Transcript Slide 1

Skills Emphasis
One of the keys to
success in APUSH is
having a strong
vocabulary.
Suggestion: maintain
vocabulary cards and
review them often.
Use Cornell notes
Highlights,
Questions,
Comments,
Vocabulary words,
other
Notes from
PowerPoint
slides &
teacher’s
lecture
Here is the special note
taking code for my
PowerPoint presentations
Any RED writing is key
information, which may be
used on tests. You should
copy it down.
Items in blue represent
background or additional information—
not needed in your notes.
Items in purple or green have been
previously presented. Take notes only if
you have forgotten.
OK. Today we are going to get
right in and discuss the national
A. P. U. S. history test.
80 multiple choice questions
in 55 minutes
3 essays in 2 hours
Document Based Question
Different from A. P. Euro
Two free response
questions
This test is harder than the vast majority of tests you
will take in college. I’m going to spend from now
until the first week of May preparing you.
OK, we’re going
to start by
discussing the
free response
question.
Two essays, each with a choice from 2 prompts
1.
2.
3.
4.
READ (and reread) the prompt
Make an outline
Make a comprehensive thesis statement
Develop the thesis with substantial and
relevant historical information
5. Perform an in depth analysis of relevant facts
6. Ensure good organization, legible penmanship, and correct grammar
Thesis statements should:
1. Be your first paragraph
2. Be lengthy—tell the reader what you are
going to tell him/her in the essay body
3. Be clear and ensure the thesis statement
is well-developed
4. It is the most important part of the essay—
the essay body reflects the thesis statement
5. This is not an English Language Arts essay—
forget the hook and get to the point. History
writing is different from ELA writing.
On another presentation, which is
also linked to my website, I’ll now
go over examples of essays for
Question 5 from last year’s exam.
We’ll look at everything from a 1
to a 9.
Now let’s see what you have learned. Respond
to the following prompt in an essay: Evaluate
the significance of your summer work topic to
American history.
So now having briefly discussed
free response questions, let’s talk
about the Document Based
Question. The DBQ is one
assessment where you will have to
use both your knowledge of history
and also analyze documents.
When you take a DBQ test, in
about 20 minutes you must analyze
about 9 documents (that’s 2
minutes per document) then comment on them in your
essay AND weave into your discussion outside historical
facts that we have learned in our study of a given era or
topic. So in the next few slides, I’ll use some materials
to give you tips on how to analyze various historical
sources.
Bias or perspective
 Most evidence that historians analyze is biased in
one way or another. It represents a certain
perspective from one person or a group. Historians
use the following guidelines when reviewing
evidence from the past:
 Every piece of evidence and every source must be
read or viewed skeptically and critically.
 Evidence should not be taken at face value. The
author’s point of view must be considered. (DBQ
Key)
 Each piece of evidence and source must be
crosschecked and compared with related sources.
How to Analyze a Text
What type of document is this? Is it a letter, an official
proclamation, a private diary entry, an advertisement, or
perhaps a coded message?
How to Analyze a Text
1. Why do you think the document was
written?
2. What evidence in the document helps you
know why it was written?
3. Is there a bias or certain perspective that
the author is writing from?
How to Analyze a Photograph
Study the photograph for
several minutes and write down
everything that you think is
important. Then divide the
image into quadrants (4
sections) and detail the
important elements from
each section.
How to Analyze a Photograph





What is the subject of the photograph? What does
the photograph reveal about its subject?
What is the setting for the photograph?
What other details do you observe?
When and where in the past do you think the
photograph was taken? How can you tell?
How would you describe the photographer's point of
view?
How to Analyze a Political Cartoon
Political cartoons use
symbols and hyperbole
(exaggeration) to make
a point. Here are some
helpful tips for analyzing
a political cartoon:
How to Analyze a Political Cartoon
1. List the objects, people or symbols you see
in the cartoon.
2. What do you think each symbol means?
3. Describe the action taking place in the
cartoon.
4. Are there words? Do they help to clarify the
cartoon’s symbols?
5. In your opinion, what is the message of the
cartoon? Do you think others will interpret it
differently?
How to Analyze a Historical Map
Maps are symbolic representations of places set in
relation to one another. All maps necessarily include
some details and leave out others. Next time you look
at a map ask yourself the following questions:
How to Analyze a Historical Map
1. When and where was the map produced?
2. What details has the map-maker chosen to
include (or exclude) in order to complete
this representation?
3. Why do you think the map was drawn?
After you have analyzed your
documents, you must write a strong
essay. DBQ writing differs
somewhat from FRQ writing. So
here goes.
First off, READ and reread the
prompt.
Next, BEFORE YOU READ
ANY OF THE DOCUMENTS,
make an outline based on your knowledge of the topic.
Then analyze the documents—take the extra time; don’t
worry if you go 5-minutes into your writing time. This
technique will keep you from simply discussing the
documents—remember, OUTSIDE HISTORY IS KEY!
1. Make a comprehensive thesis statement
2. Develop the thesis with substantial and
relevant historical information
3. Perform an in depth analysis of relevant facts
4. In the essay, be sure to bring in several
pieces of outside history—facts about the
topic not contained in the documents (KEY!!!)
5. Use documents to reinforce key points you
make in your thesis and LIMIT QUOTES—do
NOT simply go document-to-document
6. Ensure good organization, legible penmanship, and correct grammar
Thesis statements should:
1. Be your first paragraph
2. Be lengthy—tell the reader what you are
going to tell him/her in the essay body
3. Be clear and ensure the thesis statement
is well-developed
4. It is the most important part of the essay—
the essay body reflects the thesis statement
5. This is not an English Language Arts essay—
forget the hook and get to the point. History
writing is different from ELA writing.
Now we’ll look at the 2011 DBQ
We won’t worry about the 0-1 essay,
because we don’t think about failure!
On another presentation, which is
also linked to my website, I’ll now
go over examples of DBQ
responses from the 2011 exam.
We’ll look at everything from a 0
to a 9.
You will take your first DBQ test after the
Chapter 3 test—two days of tests—Day 1 will
be multiple choice questions and Day 2 will be
the DBQ. Tons of fun!
Thesis statements should be extensive
and comprehensive:
• state your case up front
• tell the reader what you are going to
tell him/her in the body of the paper
Its vs. it’s
its=possessive; it’s=“it is” contraction
Led = past tense of “to lead”
Use active voice NOT passive voice
Passive: “John was given a high grade
by Mr. Simoncini.”
Active: “Mr. Simoncini gave John a
high grade.”
Passive: “Iraq was attacked by the U.S.”
Active: “The U.S. attacked Iraq.”
Always place the actor at the front.
This/that/these/those
DO NOT use the above terms as
stand alone nouns.
“This was due to a conflict in
Eastern Asia.”
Use the above words as adjectives.
“This situation evolved as a result of
a conflict in Eastern Asia.”
This/that/these/those
“This” and “these” imply things
close by in terms of time or
distance. Therefore those terms
should not be used when referring
to the past or to things in the
distance.
“That” and “those” imply things
far away in terms of time or
distance.
Avoid paragraphs that are too long.
When referring to people in a formal
history paper, you should refer to
them by their family name. You may
also use a title (President Lincoln);
but avoid simply referring to a person
by only their given (or first) name.
One exception may be when you are
discussing two people with the same
last name; but try to find work-arounds
in those cases.
The first time that you discuss a person
in a paper, you should include the
full name and title (Lieutenant Colonel
Peter Simoncini). After you
have introduced the individual, you
may refer to him/her by simply their
last name in the remainder of the
paper.
“The game was close, which made it
exciting.”
45=forty-five; 63=sixty-three
Except for “its,” possessives require
apostrophes (the dog’s bone)
Place punctuation INSIDE close quotes
(Bob said, “That was a fun time.”)
When you use an acronym, except for
those that are VERY common (USA),
you should write it out first, then show
the acronym parenthetically.
Subsequently, you may use simply the
acronym. [Oakdale High School (OHS)]
In the body of the paper, document
EVERYTHING that you have obtained
from an outside source EVEN IF YOU
DO NOT QUOTE IT. Use parenthetical
citations.
Avoid superlatives—all, everyone, etc.—
if you use a superlative be certain that
it is true: i.e. “all men are created equal.”
This one is the pet peeve
of pet peeves.