Aim: How can we write an effective DBQ essay on the

Middle Ages? Do Now/Motivation: Answer the Practice

Question: Which was a characteristic of Feudalism?

(Characteristic=trait, feature or quality)a.Land was exchanged for military service and

obligations b. Government was provided by a bureaucracy

of civil servantsc. Power rested in the hands of a strong central

governmentd. Unified national court systems were

developed

Answering the Short Answer DBQ questions

• Today we are focusing on the first two things that must be done when writing a DBQ essay. [Have students see directions]

• Carefully read the document-based question. Consider what you already know about this topic. How would you answer the question if you had no documents to examine?

Copy the following:

• The Dark Ages- referring to the Middle Ages in Europe or the period of History in between ancient and modern times.

• The Age of Feudalism- a loosely organized system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other support to a greater lord.

• The Age of Faith- (1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion

• The Golden Age – a period of great cultural achievement

DBQ’s

• Now, read each document carefully. Underlining key phrases and words that address the document-based question. You may also wish to use the margin to make brief notes. Answer the questions which follow each document.

• Let’s do # 1 together…

Thesis Statement

• Before you can actually go and write your essay, you need to be clear about the following:

• What is a thesis statement? Document-based questions often ask for the main idea of a passage or cartoon. Sometimes they ask you to identify an accurate statement or the statement best supported by the data. They may also ask you to choose the valid conclusion drawn from the documents.

• Come up with your own thesis statement. Based on your own knowledge and on the information found in the documents, formulate a thesis that directly answers the question.

• Thesis Statement:• _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Organizing the Documents

• Which documents deal with the different aspects of the Middle Ages? (Separate the documents according to topic)

Dark Age

Age of Faith

Age of Feudalism

Golden

Age

Essay on Thursday in class

• I will provide you with an outline, and you must write the DBQ essay in class Thursday.