DBQ Online Support Series -February

February 2025

DBQ Online Teaching Tips & Strategies

Summarizing the Background Essay

As part of our 6-Step Method, we encourage teachers to have students write a 2-3 sentence summary of the Background Essay (BGE). This supports reading comprehension, retention, and helps break down the essay-writing process. Specifically, students can use their summary as a lead-in to their thesis statement in the introduction.

However, summarizing can be challenging. Students may struggle with cognitive overload, identifying main ideas, or being concise. Below are effective strategies to scaffold the summary process.

During the Reading: Chunk & Summarize Each Paragraph

Rather than waiting until students finish the entire Background Essay, have them pause after each paragraph to create a title or hashtag summary. These annotations can then be used to craft their full summary.

After Reading the BGE: 4 Summarization Strategies

Option 1: Time, Place, Story -- Jamestown example

Time: From 1607 to 1611

Place: Jamestown colony located in modern state of Virginia

Story: 80% of the original settlers died

Option 2: First, Then, Next, Finally -- Reign of Terror example

First: Louis XVI called the Estates General to help solve the country’s financial problems

Then: Members of the Estates General demanded more radical change

Next: Revolution broke out

Finally: the country entered an extremely violent period known as The Reign of Terror

Option 3: 5 W’s and H -- Alexander the Great example

Who: Alexander of Macedonia

What: created a great empire

Where: Asia Minor, the Mediterranean, Egypt, Central Asia, and India

When: 336 BCE to 323 BCE

Why: ambition and material gain

How: military conquest

Option 4: Somebody Wanted But So Then -- Trail of Tears example

Somebody: American settlers

Wanted: land

But: the land belonged to the Cherokee people

So: the US government forced the Cherokee to move

Then: about 4,000 Cherokee died during the forced migration

📝 Why Do Students Love DBQ Online? 📝

Jackie, a student from OKC, initially thought DBQ assignments were just answering questions but later realized they formed the foundation for an essay. The process helped her analyze, gather evidence, and stay organized—skills she now applies in English and science.

Hear all about it below!

Fun, Quick Survey

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February DBQ/Mini-Q Unit Spotlights

Celebrating Black History Month

How Did Abolitionists Make the Case Against Slavery?

Slavery was part of American life for more than two hundred years. Ridding the country of slavery was a hard-fought battle. This Mini-Q asks you to examine the ways that abolitionists, the people who worked to end slavery, tried to convince others that slavery must be stopped.

Binders: Mini-Qs in Literature Volume 2 & 3

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X: Which Strategies Made the Most Sense for America in the 1960s?

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s resulted in America’s biggest social revolution since the Civil War. The movement was grassroots and reached across the entire country. Two remarkable men, both quite young, and not always in agreement, became the clearest voices in the movement. These two men were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. In this Mini-Q you will consider the thoughts of both individuals. The documents are short but the ideas are large.

Binders: Mini-Qs in Georgia History & Document Based Questions in American History

Harlem Renaissance Poetry: Does High Art or Folk Art Best Express Racial Pride?

Between World War I and the Great Depression, Harlem became a hotspot for African- American artists of all kinds—painters, dancers, musicians, playwrights, and poets. During this time, now known as the Harlem Renaissance, a debate sprang up between two camps as to how to best express racial pride. This Mini-Q asks you to read poetry from this period and join the debate.

Binder: Mini-Qs in Literature - Volume 1

Class, Gender, and Race in To Kill a Mockingbird: Is Mayella Powerful?

Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is both a heartwarming and heartbreaking story. Included in this story is the tale of Mayella Ewell, a poor, white woman living in a racist Southern community in the 1930s. Your task is to read through the documents in this Mini-Q and assess Mayella’s power.

Binder: Mini-Qs in Literature - Volume 1

What Was Harriet Tubman’s Greatest Achievement?

Harriet Tubman is a true American hero. In this Mini-Q, you will learn about three of her achievements: helping enslaved people escape to the North, leading a Civil War river raid, and caring for those in need. Then you will decide which of these achievements was the greatest.

Binder: Original US Volume 1 Mini-Qs: Units 1-12 & Elementary Mini-Qs - Volume 2

What Were the Underlying Causes of the Tulsa Race Massacre?

On June 1, 1921, a mob of white Tulsans looted and burned the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Many people died, but the majority—more than 300—were African American. At the time and for decades afterward, the events of that terrible night were referred to as the Tulsa Race Riot. In fact, what happened was not a riot but an organized attack on an established African American community. This Mini-Q explores the underlying causes of the massacre.

Binder: New US Volume 2 Mini-Qs: Units 13-27

Be on the Lookout for Women's History Unit Spotlights in Next Month's Newsletter

DBQ Project Workshops & Events

Find DBQ at one of these upcoming conferences:
- Click Here
Participate in our FREE self-paced courses:
- February 11th: Self-Paced Course Launch
- March 11th: Self-Paced Course Launch
- April 8th: Self-Paced Course Launch

Save the Date!

July 9-10: National DBQ Summit in Chicago - registration coming soon!
This Summer: DBQ U - registration coming soon!

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