Same Social studies › Writing about history › DBQs: document-based questions
What is a DBQ?
A DBQ gives students a question and a packet of short documents: excerpts, maps, charts, photos. Kids read and analyze each one, sort them into groups that support different reasons, write a thesis, and use the documents as evidence in an essay. It's a full historian's task in one assignment.
- One question, several documents.
- Analyze and group the documents by reason.
- Thesis + evidence: the essay cites the documents.
Why schools teach it
It brings every skill together
Students cite evidence from primary and secondary sources (RH.6-8.1), draw evidence from texts to support analysis (WHST.6-8.9) and write arguments (WHST.6-8.1). A DBQ uses all of them at once, which is why many middle schools assign one each unit.
DBQs prepare kids for high school AP history exams, where the DBQ is a major part of the score.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
What is the question really asking?
Underline the key wordsWhat does each document say, in one sentence?
Which documents go together?
Group themWhat's your thesis, and which documents prove each part?
Skip this
- Writing before reading all the documents.Analyze every document first.
- Listing documents one by one.Group them by reason; each body paragraph is one reason.
- Quoting whole documents.Use a short quote or a specific fact.
See it in action
Planning “Why did the colonists declare independence?”
Analyze
Doc A: Declaration lists taxes without consent · Doc B: Patrick Henry calls for liberty · Doc C: Stamp Act taxed paper goodsGroup and thesis
Colonists declared independence because of unfair taxes (A, C) and a desire for liberty (A, B).Write
One body paragraph per reason, each citing at least two documents
Many schools use the Mini-Q format, with fewer documents for younger students.
Free practice sheet
Make a DBQ planning sheet
Loading practice sheet…
Fridge cheat sheets
Social Studies Fridge Cheat Sheets
Every social studies method in one printable book (57 pages): a cheat sheet page like this guide, plus a practice sheet and its answer key for each, in Classic and handwritten Notebook styles. $8 one time, or all 7 subjects for $29.99. See all prices.
Teacher? This method has a classroom pack on TeachersPayTeachers: an anchor chart, a parent letter and practice sheets with answer keys, $4. See the pack
Parents: tell your child's teacher about this guide
Parents also ask
What does DBQ stand for?
Document-Based Question.
How long is a DBQ essay in middle school?
Often four or five paragraphs: introduction with thesis, two or three body paragraphs, conclusion.
What is a Mini-Q?
A shorter DBQ format, made by the DBQ Project, used in many middle schools.
Do kids need outside knowledge?
Some, from class. Using facts not in the documents can earn extra credit.