Transcript Document-Based Questions ( DBQ )

Document-Based
Questions (DBQ)
Presented by Karen Miller,
PBC Curriculum Content
Specialist Math/Science
What is a DBQ question?
The DBQ will consist of two parts:
1. In the first part, students will be required to answer a key
question(s) on each document. This generally involves interpreting
the main idea or point of view expressed in the document. This
section will be "scaffolded" to the second part in which the student
will write an essay using the documents to respond to a specific
question.
2. In this second part, students are asked to utilize all the sources,
plus their understanding of science to respond to a question. This
second part will require them to move beyond simply quoting all the
documents. They will need to use the documents as evidence in
support of a thesis that responds to the assigned (part two)
question. The student will be required to use all documents and
incorporate outside information.
How do I answer a DBQ
question?
DBQ questions are composed
of two sections. In Part A,
documents are provided for
students to read, analyze, and
then answer questions about
each one. In Part B, students
are provided with a specific
task which must be addressed
in an essay response. The
essay response can be
organized into three sections:
the introduction, body, and
conclusion.
Sample Documents
Snow Depth from January 26th-31st
January 26th
January 31st
Document 3
Mealworm Fried Rice
Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. oil
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. chopped onions
4 tsp. soy sauce
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. minute rice
1 c. cooked mealworms
Document 3
Mealworm Fried Rice
To double the recipe, how many onions
would you need?
Directions:
Scramble egg in a saucepan, stirring
to break egg into pieces.
Add water, soy sauce, garlic and
onions. Bring to a boil.
Stir in rice. Cover; remove from heat
and let stand five minutes.
Serves 4 people.
Mealworms are invertebrates, animals
without backbones. Name 2
invertebrates that you may have
eaten? Describe how they tasted.
From the recipe, how long does the rice
need to cook?
Document 2
Notice how solid water molecules
are bunched together and how far
apart the gas molecules are.
From the diagram above, explain what
causes solid water molecules to bunch
together and gas molecules to move
more freely.
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Beside water, give an example of a
solid, liquid and gas.
1.
2.
3.
Document 3
Photosynthesis and transpiration (made easy)
Photosynthesis is the way a plant makes food for itself.
Chlorophyll in the "green" part of the leaves captures
energy from the sun and this powers the building of food
from very simple ingredients - carbon dioxide and water.
Oxygen is released as a by-product of photosynthesis.
Trees "breathe in" carbon dioxide and "breathe out"
oxygen. They breathe through tiny holes in their leaves
called stomata; they also lose water through the stomata.
The tree draws up water through its roots and the water is
then drawn up through the tree and comes out through the
stomata in its leaves. The whole process of sucking up
water and losing it again is called transpiration.
It's simple really, they just use long complicated words to
describe it!
1. What is photosynthesis?
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2. What “ingredients” are needed for plants
to make their own food?
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3. Trees “breathe in” carbon dioxide and
“breathe out” oxygen through tiny holes in
their leaves called
___________________________________.
4. Plants transpire. How are humans
similar to plants?
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Document-based Essay Question
(DBQ) SKILLS NEEDED:
Read, interpret, analyze, synthesize, comprehension, observe, prior knowledge
Read and interpret and analyze different types of documents (posters, newspaper articles, letters,
advertisements, flyers, graphs, diagrams)
Write an essay with topic sentence, supporting details, conclusion based on documents and notes
Reading and Writing Skills - essay, note taking, outlining, webbing, editing, and final copy work
Vocabulary
Critical Thinking
Scientific Knowledge base
Inquiry –Based Skills
Listening and following directions
Finding main ideas and giving examples to support your main idea conclusions
Organize their response in a logical way
Recognize and relate to different perspective
Read and discuss content material, and formulate pertinent questions
Read a timeline, chart, map, or caption to illustration
Reading skills i.e. decoding, literal and inferential details/comprehension, cause/effect
Locate relevant information (key words) , analyze and interpret data with or without scaffolding,
identify and apply problem solving strategies
Compare/contrast data
Math skills e.g. number value, greater than/less than, equal, percentage, estimation
Summarizing
Raising standards with DBQs
At Pieter B., as early as third grade, students are
tested on their ability to analyze a collection of
documents, tap their own knowledge and come
up with reasoned answers to complex questions
on multi-faceted topics. It's a real-world skill
they'll use all their lives.
Unfortunately, kids fall short on DBQs - and
other tests, for that matter - because they don't
focus on the details or the directions. Through
DBQ assessments we are developing their
powers of observation.