So, what's the format of this new exam? Let's start with #APWorld.

You get 45 minutes to knock out a DBQ with five documents. Sound good!?

No, of course not. It sounds crappy. I was expecting (as with pretty much every other teacher I know) three SAQs just like the normal format. That would make sense, right? But, here we are.

How are you gonna do this so that you pass and receive college credit?

You're gonna attack this fast and with purpose, just like when we write in class. You're gonna know the documents, respond to the prompt, contextualize, use the docs for your thesis, provide outside evidence, and show complex understanding.

At least one of the documents will be a visual, so good thing we have plenty of recent practice with those. It's also great that we've done a huge amount of document analysis in class with "source the source" and primary analyses like with Spanish Silver.

Remember: You USE the evidence from the documents to support your thesis. You don't quote because this isn't 4th grade. Refer to the docs by author or title, explain their significance, and always connect them to your thesis. That's the whole point.

Your thesis has to be responsive to the prompt and something that's provable. It is a historically defensible claim. It's one sentence that tells the reader the point you're going to make, and then you use the documents to support that point.

Contextualization is you setting the stage. It's your describing what the heck is going on (WTHIGO) before or during the prompt. You are getting the reader to the prompt, describing what allows that prompt to exist in the first place.

Remember our Star Wars analogy.

We have learned so much this year that you all shouldn't have a problem contextualizing. No matter what the topic is (location, time, people group, theme, etc.), you know something about those to get the reader to the fact that the prompt can even exist.

Now for the docs:
"The author suggests..."
"According to the text..."
"Based on the document..."

Simple ways to introduce the documents to the reader. From there, you don't quote; you describe the document. Because you can't quote the image, you don't quote the texts.

To get historical situation:
"During this time..."

Audience:
"This was aimed at..."

POV:
"The author believed..."
"Considering the author was (a)..."

Purpose:
"The author's intention..."
"The reason for this is..."

For outside evidence, you all have a WEALTH of knowledge from this year. PUSH something in. PUSH multiple somethings in.

Remember, you are PULLING from the documents and PUSHING in something of your own.

The complex understanding point is the hardest, but I have told you all year maybe the easiest way to get it is to synthesize. You can do it other ways, but comparison is an easy skill, so I go with that.

What are some things you've enjoyed this year? Compare the prompt to that.

Here's the fun part: None of this thread is new information. We have practiced writing and document analysis ALL. YEAR. LONG. Portuguese and Railroad DBQs, countless documents, Writing Wednesdays!!!

We are prepared. There are going to many students who aren't; you are not them.