Thesis: Presents a thesis that makes a historically defensible claim
and responds to all parts of the question (does more than re-state) (1 point/ 14 percentage scaled score points) Cause and effect prompts require specific evidence cited in the thesis statement A thesis statement formatted as social, political and economic causes will NOT count as a thesis statement Argument: Develops and supports a cohesive argument [typically supporting the thesis, if present] that recognizes and accounts for historical complexity by explicitly illustrating relationships among historical evidence such as contradiction, corroboration, and/or qualification. (2 points/ 28 percentage scaled score points) Must be maintained and supported/ defended throughout the essay Topic sentence (mini-thesis statement) for each body paragraph Use DBQ docs as evidence o Strategies (1 point/ 14 percentage scaled score points) Use documents to support thesis NO paraphrasing the docs NO qoutoing No laundry list of docs Use 7 of the docs (6 is required + 1 back up) o Skills (1 point/ 14 percentage scaled score points) Must use at least 1 historical thinking skill (purpose, historical context,, point of view, or audience) Contextualization: Situates the argument by explaining the broader historical context that is immediately relevant to the question (2-3 sentences). Some prompts will only accept context that is within the time frame of the prompt (although for some prompts, the period immediately before may be appropriate). (1 point/ 14 percentage scaled score points)
2-3 sentences of context that is not specifically mentioned in the documents
provided
Evidence beyond the documents: Provides an example or additional
piece of SPECIFIC evidence beyond those found in the documents to support or qualify the argument. (1 point/ 14 percentage scaled score points) o Must be distinct from evidence used to earn other points o Must be more than a mere phrase or reference. Better safe than sorry! Its a good idea to encourage students to use at least TWO pieces of evidence.
Synthesis: Extends the argument by explaining the connections
between the argument and a similar development in a different historical period or geographical area. (1 point/ 14 percentage scaled score points) Basically, take the argument beyond the prompts time frame and/or geographical area. A student may also bring in a course theme and/or approach to history that is not the focus of the essay (political, social, etc.) to get the synthesis point, but this approach is less common than time/place synthesis