AP WORLD HISTORY MODERN

(SECONDARY)

SELECTIVE UNIT 4 (S04)

(Create a Document Based Question)
(July 2019)

Unit Statement: One of the most important skills that students will leave the history course of
study with is the ability to analyze historical documents to draw conclusions about periods across
time and place. By examining history through documents, students gain a wider, more accurate
perspective and understanding. Important to the examination of primary source documents is the
consideration of the speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject and tone of a historical piece.
SOAPSTONE is an acronym that is taught to students in the AP courses as it acts as a tool or
method for students to use to dissect documents. Building on that skill, in this unit the student
will use what they have learned about the analysis of documents by creating a document-based
question of their own. Along with the development, research, and creation of a DBQ they will
also respond to document-based questions created by their classmates.

Essential Outcomes: (must be assessed for mastery)

1. The Student Will brainstorm several significant events from the periods in AP World
History.
2. TSW select an event and pose several (5-6) significant questions related to it.
3. TSW identify one of the questions and develop possible approaches to answering the
question.
4. TSW select 5-7 documents that illustrate some aspect of the event, add insight or outside
information to the issue, or challenge or call into question traditional or usual
interpretations about the event.
5. TSW annotate the documents chosen for the DBQ.
6. TSW design and properly format the DBQ.
7. TSW develop a written response to a DBQ created by a classmate.

Key Terms and Concepts:

DBQ Annotate Primary Source
Secondary Source POV Bias

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AP WORLD HISTORY SEC S04
Copyright © 1988-2019
Suggested Materials: (provided by school)
• Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, publisher: McGraw Hill,
2007 by Jerry Bentley and Herbert Ziegler.
• 1200 Update Ways of the World, publisher: Bedford St. Martins 2019 by Robert W.
Strayer and Eric W. Nelson
• Documents in World History: The Human Record: Volume I and II
Additional Resources:
AP Course Review Books:

• Cracking the AP World History: Modern Exam 2020 Edition (available in November
2019)
• AMSCO® Advanced Placement® World History: Modern. Perfection Learning Corp,
2019.

Suggested Activities:
• SOAPSTONE: This method is used to analyze documents. There are many teacher
created worksheets available online or you can make your own. The pneumonic device
represents: Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject and Tone.
• Critique Reasoning: Through collaborative discussion, students critique the arguments
of others, questioning the author’s perspective, evidence presented, and reasoning behind
the argument.
• Fast write prompts should be completed under given time constraints like the Free
Response questions on the AP exam.
• DBQ: 15-minute reading time and 45-minute writing time
• LEQ: 40 minutes
• Self/Peer Revision: Have students perform self- and peer revisions of their practice
document-based and long essay questions so that they have the opportunity to review and
revise their practice claims, supporting evidence, sourcing, and analysis and reasoning.

Technology Links:
• Destiny Discover (see Librarian) Use this search engine to find age-appropriate websites
that align with your unit.
• Internet History Sourcebook: Fordham University has catalogued primary source
documents available for use by history teachers and students. All of the sources needed
for this unit can be found here: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/index.asp
• World History Archives: This website offers documents to support the study of world
history. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/

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AP WORLD HISTORY SEC S04
Copyright © 1988-2019
 • SOAPSTONE: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/resources/soapstone-strategy-
reading-and-writing

Suggested Assessment Tools and Strategies:

• Teachers should remember that even at the ‘B’ level, students are expected to be able
to produce work independently or display engagement with the material. Copying a
list or definition from a book should not be considered mastery of a TSW. To display
mastery at the ‘A’ level, the student is expected to exhibit higher order thinking skills.
The student must independently assess, evaluate, interpret, or infer, rather than repeat
a memorized response.
• Attached rubric or teacher-generated rubric that assesses ALL essential outcomes
(TSWs). An effective rubric is presented and discussed with the student at the
beginning of the unit, referred to throughout the unit, and used to assess at the end.
Students will collaborate with peers and the teacher to assess mastery of the
unit with final judgment by the teacher.

RUBRIC FOUND ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES…. …. …. …. ….

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AP WORLD HISTORY SEC S04
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 AP WORLD HISTORY: MODERN
Suggested Rubric S04: Create a Document Based Question
Name______________________________ Class _____________Date______________________
• All TSWs must be mastered for a ‘B’.
• 2 of 3 ‘A’ level TSWs should be met to receive an ‘A’.
TSW- B level A level Comments
1) I can brainstorm several
significant events from the
periods in AP World History.
2) I can select an event and
pose several (5-6) significant
questions related to it.
3) I can identify one of the
questions and develop possible
approaches to answering the
question.
4) I can select 5-7 documents My DBQ includes documents
that illustrate some aspect of that are varied; including maps,
the event, add insight or images, and data along with
outside information to the written sources.
issue, or challenge or call into
question traditional or usual
interpretations about the event.
5) I can annotate the My annotations consider
documents chosen for the important elements introduced in
DBQ. the “SOAPSTONE” pneumonic
for all the documents.
6) I can design and properly
format the DBQ.
7) I can develop a written My written response is highly
response to a DBQ created by analytical and uses all the
a classmate. documents effectively.

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AP WORLD HISTORY SEC S04
Copyright © 1988-2019