Implementing Document Based Questions in the Classroom

Hey everyone,

I'm continuing the series on incorporating writing in the social studies classroom, because I think teaching writing is essential for our students to succeed with the upcoming Common Core standards and eventually for college.  In my opinion I think the emphasis on multiple choice standardized testing in Mississippi has created deficiencies  in our students' writing abilities.  This is detrimental because many of our students are not learning basic writing skills that are necessary at the collegiate level.

I think a great way for our students to practice writing is using DBQs . In my first year of teaching last year, I did not give my students any DBQs.  I was intimidated by the prospect of doing it, because I felt it would be too challenging for my seventh graders.  However, I realized that I can't spoon-feed my students with guided notes and worksheets all the time.  Students will have to be able to write essays in high school and college, so it makes sense to give them experience writing them now.  That being said, I have experienced early successes and failures implementing DBQs in the classroom.  The rest of this blog is dedicated to sharing those experiences with you.


Positives:

1.  I feel like I'm teaching my class a meaningful skill and my students haven't objected about it.  My initial fear would be students would complain and whine about how hard the writing is but that hasn't been the case at all.  Most of my students are on board with the idea of doing DBQs and those that aren't do not vociferously complain.  Now, can my students explain why DBQs are important?  I do not think so now so I'll have to message that to them more and more throughout the year.
2. The amount of teamwork I've seen from the writing process.  Many of my higher level students have be willing to assist my low students, including those with IEPS, throughout the writing process which is great to see.  First, it is good because these students are teaching the  content which will only further cement their knowledge on the content and in their own writing skills.  Second, the low students benefit because I do not have enough time to assist all my students in a single class period.  The only drawback is that I hope all of my students can eventually complete the writing process without having assistance, but for now the student teaching seems to be beneficial for all parties involved.
3. Once you've prepped your DBQ, then the actual daily lesson planning time is reduced drastically.  DBQs take a lot of work on the front end actually making them, but I've found that I do not have to plan on a nightly basis once the DBQ process is ongoing.  Usually, I'll do direct instruction, about 10 minutes, about a certain writing topic like using transitions and leave the rest of the time for my students to write.  This is great as I do not have to prepare a Powerpoint or other materials that you would use in a traditional lecture.

Challenges:

1. It is hard to do DBQs if students do not complete outside work on them.  I have a chronic issue with students not completing homework in my classroom.  Honestly, I could be doing more to motivate students to get homework done but regardless students aren't putting in the effort outside of school.  I gave my students time to work on every step of the process (answering the questions, creating an outline, working on rough draft) in class with the expectation they finish the rest at home.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of my students have not met this expectation.  That being said, I will just have to give more work time in class for them to complete the DBQ.  It makes no sense for me to simply fail them for the assignment but rather give them the time to produce a well-crafted product.
2. The lack of resources available for my subject matter.  I was fortunate enough to find one DBQ for my seventh grade content but have had enormous trouble finding other good DBQs without having to pay money for them .  I am currently making my second one from scratch which is time consuming.
3.  Grading and providing real-time feedback is challenging.  It is hard to grade twenty papers in fifty minutes.  In fact, it is impossible.  It is challenging to maintain a well-managed classroom while individually conferencing with students.  So far I've been able to conference with all of my students without my classes turning into complete circuses.  However, I can tell that certain students are using the time I conference with others to slack off and cause minor distractions in the classroom.  It a real juggling act trying to maintain class order while providing individual feedback to students in class.

Below is a quick step-by-step process of how I teach DBQs.

Step 1: Give the students a hook or grabber activity.  Just like your students should have a good hook to their introduction paragraph, providing your students a hook to the DBQ could get them excited in the activity.  An interesting activity that requires your students to think about the essay prompt will go far in keeping your students invested.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7TluIw2uWYFM0hycGRDZ3lGYmM/edit?usp=sharing

Step 2: Give students documents and have them answer questions about documents for 1-2 class periods.  I had my students do only three documents rather five or six for their first DBQ.

 

Step 3: Have students dissect the essay question and map out the thesis statement for the essay using bucketing and the chicken foot graphic organizer. Students would take one period.

Step 4: Students work on the outline for their essay. Students would take 1-2 class periods to finish outline.

Step 5: Students use their outline to write their rough draft.  Students take 1 period.

Step 6: Have students do norming activities on how to grade Document based questions.   Have students practice grading document based question essays.  1 class period

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By6N-gE9NSKVMk5aZlRSZDV2S0U/edit?usp=sharing

Step 7: Have students revise rough drafts using the rubric.  Students show papers to teachers to receive feedback.  Students write their final drafts.  1-2 class periods.

Step 8: Teacher moves on to next unit/DBQ/topic but requires students to keep rewriting their DBQs until they score an 80% or higher on it.  Provide students multiple opportunities to pass the DBQ, so they understand that writing is a process.

If you have any ideas or suggestions on how to teach DBQs, please feel free to comment.  This is my first year to teach them so I'm still working my way through it.