
Step 2: The Background Essay (Building Context)
Step 3: Clarifying the Question (Defining Key Terms & Pre-bucketing)
Step 4: Close Analysis (Understanding the Documents )
Step 5: Grouping the Documents (Post-Bucketing)
Step 6: Writing (From Thrash-out to Essay)

3. The DBQ Project Method
Step 1: The Hook
Engaging the students

4. Hook: Understanding Point of View
The Battle Cry of Freedom was sung by both Yankee and Confederate soldier in the their camps and when on the march. North and South, the melody was the same, but the words were different. Compare the third verse and the chorus of the Union and Confederate versions.
Judging from these lyrics alone, for what was each side fighting? In your analysis, be sure to consider the meaning behind such words as “traitors,” “tyrants,” and “freedom.”
Music link

5. Music link

6. Confederate Flags The Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.
“Stars and Bars.” The first national flag of the Confederate States of America with 13 stars
“Stainless Banner.” The second national flag of the Confederate States of America
The Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.
“The Blood-Stained Banner.” The third national flag of the Confederate States of America.

7. What Caused the Civil War?
On sticky notes, predict the answer(s) to this question.

8. Step 2: The Background Essay
The DBQ Project Method
Step 2: The Background Essay
Building context
Time, place and story

9. 1) 9) 2) 6)
10) 3)
13) 7) 4) 8)
11) 5)
14)
12)

10. Step 2: The Background Essay
The DBQ Project Method
Step 2: The Background Essay
Time
Place
Story
(related to question)

11. 9) Missouri Compromise

13. Background Summary
Individually: Write a 3-4 sentences summary that includes time, place and major story events.
key ideas: 1787, United States, North, South, slavery, westward expansion/territories, conflict, compromises, failure, 1861, Civil War

14. The DBQ Project Method Step 3: Clarifying the Question
What Caused the Civil War?

15. Part One: Defining Key Terms
Step 3: Clarifying the Question
Part One: Defining Key Terms 1
What
Caused the Civil War?
To make
Something happen
Conflict between people in the same country
Started
1861

16. Part Two: Identifying the Task
Step 3: Clarifying the Question (continued)
Part Two: Identifying the Task
Discussion Question:
Does the question ask you to come up with several reasons for the Civil War or one overall reason?
Rewrite the question as a statement in your own words, including dates.

17. Step 3: Clarifying the Question
Pre-bucketing
Directions: Using any clues from the discussion and documents you’ve read so far, predict the analytical categories for the buckets.
Think about analysis in two large categories: close analysis and gross analysis
Close Analysis refers to breaking dowj an individual document into categories like fact, inference, main idea, and point of view.
Gross anaysis refers to the clustering or bucketing of documents into analytical categories.
This gives students a visual framwork for their analysis and eventually their paper. Pre-bucketing provides reading readiness – a purpose for reading.
Buckets eventually become body paragraphs; an essay framework.
Cause A
Cause B
Cause C

18. Where do your sticky notes fit?
Step 3: Clarifying the Question
Pre-bucketing
Think about analysis in two large categories: close analysis and gross analysis
Close Analysis refers to breaking dowj an individual document into categories like fact, inference, main idea, and point of view.
Gross anaysis refers to the clustering or bucketing of documents into analytical categories.
This gives students a visual framwork for their analysis and eventually their paper. Pre-bucketing provides reading readiness – a purpose for reading.
Buckets eventually become body paragraphs; an essay framework.
A. Ideas About
the Morality
of Slavery
C. Failure of
Political
Compromise
B. Differing
Economies
Where do your sticky notes fit?

19. Understanding the Documents
The DBQ Project Method
Step 4: Close Analysis
Understanding the Documents

20. Understanding the Documents
Step 4: Close Analysis
Understanding the Documents
Modeled Instruction for Document A

21. Document Analysis Steps
What do you see? Draw a box around everything you see
Write the ? on top of the box
Mark the doc (letter/number); source; note(s) and caption(s) with an arrow
Examine the source(s)
Consider the notes and captions
Close read of document

22. Examine the source

23. Doc 1
What Caused the Civil War?
Secondary Source

24. Inferences are conclusions reached, based on the evidence.
An Argument summarizes and explains how the evidence answers the question. 1)
Inferences are conclusions reached, based on the evidence.
Evidence (quotes/ facts) comes directly from the documents.
Bucket = Sub-Claim
What you will prove

25. Doc 1 What Caused the Civil War? Secondary Source Important facts:
The maps show all slaves & cotton production were in the South and the majority of railroads were in the North
Inferences:
The South’s economy depended on cotton and slavery. The North had better transportation for connecting goods and markets to sell them and for transporting people around the region.
How does this document help answer the question:
The North and South had developed very different economies, splitting the country into 2 regions.
Bucket(s):
B. Differing Economies

26. Understanding the Documents
The DBQ Project Method
Step 4: Close Analysis
Understanding the Documents
Guided Practice

27. Inferences are conclusions reached, based on the evidence. 1)
Examine the source
Inferences are conclusions reached, based on the evidence.
An Argument summarizes and explains how the evidence answers the question. 1)
Evidence (Facts/ Quotes) comes directly from the document 2)
Bucket = Sub-Claim
What you will prove

28. Document Analysis Steps
What do you see? Draw a box around everything you see
Write the ? on top of the box
Mark the doc (letter/number); source; note(s) and caption(s) with an
Examine the source(s)
Consider the notes and captions
Close read of document

29. Doc 2

34. Doc 7

35. Doc 8

38. Doc 11

39. Understanding the Documents
The DBQ Project Method
Step 4: Close Analysis
Understanding the Documents
The
Independent Practice

40. Step 5: Grouping the documents
Post Bucketing &
Rank Order the Buckets 4 7 5 6 8 1 2 7 8 9 9 11 3 10 10 11
Differing Ideas About
the Morality
of Slavery
Differing
Economies
Failure of
Political
Compromises

41. Bucketing – Selecting the Best Evidence
Step5: Grouping the Documents
Bucketing – Selecting the Best Evidence 4 7 5 6 8 1 2 9 7 8 9 3 11 10
10 11
Differing Ideas About
the Morality
of Slavery
Differing
Economies
Failure of
Political
Compromises

42. Bucketing – Rank Ordering the Evidence
The DBQ Project Method
Step5: Grouping the Documents
Bucketing – Rank Ordering the Evidence 4 7 5 6 8 1 2 9 7 11 8 9 10 3
10 11
Differing Ideas About
the Morality
of Slavery
Differing
Economies
Failure of
Political
Compromises

43. The DBQ Project Method
Step 6: Writing

44. From thrash-out to essay
The DBQ Project Method
Step 6: Writing
From thrash-out to essay

46. Introduction:
Individually
Body:
Group

47. Rainbow Highlight