1. Let’s Look at Roosevelt and Hoover A Past Document Based Question

2. What type of question is being asked?  Comparison or Cause and Effect?  What “value” words need to be defined?  What is the time period?

3. Read and Highlight the Documents  Who is the author?  What is the date/time?  What is the primary focus?  What is the secondary focus?

4. Brainstorm Your “Outside” Information  What is the time period?  What do you know about this time period?  What main ideas can you construct from this time period?

5. Come Up with 3 Topics/Points of Discussion  Divide your brainstorming into 3 categories. –Be sure and use the information from your documents and mark what document the info is from on your notes.  Create topic sentences for each category.  Number each piece of evidence 1, 2, or 3 to fit the category (along with document letter if it applies)

6. Develop a Thesis Statement  Use your topics/points of discussion to create a thesis statement.  Develop a hook to encompass the main idea of your thesis. –Careful…be sure it is specific to the DBQ time period.

7. Write Your Introductory Paragraph  After you write your introductory paragraph, use it as a “recipe” to focus you for the rest of your essay.  Body paragraphs will have all of your detailed evidence…be sure to load them up with tons of information!  I hope you don’t have enough time to write a conclusion because you are so busy filling your body paragraphs with specific details!

8. Eh Viola, You Are Done!  After spending 45 minutes, you have written a logical, well-formatted, detailed essay proving a historical point of view!