AP World History• Student: “How

long should the essay be?”

• Susan Firestone: (my 10th grade English Teacher), “Like a mini-skirt, long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to be interesting!”

APWH Essays•Document Based Question (DBQ)• Compare and Contrast• Change and Continuity over Time (CCOT)

DBQ: Step One: Analyzing The Prompt

• All AP essays are written in response to an essay “prompt.” This is what you commonly call the “question.”• Understanding what this prompt

asked you to do is the first important skill you need to acquire.

• The first thing you need to do is to read the WHOLE prompt, every word of it. This is especially true if the prompt is in two sentences and/or you are given a choice about what to write about:–Analyze the cultural and political

changes and continuities in TWO of the following civilizations during the last centuries of the classical era• Chinese (100 CE to 600 CE)• Roman (100 CE to 600 CE)• Indian (300 CE to 600 CE)

• The first mistake students make is in reading and answering only one part of the prompt.

Step One…Analyzing the Info.• What is the question/prompt asking

for?• Are there any terms or words that

you do not understand?• DBQ’s often provide a historical

background and that information SHOULD be used

Analyzing the Documents• PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE write on the

documents—circle, underline, etc. Do a SOAPS chart!

• S: SPEAKER—voice which writes the piece

• O: OCCASION—What? How? What was going on for someone to write this piece? In other words, the context

• A: AUDIENCE—readers to whom this piece is directed. Can be a group of people

• P: PURPOSE--what was so important that this article/piece/document had to be written?

• S: SUBJECT—what is the document about? Always keep the prompt in mind!!!

DBQ Step Two: Organizing the Info

• It may be helpful to develop a chart/table or some kind of jot list/organizing strategy. Some things are the same (“universals”) for all DBQ’s:– Document Number–Major point of the document– Point of view

Step Two…..Organizing/Grouping• Documents must be grouped into at least

Three Groups….can be grouped by:–Region– “who’s talking”–Rich/poor– Technology–Agriculture–Cultural – Thematic–Chronological– Etc.

……Grouping• Documents must be in 3 groups or

categories• Minimum of TWO docs per group, but

THREE is recommended• One document may be used in more

than one grouping, but NOT in three groups

Step Three….(POV) Point of View• For each group of documents, you must

provide a POV for at least one of the documents.

• POV is about the writer/source of the document, NOT what the document states itself. POV is influenced by two elements:

1. Historical Context: age or time period of the event; cultural setting

2. Frame of Reference: personal background of the author (could be age, education, beliefs, interests, values, etc.)

An Example of POV• “Jonathan Sampson, a native

American, appears to dislike Anglo Americans because his family was murdered during the Black Kettle uprising, yet his information has been verified by eye witness accounts both native and soldiers, thus making him a credible source. (doc. 7)

An Example of POV•  ”Miguel Montez’s tone seems angry

and resentful, because his ancestor’s land was taken by American soldiers during theMexican American War.  He offers no evidence for his claims, thus his point of view is questionable.  (doc.5)”

Step Four…..Additional Document(s)

• For each of your three groups, identify and explain one type of additional document that could be used AND why/how

Writing Tips…• Avoid sentences that begin

“Doc.#___ says…..”• The reader/teacher already knows

the information in the document• Your job is to interpret the

information AND to make and argument or draw a conclusion

• Use ALL documents!

Organizing and GroupingDocument Numbers Topic POV

1,5,6 Gender Relations “                      “

2,3,4 Religious Requirements “                       “

3,5,7,8 Forced Labor “                        “

How to Write a Thesis…• For a thesis in the DBQ, include the date and time and talk 

about the components of the question. For example:

Prompt: Using the documents, analyze African actions and reactions in response to the European Scramble for Africa. 

However, suspicious of them [Europeans], the Africans rejected the proposal, which led to their future resistances and fear against the Europeans and eventually their enslavement during the period of the Scramble for Africa. 

Also…• After the thesis statement

(somewhere in the opening paragraph), identify a document that should have been included, but was not.

• Use CLEAR language• “An additional document that would

help prove the _________, would be_________, because__________.

Thesis…..• Around the dawn of the first

millennium, the Han and Roman attitudes towards technology were both self glorifying; however, the Han Empire in China placed more value on technology and enhancements than did the Romans, as evidenced by the constant concern on the part of the Han and the occasional indifference on the part of the Romans.

CCOTAnalyze changes and continuities in long-distance migrations in the period from1700 to 1900. Be sure to include specific examples from at least TWO differentworld regions.

Compare and ContrastAnalyze similarities and differences in the rise of TWO of the following empires.• A West African Sudanic empire (Mali

OR Ghana OR Songhay)• The Aztec Empire• The Mongol Empire

WHAP Essay Grade Conversion  

9: 105 8: 102 7: 100 6: 92 5: 88 4: 85 3: 80 2: 75 1: 70 0*: 65

*you will receive an actual “0” if you do not turn in any work. The 65 is if you attempted the essay, but did not obtain any of the rubric points*