1. religion and spirituality
2. buddhism

How to EBQ
2004 EBQ: Responses to Buddhism in China
Name ________________________
June 23, 2013
Bill Strickland
East Grand Rapids High School
East Grand Rapids, MI
bstrickl@egrps.org
Teachers,
Here’s what I use to introduce the DBQ to my students. (Note: While this question is officially titled the
DBQ: Document Based Question, I refer to it as an “Evidence Based Question” as most of the tasks
students should do to “documents” are more accurately focused on the evidence in the documents. More
on this later.) Given that the 2004 EBQ (Buddhism in China) is early in the 1st semester, I use it to teach
good evidence analysis skills. This lesson is divided into several sections which I teach over 3-4 class
periods. (I have 58 min classes, 5 days/week)
Note to Teachers: I do NOT recommend that you use ALL of these appendixes with your students, as it
would be simply overwhelming for them. I only use 3-5 of the Appendixes, but usually a different 3-5
each year, reflecting on my interpretation of my students’ needs. I’ve included ever possible resource I
can think of that might help students, but much depends on your students’ background, experience,
strengths and weaknesses.
Section I: General Advice for All Essays.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Section II: The EBQ (Evidence Based Question). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Section III: The Question. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Section IV: The Historical Background.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Section V: Reading and Analyzing the Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Section VI: Pulling It All Together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Section VII: The Thesis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Section VIII: The Additional Evidence Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Appendix A: The “Shoe Activity”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Appendix B: Suggested Generic EBQ Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Appendix C: “Bias” Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Appendix D: “Must Do’s” for Essay Rubrics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Appendix E: Instead of “Said”.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Appendix F: “Using” Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Appendix G: Frequent EBQ Mistakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Appendix H: “Power Writing” for EBQs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
ii
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
“How to EBQ” Classroom Calendar
Note: I see my students on a “traditional” schedule, 58 minutes/day, 5 days/week.
Day
Homework to complete before class
1
•
•
•
•
2
• Sect. V: Reading & Analyzing the
Evidence Sources
By the end students should understand “what” the
individual sources say and how they (individually)
relate to the question.
3
• Sect VI: Pulling It All Together
• Sect VII: Thesis
• Sect VIII: Additional Evidence
By the end of this hour students should: understand
how the Evidence Sources collectively/cumulatively
contribute to the question.2
• Sample Essays A & B. (& Annotated
versions) Students should read & give
a preliminary score to both Samples.
Lead students through scoring these two sample
essays. Once they have personal experience reading
& scoring essays they understand how to write an
essay far better.
4
Sect. I: General Advice for all Essays
Sect. II: the EBQ1
Sect. III: The Question
Sect. IV: Historical Background
Class activity
Lead the whole class activity through a careful
reading & analysis of the Question, Historical
Background paragraph, and each of the 6 sources.
5
Write EBQ Essay in Class
I give them the whole class hour to write an actual EBQ on this very question. Given that
they’ve spent three full days analyzing the question and the Sources they have no excuse for not
writing a great essay. Obviously that doesn’t always happen, but it encourages good writing
habits from the very beginning of the year, rather than spending months breaking them of bad
habits.
6
[Many days later, after I grade their EBQs]
Students pick one body paragraph to rewrite. Students type their original paragraph and then
type a “new & improved” version correcting any mistakes I indicated. The new paragraph must
have a clear topic sentence, relevant evidence from $2 Sources, a valid POV/Context statement, and a valid Additional Evidence Sources. See Appendix B: Generic EBQ Structure on
p. 27 and Appendix H: Power Writing on p. 40.
1
This is entirely optional. The “General Advice” section is really just background material that gives
students the larger context for how the EBQ fits into the AP exam, as well as introducing the EBQ Generic Rubric.
In my own classroom, I don’t assign these pages now because my students have already read this information in
previous weeks.
2
As the old “Acorn Book” used to say, “the fullest understanding of any particular Source emerges only
when that Source is viewed in the wider context of [all the Sources].” Students often forget how the Sources relate to
each other.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
iii
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Section I: General Advice for All Essays
On the day of the national exam, you first answer 70 multiple choice questions in 55 minutes. You’ll
then have a 5-10 minutes break before starting the Essay section. Below is a table summarizing how the
Essay Section fits into the overall exam.
Section
Multiple
Choice
Weight
50%
Free Response (Essay)
# of
Questions
70
Time
Allowed
55 minutes
Suggested
Pace
~ 45 seconds
per question
10 Min Break
50%
16.67%
16.67%
16.67%
EBQ
Evidence Based
Question
CCOT
Continuity &
Change Over Time
Comparative
(Compare and
Contrast)
10 minute mandatory reading/planning period,
then 120 self-budgeted minutes to write all 3 essays.
40-45 minutes
35-40 minutes
35-40 minutes
Mandatory Reading Period
When the Essay section begins, you’ll receive a green booklet containing all three essays. You have 10
minutes to read all the questions, including the Sources for the EBQ, take notes, and begin to plan your
essays. You are NOT allowed to begin writing the actual essays during these 10 minutes. Note: You can
(& probably should) take MORE than 10 minutes, though probably no more than 20 minutes total during
the exam period. After 10 minutes you’ll be given a pink booklet with blank lined pages on which to
write your essays.
Big Mistake #1: Wasting 10 min Reading/Planning Period
One of the biggest mistakes students make during the AP Exam is not using the 10-min
mandatory reading/planning period to plan and outline their essays. Too often students
simply stare into space, think about what they’re going to do after school, etc. The time
is a great opportunity to:
1. brainstorm evidence
2. write an outline of your essays’ paragraph structure
3. write a 1st draft of your essays’ theses.
As the next two hours unfold, you can then look back over your notes and outline to
make sure you write as good an essay as possible.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
iv
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Maximizing your Score
IF you
Plan More, you CAN Write Less3
You do not have to write the EBQ first. You can write the essays in any order. There’s no “trick” for
which to write first, last, etc. Also note that while the exam proctor will remind you during the writing
time that “you have x minutes remaining,” you can spend as much or as little time as you want on each
essay, so you’ll need to be self-disciplined in order to write three high-quality essays in the time allowed.
Maximizing your Score
Each point on an Essay is worth more than 2.5 Multiple Choice questions!4
Core Scoring
Next, realize that APWH essays are graded according to a rubric. The rubric for each type of essay is
slightly different, but all three essays’ rubrics require the essay to satisfy 5-6 “Core” characteristics.
If, and only if, all of these “Core” characteristics are satisfied, then the essay is eligible for “Expanded
Core” (extra credit) points. The “Expanded Core” categories are basically just the same as the Core
categories, but require a higher quality of performance. The Rubrics are structured this way to encourage
students to write well-rounded essays. On a practical level this means it is crucial to know what the
“Core” characteristics are so that one can satisfy all the “Core” requirements, as well as then possibly
earning “Expanded Core” points. The “Core” characteristics are worth 7 points, while the Expanded
Core is worth 2 additional points. Thus, the maximum possible score for each essay is 9.
Asset Model
One last thing to note is that the scoring of the essays is done on an “asset model.” That is, the scorers
want to give you every point that you deserve and are looking for every opportunity to do so. What this
means, practically speaking, is that they will read over your errors rather than remove points. So, be
daring and do everything that is required and more. Do not let fear of errors hold you back to a timid
standard on the AP World History essays. Study the rubrics in this section so that you know what is
scored on each essay.
3
Great advice from Chirs Wolfe, Bellermine College Prep, San Jose, CA.
4
Actually, each essay point is worth 2.59 multiple choice questions.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
v
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Section II: The EBQ (Evidence Based Question)
Purpose of the EBQ
The purpose of the EBQ is to test students’ ability to do what professional historians actually do: use and
interpret historical Sources to make conclusions based on those Sources. It is NOT a test of students’
prior knowledge. You’re not expected to know anything about the topic before the exam, but rather a test
of students’ skills to perform a variety of analytical tasks. Why is this important to realize? When you
first read an EBQ question, you will most likely have absolutely no idea about the topic. Relax! That’s
normal. No one is expected to know anything about the topic. That’s what makes an EBQ a “level
playing field.” No one has any advantage over anyone else.
Maximizing your Score
Don’t panic when you read the EBQ Question! You’re not expected to know anything
about the topic. The purpose of the EBQ is to test your skills, not your knowledge.
The EBQ Rubric
Official Description
Points
Shorthand Description
1
Thesis
Addresses all of the Evidence Sources and demonstrates
(a correct) understanding of all or all but one.
1
Meaning
of Sources
Supports thesis with appropriate evidence from all or
all but one Source.
2
1 Has an acceptable Thesis
2
3
Evidence
Supports thesis with appropriate evidence
from all but two Sources.
1
4 Analyzes the Context of at least two Sources.
1
Context5
5
Analyzes Sources by grouping them in two or three ways,
depending on the question.
1
Grouping
6
Identifies and explains the need for one type of
appropriate additional Evidence.
1
Additional
Evidence
In addition to the 7 points possible in the Rubric above, students can earn up to two “Expanded Core”
(extra credit) points for doing any of these “Core” tasks exceptionally well. But ALL seven of the “Core”
points must be earned before an essay is eligible for “Expanded Core” credit.
5
The official Generic Rubric uses the term “Point of View,” not Context. I. While totally appropriate, my
own experience in the classroom leads me to use “Context” as my students tend to frequently misinterpret what
“Point of View” is. See p. 9 for more on this issue.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
vi
June 23, 2013
Big Mistake #2: The Purpose of the Rubric = Scoring Guide
not a Writing Guide
The Rubric is meant as a guide for essay Readers to score the essay, not as an outline for
students in how to write the essay. The Rubric lists six characteristics, but that does NOT
mean that students should write the essay in the order of these characteristics. (e.g.
Do NOT write a separate ¶ for “Point of View,” then a “Grouping” ¶, etc.)
Big Mistake #3: The Minimum Requirements of the Rubric
When the Rubric gives a minimum requirement (e.g. “at least two Sources,” or “two or
three ways,” the Teacher chooses the minimum, not the student.6 So how many should
you do? Aim high. A good general rule is the “Rule of 3.” If it says “two or three,”
assume you should give three. If it says, “at least two,” give three because the required
minimum can’t be any lower than two, but could be higher.
6
When the official AP exam is administered in May, the College Board determines the minimum necessary
for each rubric category.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
1
June 23, 2013
Section III: The Question
The Question:
Based on the following Sources, analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism
in China. What additional evidence would you need to evaluate the extent of
Buddhism’s appeal in China?
1. What is the question asking you to do? (What’s the verb in the question? Restate the verb in your
own words.)
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. O.K., now what is the object of the verb? ([verb] what? [verb] where? [verb] when?) Make sure you
focus your essay so that it answers ALL of these “Key Word(s)” characteristics.
What? (the topic)7 _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Where? (the place) ________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
When? (the time) __________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
7
Teachers: Students will be tempted to answer that the topic (the “what”) is “Buddhism.” WRONG! or “the
spread of Buddhism.” also WRONG! The correct topic is “the responses to the spread of Buddhism.” Any essay discussing something other than “the responses to the spread of Buddhism” will be wasted effort, earning few, if any,
points. Students must learn to parse questions and focus on the “key words” that define the question. Hopefully, the
subject of every sentence in their essay will be “the responses to the spread of Buddhism,” rather than “Source #1
says …”
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
2
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Big Mistake #4: Not Answering the Question
THE biggest and most common mistake that students do not …
Answer
the
Question
Seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? “Don’t most students answer the question?,” you may
wonder. Surprisingly, the answer is “No.” Instead of answering the question, students
answer a question related to or similar to the question, or what they wish the question
asked, but not the question that is actually written on the paper. This is a huge “no-no.”
•
One way to help yourself focus on the question is to identify the question’s verb.
Often the verb is “analyze” “Analyze” is DIFFERENT than “summarize.”
Most students merely summarize rather than analyzing.
“Summarize” = “what happened”
•
“Analyze” = “why it happened.”
Another tactic to help yourself answer the question is to break the question into it’s
specific parts. Each question has a what, a where, and a when. Every sentence in your
essays must relate to the question. You must not get off track and talk about a slightly
different where, or a when that you heard a great story about, or a what that you know
a ton of information about. Anything you write that does not “answer the question” is
irrelevant, and will not help your score, no matter how well written or informative.
In this Reader’s experience at least 30% of all the words students write are irrelevant
to the question. Don’t waste your time writing irrelevant information!
Plan MORE, write LESS.
Teachers: Getting students to analyze rather than merely summarize is perhaps one of the greatest
challenges in teaching. My students are so accustomed to summarizing that they unconsciously and
repeatedly slip back into “Book Report” or “Summarization” mode unless they make a deliberate effort
to think at a higher level. I used to be very critical of them for this behavior until I tried to imagine how
I would feel if I were writing an EBQ for the first time. They’ve been instructed to ‘Read and
summarize” for their entire academic career. Now suddenly along comes this crazy AP World History
teacher who says, “I assume you can do those simple tasks. I want you to do something different,
something more challenging. I want you to analyze.” The trouble is that student usually don’t even know
what the verb “analyze” means!
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
3
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Big Mistake #5: Summarizing Sources
The purpose of any essay is to Answer the Question. Too often students’ EBQs sink to a
mere summarization of the Sources. The EBQ is NOT “about the Sources,” it’s just a
“normal” essay question. The Sources are not “the point” of the EBQ. The Sources are
merely raw materials to help students answer the question. See Section VI “Pulling it All
Together” on p. 18 and “Appendix G: Frequent EBQ Mistakes” on p. 34 for more on this
important point.
If your teacher gave you just the EBQ question (“Analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in
China”) but did NOT give you any of the sources, you should be able to answer the question. (assuming
you were given enough time to do the necessary research!) Imagine for a second that’s what your teacher
did. After a month, when you were finally done researching and were ready to begin writing your
research paper, would you write sentences like this?:
In this one book I read blah blah blah. In another book I read about a Chinese Emperor
who said blah blah blah.
Of course not! You’d write an essay where the subject of each sentence would be “a response,” and at
the end of each sentence you’d have a footnote documenting where you found that response just in case
your reader wanted to check it. Each body paragraph would be organized around one specific response to
the spread of Buddhism in China that you found in multiple books.
So do the same thing for an EBQ, except easier. You won’t need to write footnotes. At the end of any
sentence that references information you found in one of the sources, just write “(Source #).” This is a
kind of “quick & easy informal footnote.”
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
4
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Section IV: The Historical Background
The EBQ can be on any topic from any time period and any geographical region. Intimidating, right?
NO! Remember the purpose of the EBQ? (To assess students’ skills at doing what historians do, NOT
whether students know what historians know.) Fight the instinct to panic and show your reader how well
you can read, think, and write!
Big Mistake #6: Historical Background
Too many students don’t realize that the Historical Background paragraph is there to help
them. Don’t ignore the HB information. The exam writers have given it to you for a
reason. Make sure you know how the historical background relates to the question and
how to use the background information to help you write a better essay.
The exam writers know that students need some hints to help them place the EBQ question into the
larger context of “everything” in world history. That’s exactly what the Historical Background is: the
exam writers’ gift to you. It helps by:
•
•
“Jogging your memory,” calming and reassuring you during the high-pressure of the exam.
(“Oh yeah, now I’m beginning to remember when we studied this general topic/era/region.”)
Giving valuable hints that suggest connections you should make in your essay.
Historical Background: Buddhism, founded in India in the sixth century BCE, was brought to
China by the first century C.E., gradually winning converts following the collapse of the Han
dynasty in 220 C.E. Buddhist influence continued to expand for several centuries. Between
220 C.E. and 570 C.E., China experienced a period of political instability and disunity. After
570 C.E., the imperial structure was restored.
1. What theme(s) does the HB’s information relate to? How do those theme(s) relate to the theme of the
question?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. Are there any hints in the HB paragraph that will influence how you read, interpret, and categorize
the Sources? Based on the information in the HB, how are you going to read the Sources any
differently than you would if you hadn’t read the HB? After all, the writers went to some effort to
give this HB information. What use will you make of it?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
5
June 23, 2013
3. Make a timeline of the information in the HB ¶ above.
Info from
HB
Info from
Sources
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
6
June 23, 2013
Section V: Reading and Analyzing the Sources
Source Characteristics
What notes should one take as one reads the Sources? Much of that depends on the question being
asked, but there are several common characteristics in each source that one should look for because any
of these characteristics can influence how a source should be interpreted/analyzed. The acronym
“SOAPSTone” is often useful as a guide for these characteristics.
Subject
What is the main topic of this source?
Occasion
When was this source produced? Was it created for a particular event or occasion, or even
during an era when other, similar sources were produced?
Audience
Who was this source’s intended audience? Was the source written to be read privately by
a specific person (who?), a public announcement, or an official proclamation?
Purpose
Why was this source produced? What was the purpose or motivation of the writer/author
of the source, based on what limited information you have about them? What effect did
the author hope this source would have? What did the author want the reader(s) of this
source to do?
Speaker
Who was the Speaker of this source? Was it an official person representing a government,
or an informal, anonymous individual? Usually a source’s author and speaker are the
same individual, but occasionally they may actually be different. (e.g. a speech may be
written by a speech writer, but spoken by a government official)
Tone
Is there any apparent tone or “voice” in this source that would influence one’s
interpretation? Is it filled with any apparent emotion? (e.g. sarcasm, exuberance, anger,
disdain, admiration, etc.) Underline any unusual vocabulary in the source that serves as a
clue to this interpretation.8
Additional Evidence Source
After you read a source, you’ll be able to use information in the source to help answer the question, but
no single source contains everything needed to answer the question fully. No matter how much
information a source contains, it will never provide the answer to all parts of the question, and in fact it
will often raise new questions.
So, what kinds of information would you like to have to help answer the question better? You don’t have
to name a specific actual source, but you must do two things with this Additional Evidence Source:
1. Describe the kind of information you’d like to see in an additional source.
2. Explain of how that information would help a historian answer the question more
completely. (“…because it would help” is not an acceptable answer.) What would you do
with such information? What conclusion could you make with “Information x” that you can’t
make now?
We’ll come back to the Additional Evidence Source later in Section VIII on p. 24.
8
These questions are all taken from Ane Lintvedt’s APWH Listserv message, 4/28/2004.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
7
June 23, 2013
Characteristics Shared with Other Sources (aka “Grouping”)
After you’re finished reading all the sources, look back over your SOAPSTone notes written. Do you
notice any characteristics that more than one source share? These characteristics are vitally important to
note because they will become the topic sentences of your essay’s body paragraphs.
Note: You won’t be able to complete this part of analyzing the sources until you finish reading all the
sources. So, after you read each individual source and note that source’s characteristics, go back for a
“2nd pass” at all of the sources and look for characteristics that appear in more than one source. Examples
of the kinds of shared characteristics might (hypothetically) include:
• Buddhism became less popular after imperial structure was restored in 589 C.E. (as seen in
Source #4 by Han Yu and Source #6 by Emperor Wu)
• Government officials frequently tried to influence imperial attitudes toward Buddhism. (as
seen in Source #4 by Han Yu and Source #5 by Zong Mi)
• Chinese often didn’t trust Buddhism because it was “foreign” or “unfamiliar” (as seen in
Source #3 by the Anonymous scholar and Source #4 by Han Yu)
• Chinese often relied on Buddhism to provide a spiritual sanctuary from the cares of everyday
life. (as seen in Source #2 by Zhi Dun or Source #5 by Zong Mi)
Maximizing your Score
Compare sources to each other. For example: Zhi Dun (Source #2) and Zong Mi
(Source #5) were both Buddhist scholars, but Zhi Dun favored Buddhism exclusively,
while Zong Mi spoke favorably about Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism.
Why the difference?
Context (aka “Point of View” or POV)
The purpose of the EBQ is to test students’ ability to do what professional historians actually do. Well,
what do professional historians do? One essential task is to interpret historical sources. History is not
just facts, a large part is also interpretation of facts. This is one area that makes history both fun and
controversial, because different historians interpret identical sources differently.9
So as you read and interpret each source, what clues are there that any particular source means anything
other than the literal words on the paper? Are there any reasons why although a source says “x” it should
be interpreted as meaning something more, less, or different? All the intangible circumstances
surrounding a source that influence how one should interpret that source comprise what is called the
“Context.”
If this concept seems vague or meaningless to you, imagine that two people tell you exactly the same
words. Would you interpret and respond to each person identically, or would you take each person’s
identity into account when you weigh whether to take their words seriously? For instance:
9
This bring up a related point. As long as your interpretation of the sources is plausible, your reader will
never grade your writing according to whether he/she agrees or disagrees with your interpretation of the sources.
It is of course possible to misinterpret sources, which does carry a penalty for Rubric category #2, but as long as you
include all the sources somewhere in your essay and misinterpret no more than one source, you’ll earn full credit for
your interpretation(s).
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
8
June 23, 2013
Source 1
“If you park your car there, you’ll get in trouble,” says your six-year-old sister.
Source 2
“If you park your car there, you’ll get in trouble,” says the police officer.
You’d interpret these two statements very differently, wouldn’t you? Obviously the identity of the source
makes a huge difference in how seriously one interprets the Source. Note, however, that one should not
automatically come to the conclusion that Source 1 is “wrong” while Source 2 is “right.” (Can you think
of any circumstances that might make your sister be correct? Just because she’s six years old doesn’t
mean she’s automatically wrong, it just means that you’d probably want some more information re: the
context of your sister’s comments before you render judgement on her words. After all, she might have
just heard your parent say, “If that car isn’t moved out of the middle of the street [your name] will be
punished!”)
Context is far more subtle than simply labeling Sources as “right” or “wrong.” You have to be very
specific in deciding to what degree a Source should be interpreted about a certain topic. Ultimately
you should be able to place each Source on a spectrum of the Source’s “trustworthiness.”
Value
What characteristics strengthen/enhance
the value of this Source?
Limitations
What characteristics limit/reduce
the value of this Source?
So, how does one interpret the context surrounding a Source? Some common ways are listed below.
(Many are SOAPSTone characteristics with which you’re already familiar.)
1. Who produced this Source? Is this author have any special knowledge about the topic? How
credible is this author? Discuss the author’s gender, age, ethnicity, social status, religion, level of
education, political philosophy, etc.
2. When was this Source produced? What else was happening at that time? Can it be connected with
a significant historical event or era? (Think back to the Historical Background information.) Note
the date of each Source. Was this source created before/after/at the same time as any other
Source?
3. Who was the intended audience? Was the Source written to be read by a specific person? Is it a
public announcement, a private letter to a friend, or an official proclamation?
4. Why was this Source produced? What was the author’s purpose or motivation, based on what
limited information you have about them? What effect did the author hope this Source would
have? What did the author want the reader to do after reading the Source?
5. Is there any apparent tone or “voice” in this Source that would influence one’s interpretation?
Is it filled with any apparent emotion? (e.g. sarcasm, exuberance, anger, disdain, admiration, etc.)
Underline any unusual vocabulary in the Source that serves as a clue to this interpretation.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
9
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
If these questions seem too overwhelming to remember, here’s a simplified way of earning
Context/POV:
Maximizing Your Score: Context/POV
Answer this question re: each Source:
Why did this person create this Source at this time?10
Big Mistake #7: Point of View … “View” or “Opinion”
Too many students misunderstand what a “Point of View is, thinking that “Point of
View” is the same as “View.” (or “Opinion”)
If you’re not sure if you’ve correctly interpreted a source’s Point of View, after you’ve
written a POV statement, try substituting the word “opinion” instead of “point of view.”
Does the sentence still make sense? If yes, then you have NOT done it correctly.
View
POINT of View
The man on the island is excited to see a boat
… because he thinks it will save him.
The man in the boat is excited to see land
… because he thinks it will save him.
Without the “because” clause, there’s no Point of View, only “View.” Even if you write, “The Point of
View of the man on the island is excitement,” you will NOT earn the POV credit. Simply calling
something “Point of View” doesn’t make it a Point of View.
10
Great advice from one of the giants of AP World History, Ane Lintvedt, McDonough School, MD.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
10
June 23, 2013
Big Mistake #8: Misuse of “Bias”
Too many students attempt to interpret the value or limitation of historical sources by using the term
“bias.” While it is entirely legitimate to analyze bias in historical Sources, most students do it so poorly
that it actually hurts their score. (Students think they’ve interpreted more than they really have, and
smugly stop trying to think any deeper.)
The term “bias” can be used effectively, but only IF you answer these 4 questions:
1) The specific topic/issue about which the source/author is biased. (Is the author biased toward
everything?)11
2) In what direction is the Source biased? Remember that bias can be positive and/or negative. Is the
Source/author in favor of a particular issue, or against it? If you just say, “the author is biased,” your
reader won’t know whether the author is biased for or against something.
3) How much bias does the Source contain? Someone can be strongly biased in favor of their favorite
sports team or slightly biased against a political philosophy, etc.
4) Why is the Source (or Source’s author) biased? (Cannot simply repeat a word in the source’s
background info. Bias must “connect” a specific characteristic of the context behind the source to a
specific characteristic in the text of the source.)
11
Here’s a vignette that illustrates this point. Practically every year one of my students uses the term “bias”
in a vague or inappropriate way, such as writing, “Source #3 is biased because the author is British.” When I anonymously quote such an example out loud to the class I immediately declare that I won’t award credit for such a statement. When the students ask, “Why not?” I respond, “Because you’re Sophomores.” There’s usually an awkward
pause, and then one brave student quite understandably asks, “Why does being a Sophomore mean the bias statement
won’t earn any credit for Context/POV?” “Absolutely nothing,” I respond. “What does being British have to do with
being biased? Are all British completely “biased” about everything? Are you saying that all British persons were
never objective or reliable on any topic at any time?” At that point there’s usually a chuckle around the classroom as
my students realize how simplistic and inappropriate the “biased because he’s British,” attempt was, and how much
more specific (and more difficult) truly valid historical interpretation really is.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
11
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Here’s a sample of the kinds of notes one might make when analyzing documents. Note: this is NOT a
realistic example to expect students to do in 10 minutes. This is just an idealized attempt.
SOAPSTone Characteristics
• Subject: life, desire, = sorrow
• Occasion: Buddha’s 1st sermon. He had just
reached enlightenment. Earliest of sources
(by ~800 years)
• Audience: Buddha’s followers
• Purpose: Spiritual enlightenment, answer to
the “meaning of life”
• Speaker: the Buddha [Enlightened One]
• Tone: Spiritual solution to earthly problems
•
•
•
•
Characteristics shared with another Source
Teachings reflected by Zhi Dun (Source #2)
Inspired followers like Zong Mi for centuries,
(Source #5)
Purpose: Persuade reader/listener
Is the cause of all other Sources’ reactions
Source 1
Source: According to Buddhist tradition, “The Four Noble Truths,” the first sermon preached by the
Buddha (563 BCE-483 BCE), India, fifth century BCE.
The First Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of Sorrow. Birth is sorrow, age is sorrow, disease is sorrow,
death is sorrow, contact with the unpleasant is sorrow, separation from the pleasant is sorrow, every wish
unfulfilled is sorrow.
The Second Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Arising of Sorrow, it arises from craving, which leads
to rebirth, which brings delight and passion, and seeks pleasure-the craving for sensual pleasure, the
craving for continued life, and the craving for power.
The Third Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Stopping of Sorrow. It is the complete stopping of that
craving, so that no passion remains, leaving it, being emancipated from it, being released from it, giving
no place to it.
The Fourth Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Way that Leads to the Stopping of Sorrow.
Additional Evidence Source
• How many people agreed with/followed?
• Did political rulers support/resist?
•
•
•
Context/POV
Buddha’s purpose: to teach/inspire
This Source represents the beginning of
Buddhism itself.
Written outside of China, therefore will have
to overcome “fear of foreigners” later by
Chinese.
OK, now it’s your chance to read the actual Sources and take your notes.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Source #1
Source: According to Buddhist tradition, “The Four Noble Truths,” the first sermon preached by the
Buddha (563 BCE-483 BCE), India, fifth century BCE.
The First Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of Sorrow. Birth is sorrow, age is sorrow, disease is sorrow,
death is sorrow, contact with the unpleasant is sorrow, separation from the pleasant is sorrow, every wish
unfulfilled is sorrow.
The Second Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Arising of Sorrow, it arises from craving, which leads
to rebirth, which brings delight and passion, and seeks pleasure-the craving for sensual pleasure, the
craving for continued life, and the craving for power.
The Third Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Stopping of Sorrow. It is the complete stopping of that
craving, so that no passion remains, leaving it, being emancipated from it, being released from it, giving
no place to it.
The Fourth Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Way that Leads to the Stopping of Sorrow.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Source #2
Source: Zhi Dun, Chinese scholar, author, and confidant of Chinese aristocrats and high officials during
the period when northern China was invaded by central Asian steppe nomads, circa 350 CE.
Whosoever in China, in this era of sensual pleasures, serves the Buddha and correctly observes the
commandments, who recites the Buddhist Scriptures, and who furthermore makes a vow to be reborn
without ever abandoning his sincere intention, will at the end of his life, when his soul passes away, be
miraculously transported thither. He will behold the Buddha and be enlightened in his spirit, and then he
will enter Nirvana.*
*Nirvana: the extinction of desire and individual consciousness
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Source #3
Source: Anonymous Chinese scholar, “The Disposition of Error,” China, circa 500 CE.
Question: If Buddhism is the greatest and most venerable of ways, why did the great sages of the past
and Confucius not practice it? In the Confucian Classics no one mentions it. Why, then, do you love the
Way of the Buddha and rejoice in outlandish arts’? Can the writings of the Buddha exceed the Classics
and commentaries and beautify the accomplishments of the sages?
Answer: All written works need not necessarily be the words of Confucius. To compare the sages to the
Buddha would be like comparing a white deer to a unicorn, or a swallow to a phoenix. The records and
teachings of the Confucian classics do not contain everything. Even if the Buddha is not mentioned in
them, what occasion is there for suspicion?
Question: Now of happiness there is none greater than the continuation of one’s line, of unfilial conduct
there is none worse than childlessness. The monks forsake wives and children, reject property and
wealth. Some do not marry all their lives.
Answer: Wives, children, and property are the luxuries of the world, but simple living and inaction are
the wonders of the Way. The monk practices the Way and substitutes that for worldly pleasures. He
accumulates goodness and wisdom in exchange for the joys of having a wife and children.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Source #4
Source: Han Yu, leading Confucian scholar and official at the Tang imperial court, “Memorial on
Buddhism,” 819 CE.
Your servant begs leave to say that Buddhism is no more than a cult of the barbarian peoples spread to
China. It did not exist here in ancient times.
Now I hear that Your Majesty has ordered the community of monks to go to greet the finger bone of the
Buddha [a relic brought to China from India], and that Your Majesty will ascend a tower to watch the
procession as this relic is brought into the palace. If these practices are not stopped, and this relic of the
Buddha is allowed to be carried from one temple to another, there will be those in the crowd who will
cut off their arms and mutilate their flesh in offering, to the Buddha.
Now the Buddha was a man of the barbarians who did not speak Chinese and who wore clothes of a
different fashion. The Buddha’s sayings contain nothing about our ancient kings and the Buddha’s
manner of dress did not conform to our laws; he understood neither the duties that bind sovereign and
subject, nor the affections of father and son. If the Buddha were still alive today and came to our court,
Your Majesty might condescend to receive him, but he would then be escorted to the borders of the
nation, dismissed, and not allowed to delude the masses. How then, when he has long been dead, could
the Buddha’s rotten bones, the foul and unlucky remains of his body, be rightly admitted to the palace?
Confucius said: “Respect ghosts and spirits, but keep them at a distance!” Your servant is deeply
ashamed and begs that this bone from the Buddha be given to the proper authorities to be cast into fire
and water, that this evil be rooted out, and later generations spared this delusion.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Source #5
Source: Zong Mi, a leading Buddhist scholar, favored by the Tang imperial household, essay, “On the
Nature of Man,” early ninth century CE.
Confucius, Laozi and the Buddha were perfect sages. They established their teachings according to the
demands of the age and the needs of various beings. They differ in their approaches in that they
encourage the perfection of good deeds, punish wicked ones, and reward good ones; all three teachings
lead to the creation of an orderly society and for this they must be observed with respect.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Source #6
Source: Tang Emperor Wu, Edict on Buddhism, 845 CE.
We have heard that the Buddha was never spoken of before the Han dynasty; from then on the religion
of idols gradually came to prominence. So in this latter age Buddhism has transmitted its strange ways
and has spread like a luxuriant vine until it has poisoned the customs of our nation. Buddhism has spread
to all the nine provinces of China; each day finds its monks and followers growing more numerous and
its temples more lofty. Buddhism wears out the people’s strength, pilfers their wealth, causes people to
abandon their lords and parents for the company of teachers, and severs man and wife with its monastic
decrees. In destroying law and injuring humankind indeed nothing surpasses this doctrine!
Now if even one man fails to work the fields, someone must go hungry; if one woman does not tend her
silkworms, someone will go cold. At present there are an inestimable number of monks and nuns in the
empire, all of them waiting for the farmers to feed them and the silkworms to clothe them while the
Buddhist public temples and private chapels have reached boundless numbers, sufficient to outshine the
imperial palace itself.
Having thoroughly examined all earlier reports and consulted public opinion on all sides, there no longer
remains the slightest doubt in Our mind that this evil should be eradicated.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
18
June 23, 2013
Section VI: Pulling It All Together
Now that you’ve analyzed all the Sources individually, it’s time to start the fun part of analyzing the
characteristics of each Source and comparing those characteristics across Sources.
Organizing the Evidence
This Characteristic12 appears in these sources
12
as shown by this specific word/phrase
There must be at least 2 sources that share each characteristic, but each group could include more 2
sources. Any characteristic that is present in only 1 source is inadmissable because it is not a characteristic that is
shared by a “group” of sources as required by the rubric.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
19
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Now, look at your characteristics list on the previous page. You may not realize it, but you’ve
just outlined/organized the body paragraphs for your essay! Simply change the titles on
the table’s columns:.
•
•
•
The characteristic in the left column = Paragraph’s topic sentence.
The middle column list of which sources/authors share the characteristic = the Sources/authors to
discuss in that paragraph.
The right column citing the specific words = the specific evidence that supports that paragraph’s
topic.
So take another look at the table on the previous page, this time with different titles for each column.
Outline of My Essay
¶ Topic Sentence
Must be “a response …”
Sources to include
in this ¶
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
Examples to use as evidence that support your
interpretation of the Source.
bstrickl@egrps.org
20
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Below is a “key” to how students could analyze/group the Sources’ evidence. Note: There is no
exhaustively complete “right” way to analyze historical Sources.
Organizing the Evidence - “Key”
This characteristic (a
“response to Buddhism”)
Favoring Buddhism
is shared by these
sources
as shown by this specific word(s) from the
Source. (cite 1-3 words, 5 maximum)
1 Buddha
[All is] Suffering,
“Stopping sorrow”
2 Zhi Dun
“enter nirvana”
“enlightened in his spirit”
“miraculously transported thither”
3 Anonymous Scholar “White deer to a unicorn”“swallow to a phoenix”
“occasion for suspicion” “luxuries of this world”
“accumulate goodness & wisdom”
5 Zong Mi
Anti-Buddhism
After Imperial Structure
Restored
“all perfect sages”
all “encourage good deeds”
“punish wicked”
“reward good”
create “orderly society”
“observe w/ respect”
3 Anonymous Scholar see above
4 Han Yu
“cult of barbarians”
“didn’t speak Chinese”
“rotten” finger bone
“cast into fire & water”
“duties that bind sovereign & subject”
relic
“delude the masses”
“be spared this delusion”
“deeply ashamed”
Confucian relationships
“evil rooted out”
“keep them at a distance”
6 Emperor Wu
“eradicate this evil”
“Luxuriant vine”
“outshine imperial palace”
“destroying law”
“injuring humankind”
“strange ways”
“causes people to abandon their lords”
4 Han Yu
see above
5 Zong Mi
6 Emperor Wu
Before Imperial Structure
Restored
2 Zhi Dun
Buddhist Scholars
2 Zhi Dun
3 Anonymous Scholar
3 Anonymous Scholar
5 Zong Mi
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
21
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Section VII: The Thesis
OK, so now you’ve spent considerable time reading, sifting, and analyzing these Sources. Can you still
remember WHY you did all this work? Oh yeah, it was in order to ANSWER THE QUESTION!
Based on the following sources, analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in China.
•
Your task is to write an essay that answers this question, drawing on all the Sources you’ve read and
analysis you’ve already done. The hardest part is actually coming up with a good thesis statement.
Look back on your notes in the “Organizing the Evidence” table (p. 18)
•
•
How do you interpret the evidence reflected in the Sources?
What do the characteristics that you’ve detected in the Sources add up to?
It is vitally important that you write your thesis after you’ve examined the evidence in the Sources.
Perhaps the greatest mistake you can make is to choose a thesis in a knee-jerk manner when you first
read the question, because then as you read the Sources you will tend to selectively favor only the
evidence that supports your thesis and ignore any evidence that contradicts your thesis. The EBQ is
designed to test your ability to interpret all relevant evidence and develop a thesis that reflects that
evidence. There is no single “right” thesis to any essay question. There is more than enough information
in the Sources that could be interpreted multiple “correct” ways.
To write your thesis before examining all of the evidence is to fail the EBQ before you even start. This is
a fundamental error. Even professional historians struggle to maintain the objectivity when examining
the complexities of all relevant evidence.13
The whole purpose of the EBQ is to test your ability to do what historians actually do: Develop
arguments that are supported by evidence.
13
If you want to see an example of a wannabe-historian who refuses to acknowledge evidence that
contradicts his own interpretation, see PBS’ dvd 1421: The Year China Discoverd America re: Gavin Menzies’
theory that the Chinese admiral Zheng He discovered the Americas approximately 75 years before Columbus. When
When I show the dvd, my students squeal with delight as Menzies interprets various facts in just the right way that
support his interpretations, while conveniently ignoring evidence that obviously and overwhelmingly contradicts his
interpretation. Menzies is the poster-child example of how NOT to be a good historian. See here
(https://drive.google.com/a/egrps.org/?tab=3o#my-drive) for my lesson plan.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
22
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Here’s a guide to the most common mistakes students make when attempting to write a thesis.
Mistake
Example
No Thesis
Thesis not
related to the
question
Pre-writing organization. Read the question, then
plan/outline your response before you begin to write.
Plan More, Write Less
Most Chinese are
Buddhists …
•
•
China has over a
billion people today …
Buddhists like to
meditate …
1
Thesis
How to Fix It
Identify the verb in the question. What is the
question asking you to do?
Identify the “key words” of the question that
specify the topic, location and time period. (The
“What, When, and Where”) Make sure every
sentence in your essay is relevant to the topic,
time, and place that the question asks.
Thesis repeats
or just paraphrases the
question
There were many
responses to the
spread of Buddhism
in China.
Thesis is too
vague
Avoid the “thesis killer” words.14 (very, many,
Buddhism had a large
things, a lot, big, large, huge, etc.)
impact on China.
Mentioning
individual
sources
or
Grouping
Sources
14
Try to “argue” your thesis. Could you take an
“opposite” position? If not, then the thesis isn’t an
acceptable thesis.
Some Chinese rejected This isn’t “wrong” so much as just unnecessary and
Buddhism. (Source #4 a poor use of time. Your reader already knows the
and #6)
Sources. If you eliminated the “Source #4 & #6”
would the sentence be any worse? How will telling
your reader which Sources you’ll use to do x, y, or z
The sources can be
help your score?
grouped in several
ways: Sources #1 &
The Thesis is supposed to be your overall conclu#5 favored Buddhism, sion of all the sources. Mentioning individual
Sources #4 & #6
Sources in the Thesis is too detailed.
opposed Buddhism.
My classroom rule is “Any thesis that contains the words ‘very,’ ‘many,’ ‘things,’ ‘lots,’ ‘stuff,’ ‘ways,’
or ‘really’ is automatically vetoed.” Possibly the hardest skill to learn is the ability to form a sophisticated, complex
thesis. One tactic I’ve learned (from Geri McCarthy of Barrington, RI) is to require students to begin their thesis with
either “While,” “Although,” or “Despite/In spite of.” These words strongly encourage students to formulate a mature
thesis, which in turn helps structure the rest of their essay.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
23
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
OK, now pull together everything you’ve done: your reading & understanding of the Sources; their
content; author’s characteristics; etc. Write your thesis statement. (1-2 sentences)
My Thesis (Argument)
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
The rest of the Thesis Paragraph (How will you prove your Argument?)
Now summarize the main points that you’ll use to support your thesis. (This part of the Thesis Paragraph
should preview the topic sentences of your later body paragraphs.) This takes some time and a lot of
practice to do well, but if you can learn to plan your thesis and outline your essay, it will make the actual
writing TONS easier. By the time your reader finishes the Thesis Paragraph, s/he should know WHAT
your thesis is, and have an idea of HOW what evidence you will use to prove it.
Main Point / Body
#1 ________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Main Point / Body
#2 ________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Main Point / Body
#3 ________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Main Point / Body
#4, etc._____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
24
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Section VIII: The Additional Evidence Source
OK, so you’ve answered the question using the Sources as evidence to support your thesis. The problem
is that there are only a handful of Sources. They can’t possibly represent EVERY conceivable piece of
relevant evidence. Are there any pieces of evidence relevant to the question that AREN’T already
represented in the Sources?
You can add the “Additional Evidence” suggestion at virtually any point in your essay. It’s most
common to add it at the end of the essay, or at the end of the thesis paragraph, but the best essays call for
Additional Evidence in every body paragraph to supplement the evidence supporting that paragraph’s
topic sentence.
“In order to [describe what interpretation/conclusion you’d like to be able to draw] historians
would need [describe what kind of evidence/information desired].”
•
Missing Information /
Additional Evidence
•
•
HOW would this Evidence would help answer the
question more completely?
HOW would an historian use this Evidence?
What CONCLUSION could historians make using this
Evidence that isn’t possible to make now?
Big Mistake #7: Additional Evidence
The most common mistake is that students simply forget to even ask for Additional
Evidence. Even when they do, students don’t explain how/why such Evidence is
necessary. The most common unsuccessful types are:
“It would help to have Evidence from a peasant.” HOW would it help? Same for Evidence
written by a woman, someone from Greenland, etc.
“It would help because there isn’t any Evidence written by a peasant.” Maybe, but …
so what? How/why do you think a peasant’s perspective would help historians answer
the question? This isn’t a “poll” surveying public opinion re: Buddhism. (To use a
ridiculous example: There isn’t any Evidence written by illiterate left-handed giraffes,
either, but I doubt anyone is seriously tempted to request Evidence contributed by an
illiterate left-handed giraffe.
Don’t describe the person the Evidence should come from, describe the Evidence itself,
and what historians might do with such evidence.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
25
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Appendix A: The “Shoe Activity”15
Here’s a simple & easy activity that demonstrates the complexity of good historical analysis. Note: there
are dozens of variations on this lesson, so this is not at all the only way to do this. If you’re serendipitously inspired in the middle of the activity, go with your own intuition.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ask for 3-4 student volunteers, and immediately send them out of the room.
Ask the remaining students to take off one of their shoes.16 (ANY shoe)
Pile all the shoes up into one big heap.
Invite one volunteer back into the room.
Ask them to organize the shoes in 3 or more groups. The only rules for the groups are:
A. The shoes in each group must share a common characteristic.
B. There must be at least 2 shoes in each group.
6. Allow the volunteer a minute to sort the shoes. When he/she is finished, ask them to give a “Name”
to each group of shoes.
7. Repeat steps 4-5-6 above until each volunteer has had the opportunity to participate.
8. Discuss and debrief activity with students.
Variations
1 While volunteers are sorting the shoes into groups, having the rest of the students be absolutely silent
and write down the names of the categories that they perceive each volunteer used.
2 Poll the class as to which volunteer sorted the shoes into the “best” groupings.
3 Instead of giving volunteers no guidance at all, ask them to “Evaluate the wear patterns on the
shoes.” This will reinforce the purpose of this lesson as an analytical tool in a persuasive argument.
Post-activity discussion might ask, “Why did you think this group of shoes had ___ characteristic?”
4 Offer extra credit originality/creativity. Students who can create a category that no other student in
the room thought of get a special reward. To give you an idea of how inspired students can be, here
are some of the nominations my students have suggested:
Common Possible Groupings:
• age of shoe
• athletic shoes (e.g. tennis)
• brand name
• casual
• color
• cost
• formal
• heel (pumps, flats, etc)
• left/right
• size
• toe style (open/closed)
• winter/summer
Sophisticated/Creative Groupings
• age/grade level of shoe owner
• attractiveness of shoe
• attractiveness of shoe’s owner
• gender of shoe’s owner
• motivation of shoe’s owner for wearing (e.g. “He/she was late
for school this morning, which is why he threw on these
clunkers,” or “He/she wanted to impress another person
because they’re trying to ask them out on a date.”)
• popularity (e.g. “This is the shoe to have!”)
• price vs. value (e.g. “You paid how much for those?”)
• relative shoe size (e.g. “Is this shoe bigger, smaller, or the same
size as the volunteer’s?”)
15
I don’t know the proper source to cite for this activity. The first I heard of it was from an APWH Listserv
message, dated 11/3/2003 by Matt Allen of Byram Hills High School.
16
In order to avoid foot odor some teachers substitute Beanie Babies, stuffed animals, etc. for the shoes.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
How to EBQ
26
June 23, 2013
Post-Activity Discussion
There is no single “right” answer that students “should” have used to analyze the shoes. There are a
myriad of legitimate ways to categorize shoes. While this seems obvious to bystanders, I try to remember
that many of my students think that the “goal” of learning how to write essays is to write the one and
only one “correct answer” to the question. Essay writing involves all of AP World History’s Historical
Thinking Skills. The purpose of an essay question is not to see whether students know the right answer,
but to ask them to develop an argument. Historical interpretation is inherently subjective, constantly
evolving and relies on evidence to build a logical argument.
I’ll never forget one of my classes had a particularly enthusiastic group of students who were wonderfully open and non-defensive with each other. At the start of this activity they looked at me like,
“C’mon, how interesting can this be?” and “Why are we wasting our time doing this?” Twenty minutes
later we were all laughing and giving each other a hard time at how they felt that “Chris” didn’t know
the first thing about shoes, so his/her categorization really wasn’t meaningful, but “Mary” was such a
clothes-hound, that her analysis was much more significant.
Also, students should recognize the importance of looking at all the shoes and planning how they want
to organize them before actually doing so. The point is that they should also read all the EBQ’s Sources
before sorting them into appropriate groups, and they should do so before they begin to write their essay.
Caveat
I try to point out an important limitation this activity has: Because shoes are physical objects, one cannot
sort a single shoe into two groups simultaneously. (e.g. “brown” and “left foot”) Historical Sources can
exist in two different analytical categories simultaneously. (e.g. A Source might be “confident” and
“selfish,” and “pro-Buddhism,” and … etc.) This is an important concept to remember when students are
scrambling to organize their essays while trying to remember to include each Source into one of the
groups/paragraphs.
Teaching Tip
The EBQ rubric requires students to address all the Sources, correctly understand all but one Source, and
to analyze the Sources by grouping them in 2 or more groups, depending on the question.” In order to
reinforce this idea that historical Sources/evidence have multiple characteristics, I offer “extra credit”
(worth an 8th or 9th point on the Rubric) to any student who includes at least one Source in more than one
group. This is a great goal for students to “aim” for. It’s NOT something that MOST students can do, but
it is something teachers can use to focus & motivate advanced students.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
27
How to EBQ
June 23, 2013
Appendix B: Suggested Generic EBQ Structure17
Thesis Paragraph
•
•
•
•
Background/Context (Optional. “Where does this question fall in the larger context of history?”)
Thesis Statement
“Forecast/Preview/Road Map” (of later categories of Source Analysis/Groupings)
Additional Evidence Source (Optional)
Body Paragraph #1 (1st Group of Analyzed Doc’s)
• Topic Sentence (what characteristic do these sources share, and how does that support the thesis?
See tables on p. 15-16)
• Evidence Source #1 (what text from source #1 supports the thesis or this paragraph’s topic?)
Analysis of source #1 (see the “SOAPSTone” notes that you took on each Source)
• Evidence Source #2 (what text from source #2 supports the thesis or this paragraph’s topic?)
Analysis of source #2
• Evidence Source #3 (what text from source #3 supports the thesis or this paragraph’s topic?)
Analysis of source #3
• How these sources relate/compare to each other. (The fullest understanding of any individual
Source emerges only when that Source is viewed within the wider context of ALL the Sources.)
• Additional Evidence (Describe what evidence this Source should contain and how/why this
evidence would be useful in better answering the question)
• Conclusion/Transition Sentence
Additional Body Paragraphs as needed
• Check to make sure that all sources are included, with explicit discussion of specific Evidence and
POV analysis from each source.
Conclusion
• Include Additional Source (if not included previously)
• Restatement/Summarization of Thesis
Writing Tip: Avoid any sentence in your
essay that begins, “Source #___ says ‘…’”
This is merely summarizing the Source.
Your teacher/reader already knows that
information better than you do. Your job is
to interpret the information in the sources
to make an argument or draw a conclusion.
17
I don’t really think there is one particular “best” way to structure a EBQ. I include this just because many
of my students say it helps them focus while they’re writing.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix C: “Bias” Rules
“Bias” Rules
If you use “bias”
you must describe the:
1) Topic/Issue
2) Direction
3) Degree
4) Cause
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix D: “Must Do’s” for Essay Rubrics
June 23, 2013
EBQ
Rubric
1
2
Thesis
Source
Meaning
Must Do’s
• Focus on the Question (bull’s eye, the “what,”
“where,” and “when”)
• Be in 1st or last Paragraph
• Address all “PERSIA” topics/categories in the
question. (aka “Answer the Question!”)
• “While, Although, Despite, In spite of ”
• “Road Map” / Preview Body Paragraph Topics
(How will you prove/support your thesis?)
• “Thesis Killer” Words (very, many,
things, lots, stuff, ways)
• Only 1-sentence ¶. (Expand to outline/
preview/forecast your argument in
later ¶s)
• Attempt to understand all Sources. (cannot ignore or
leave out any Source)
• No sentence should discuss “the
source” in the nominative clause.
• “Source #2 says …”
(summarization of source)
• Sentences that begin w/ the word
“Source # …”
• Discussing sources in numerical order.
• Long quotations (2-3, max 5 words)
• Correctly interpret all but one Source
Evidence
• Supports thesis w/ specific evidence (a unique word,
short phrase, or characteristic in/of each Source)
from all or all but 1 source..
4
POV
(Context
Analysis)
• Analyzes POV in at least 2 (preferably 3) sources.
• “SOAPSTone” Author’s motive, intended
audience,
• How does this characteristic change one’s
interpretation of this source?
• Why did THIS person create THIS source at THIS
time?
5
Grouping
(Content
Analysis)
• Group sources by a shared characteristic
• $3 Groups, organized around ¶ Topic Sentence,
e.g. “Gov’t authorities used their power to their
own advantage.” (Doc’s 2, 7, 4)
• Each Paragraph must discuss $2 Sources
6
Add’l
Evidence
• Identify additional evidence/info.
• Explain the need for the additional evidence/info.
What conclusion could you make w/ additional info?
• Ask for 2nd Add’l Source (easy possible 8th point)
3
Should NOT Do’s
• “bias” (without connection to characteristic) e.g. “Source #2 author’s is
biased because he is British.”
• “It would be nice to have evidence
from …” (why would it ‘be nice?’)
• “because none of the sources are from
a peasant/woman” is NOT enough.
Ideal Body Paragraph Template
•
•
•
•
Topic Sentence (what characteristic do these sources share, and how does that support the thesis?)
Evidence Source #1 (what text from source #1 supports this paragraph’s topic/thesis?) POV/Analysis of source #1
Repeat Evidence task for each Source in Paragraph.
How these sources relate/compare to each other. (The fullest understanding of any particular Source emerges only
when that Source is viewed within the wider context of all the Sources.)
• Additional Source (be sure to relate how/why this evidence would be useful in answering question) What info do
none of the sources contain that relates to the question & this paragraph’s topic sentence?
• Conclusion / Transition to next Paragraph.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS
bstrickl@egrps.org
Continuity & Change Over Time (CCOT)
Rubric
Must Do’s
Should NOT Do’s
Be in 1st or last Paragraph
Answer the Question (What, Where, When)
Include 1 Cont. and 1 Change (often part of above)
“While/Although/Despite (A continued), (B changed).”
Include Beginning & Ending Dates of Question
C Thesis “Killer” Words (very,
many, things, lots, stuff, ways)
• (A + B) both
(continued & changed)
1
Thesis
•
•
•
•
•
2
Addresses
Parts of
Question
• Discuss 2 continuities (3 if possible)
• Discuss 2 changes (3 if possible)
• Include beginning of the time period of the question in
your answer. (Changed from what?)
C only changes (no cont’s)
C only continuities (no changes)
3
Evidence
•
•
•
•
C “snapshots”
C “then vs. now” comparisons
(first it was like this, then it
ended up as that.)
4
Global
Context
• Contextualize events “inside” the question to the larger
world historical context “outside” the question.
(“zoom out”)
5
Analysis of
Change/Cont
• Explains reason(s) for a change or continuity. WHY?
because
led to
caused by
due to
affected
impacted
came from
in order to
Give 6 specific examples of evidence (for 2 pts)
Give 3 specific examples of evidence (for 1 pt)
Give dates where possible (“Must Know Dates”)
Examples should explain how change happened, how
early became middle and then became late. Use
active/transitive verbs and adverbs (evolved, morphed,
developed, slowly, quickly, intermittently)
Comparative
Description
1
Thesis
2
Addresses
Parts of
Question
3
Evidence
Must Do’s
•
•
•
•
Be in 1st or last Paragraph
Answer the Question (What, Where, When)
Include 1 Sim & 1 Diff (usually part of above)
“While/Although/Despite (A was sim), (B was diff).”
Direct
Comparison
• (A + B) were both
(similar & different)
• Discuss 2 similarities (3 if possible)
• Discuss 2 differences (3 if possible)
• Give 6 specific examples of evidence (for 2 pts)
• Give 3 specific examples of evidence (for 1 pt)
• Makes at least 1 relevant, direct comparison (“Cue” words:
4
Should NOT Do’s
also, as well, both, shared, in addition, like, similarly, too, however,
on the other hand, conversely, differently, disagree, in contrast, either,
neither, in opposition to, unlike, in contrast to, while)
C Parallel/Indirect Comp’s
(“This happened here. [Period]
That happened there.”)
• Put a comma btwn this & that, here & there.
5
Analysis of
Sim/Diff
• Explains reason(s) for a similarity/difference WHY?
because
led to
caused by
due to
affected
impacted
came from
in order to
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix E: Instead of “Said”
When writing EBQ essays, avoid the verb “said.” (e.g. In Source #2, Zhi Dun said …”)
advised
advocated
alibied
alleged
amplified
announced
answered
apologized
argued
asked
asserted
avowed
babbled
badgered
bantered
bawled
beamed
begged
bellowed
bemoaned
bewailed
blamed
blurted
boasted
bullied
cackled
cajoled
ceded
charged
chattered
chided
cited
claimed
coaxed
commanded
commented
complained
complimented
concluded
confided
confirmed
contended
continued
contradicted
countered
crawled
cried
croaked
crooned
crowed
declared
decreed
decried
demanded
denied
denounced
directed
disclosed
droned
elaborated
enunciated
estimated
exaggerated
exclaimed
expanded
expounded
fantasized
forecast
fretted
fumed
fussed
gasped
gibed
gossiped
granted
greeted
groused
growled
grumbled
harangued
hazarded
hedged
hinted
howled
implied
implored
informed
inquired
insinuated
insisted
Courtesy of Bill Zeigler
instead of
interjected
interrupted
intimated
introduced
jabbered
jeered
joked
jollied
joshed
jubilated
judged
kibitzed
kidded
lamented
lampooned
lashed (out)
lectured
listed
maintained
mimicked
mocked
mumbled
murmured
muttered
nagged
narrated
nattered
negotiated
noted
objected
observed
offered
opined
ordered
panted
pestered
pledged
posed
posited
postulated
pouted
proclaimed
promised
31
protested
pulled
puzzled
quarreled
queried
questioned
quibbled
quoted
raged
raved
recited
reckoned
recollected
remarked
remembered
reminisces
repeated
replied
reported
reproved
requested
resolved
responded
retorted
revealed
rhapsodized
roared
schemed
scoffed
scolded
screamed
screeched
seconded
shouted
shrieked
sighed
sizzled
snapped
snarled
sneered
sniffled
sobbed
spat
speculated
spluttered
squarked
squawked
squeaked
squelched
stammered
stated
stuttered
submitted
suggested
summarized
summoned
supported
supposed
sympathized
synopsized
synthesized
taunted
teased
testified
threatened
trembled
twanged
upheld
urged
uttered
vituperated
volunteered
vouched
vowed
wailed
waived
warbled
warned
whimpered
whispered
yalped
yawned
yearned
yelled
yielded
yodeled
yowled
zinged
wzeigler@cox.net
Appendix F: “Using” Sources
for the AP World History EBQ
June 23, 2013
Students often ask, “How many Sources do I have to use for the EBQ?” Well, there is no simple answer, because there are four different Rubric
categories that require students to “use” Sources, each for a different purpose, and each Rubric category requires the “use” of a different number
of Sources.
Rubric
Official Description
Shorthand
Description
Acknowledging Existence
of Evidence
Addresses all of the Sources
2
and
3
4
Analyzes Point of View in
at least two Sources.
5
Analyzes Sources by grouping
them in two or three ways,
depending on the question.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS
Required Number
of Sources
Must attempt to understand all Sources.
(cannot ignore or “leave out” any Source)
Meaning
Reading Comprehension
demonstrates understanding of
all or all but one.
Supports thesis with appropriate
evidence from all or all but one
Source.
Historical Thinking Skill
(or Cognitive Task)
Evidence
Historical Argumentation
Appropriate Use of Relevant
Historical Evidence
POV
Appropriate Use of Relevant
Historical Evidence
Contextualization
Grouping
Analysis
32
Must correctly understand all but one
Source.
All or all but one Source = 2 pts
All but two sources = 1 pt
No less than 2 (but minimum could be more)
No less than 2 (but minimum could be 3)
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix G: Frequent EBQ Mistakes
Question:
June 30, 2012
Based on the following Sources, analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in China. What additional kind of
Evidence(s) would you need to evaluate the extent of Buddhism’s appeal in China?
Historical Background: Buddhism, founded in India in the sixth century B.C.E., was brought to China by the first century C.E., gradually
winning converts following the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 C.E. Buddhist influence continued to expand for several centuries.
Between 220 C.E. and 570 C.E. China experienced a period of political instability and disunity. After 570 C.E., the imperial structure
was restored.
Category
Pre-Writing
Organization
Historical
Background
Mistake
How to Fix It
Not reading the question
to know EXACTLY what
it is asking.
Essays are difficult to do, especially under pressure in limited time. Taking 5+ minutes to organize
your thoughts helps in several ways: 1) It will focus your thesis directly on the question, rather than
some tangent; 2) Your essay will be a 2nd draft, while your pre-writing notes act as a mental “1st draft”;
3) You can think of specific examples to support your thesis/argument.
Read the question several times. What is it asking? What words seem important in guiding how you
organize your response? Are there any categories that lend themselves to organizing your response?
Plan More, Write Less
Ignoring or not using the
historical background
information.
The HB info is designed to HELP YOU! You don’t know what the EBQ will ask, right? You’re
thinking to yourself, “How can they possibly expect me to remember everything I’ve learned all
year?” Well, the HB info is there to refresh your memory, to give you clues as to how to structure your
essay, what information is important, and place the question in the larger context of all you’ve learned.
PWO
HB
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS
With this specific EBQ question, the HB information practically outlines a chronological structure for
you: 1) Buddhism gradually wins converts following the collapse of the Han dynasty; 2) Buddhist
influence continues to expand during the period of political instability and disunity; 3) Imperial
structure is restored in 570 C.E.
Can you anticipate likely comparisons or contrasts? (e.g. “Contrast the Chinese responses to
Buddhism during the period of political instability and disunity to the responses after imperial
structure was restored..” “How did the political status of China affect Chinese attitudes toward
Buddhism?)
33
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix G: Frequent EBQ Mistakes
Mistake
Example
1A
1B
Most Chinese are Buddhists.
• Identify the verb in the question. What is the question asking you to do?
China has 1.3 billion people.
• Identify the “key words” of the question that specify the topic, location and
time period. (The “What,” “Where,” and “When”)
Buddhists often meditate.
1
Thesis
Thesis just repeats There were many responses to
1C or paraphrases the the spread of Buddhism in
question
China.
Thesis is too
1D vague
How to Fix It
Pre-writing organization. Read the question, then plan/outline your response before
you begin to write. If you PLAN MORE, you can WRITE LESS. (and still get a
good score!)
No Thesis
Thesis not related
to the question
June 30, 2012
Buddhism had a large impact
on China.
Mentioning
Some Chinese rejected Budindividual sources dhism. (Source #4 and #6)
or
1E Grouping Docs
The sources can be grouped in
several ways: Docs #1 & #5
favored Buddhism, Docs #4 &
#6 opposed Buddhism.
Try to “argue” your thesis. Could you take an “opposite” position? If not,
then the thesis isn’t an acceptable thesis.
Avoid the “thesis killer” words.18 (very, many, things, lots/a lot, big, large,
huge, stuff, ways, etc.)
This isn’t “wrong” so much as just unnecessary and a poor use of time. Your
reader already knows the Sources. If you eliminated the “Source #4 & #6”
from these examples would the sentence be any worse? How will telling your
reader which Sources you’ll use to do x, y, or z help your score?
The Thesis is supposed to be your overall interpretive conclusion of all the
sources. Mentioning individual Sources in the Thesis is too detailed.
18
My classroom rule is “Any thesis that contains the words ‘very,’ ‘many,’ ‘things,’ ‘lots,’ ‘stuff,’ ‘ways,’ or ‘really’ is automatically vetoed.” Possibly
the hardest skill to learn is the ability to form a sophisticated, complex thesis. One tactic I’ve learned (from Geri McCarthy of Barrington, RI) is to require
students to begin their thesis with either “While,” “Although,” or “Despite/In spite of.” These words strongly encourage students to formulate a mature thesis,
which in turn helps structure the rest of their essay.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS
34
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix G: Frequent EBQ Mistakes
Mistake
Example
How to Fix It
Source(s) not
Essay never mentions a Source,
referenced or used explicitly or implicitly.
2A at all in the essay
2
Misinterpretation
Meaning
of Source
of Doc’s 2B
2C
Summarizing
Sources
June 30, 2012
Pre-writing organization. As you outline your essay, note which
sources support each paragraph topic. If you still don’t use a source,
add a topic to include the unused source. You can NOT simply
“ignore” any Source. Even if you MISunderstand a Source, you must
at least include it in your essay and ATTEMPT to understand it.
The Anonymous Chinese Scholar
(Source #3) is clearly attacking
Buddhism. The questions are hostile
and meant to drive people away
from Buddhism.
Practice, practice, practice. Read Sources of all sorts: text, photographs, maps, political cartoons, charts & graphs, etc.
Source #2 says …
Don’t being any sentence with the word “Source” or “in source #…”
Note: This is not a fatal error. You CAN misinterpret 1 Source and
still earn this Rubric point.
Using the word “Source” in your essay
The only place to write the word “Source” is in parentheses at the end of a sentence. The subject of every
sentence should be [an analysis of] the “responses to the spread of Buddhism.” The EBQ is NOT “about” the
Sources. The Sources are not “the point” of the EBQ. They should not be the subject of any sentence. The
Sources are merely “raw materials” to help students answer the question. Strive to spend your time answering
the question rather than summarizing the Sources.
Sentence’s subject = a response to Buddhism
Correct:
“Chinese initially favored Buddhism. (Source #2)”
Incorrect:
“Source #2 shows how Chinese initially favored Buddhism.”
“In Source #2 Zhi Dun favors Buddhism.”
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS
35
Sentence’s subject = “the Source.”
Just eliminate “in Source #2"
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix G: Frequent EBQ Mistakes
Mistake
3
Evidence
3A
No specific evidence
used from Sources
3B
Evidence used from
Sources unrelated to
the thesis.
3C
How to Fix It
Pre-writing organization should include a brief outline of each ¶,
including topic sentences. Once you know what each ¶ will discuss,
note which sources contain information relevant to that ¶.
The unicorn mentioned in
Source #3 is a mythical
creature.
Probably caused by lack of clear thesis and/or lack of pre-writing organization. There isn’t a “quick fix” to this. The purpose of the essay to
make an argument. What IS your argument? You may have to ‘puzzle
and puzzle ‘til your puzzler is sore,’19 but the whole point of the essay to
make an argument. There is no ‘shortcut.’
Excessive quoting or As Zhi Dun says in Source #2, Try to use only a few words (max 5) from a Source. Keep in mind, your
paraphrasing of
“[followed by 3 lines of text]” teacher/reader knows the Sources better than you do. How will quoting
Sources
whole sentences help your score? Your reader/teacher will think you’re
trying to make your essay look longer because you don’t want to admit
that you don’t really know what to write.
Summarizing
Sources (aka
“Plot Summary”)
3D
19
Example
June 30, 2012
Source #1 says …blah blah
blah
Source #2 says …blah blah
blah
Virtually any sentence that begins, “Source # says …” is guilty of
summarizing Sources rather than using evidence to support the thesis.
Even worse is when the 1st ¶ begins, “Source #1 says …,” followed by
the 2nd ¶, “Source #2 says …” This is what teachers/readers call a
“laundry list” essay. It’s merely a straight summation of each individual
Source. (Which is precisely what the directions say NOT to do!)
With apologies to Theodore Geisel. (Dr. Seuss)
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS
36
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix G: Frequent EBQ Mistakes
Mistake
June 30, 2012
How to Fix It
No POV/
4A Context given
Comments: This is actually the most common POV mistake made. Students simply don’t even attempt to analyze POV because
they don’t possess the analytical skill to do so. Don’t despair, you CAN do this, but it will take work. (see below) POV is the
hardest point on the EBQ Rubric to earn.
Attribution
4B (repeating
“source info”)
Example: Zhi Dun (Source #2) is biased because he is a scholar and confidant of aristocrats and high officials.
Comments: These words are quoted directly from the “source line” information above each Source. Merely repeating these
words doesn’t count, in fact, it makes your reader think you’re trying to “pad” your essay to make it appear longer/better than it
really is.
4
Point of
View
(POV)
Quoting or
paraphrasing
Sources
4C
or
Example: “Source #1 says … Source #2 says …”
Comments: Some good questions to ask in order to analyze POV are:
1) WHO produced it? Discuss the author’s gender, age, ethnicity, social status, religion, intellectual or political beliefs, etc.
2) WHEN was it produced? Can it be connected with a significant historical event?
3) Who was the intended audience? Was the Source written privately, written to be read or heard by others (who?), an official
Source for a ruler to read, a commissioned painting for a wealthy patron, a diary never intended to be read by anyone, etc.
4) WHY? What was the motivation of the writer/producer of the Source, based on what you can surmise about them?
When you put all these together, you get the POV. Why did THIS person produce THIS Source at THIS time? Then you can
evaluate how much you “trust” the information in the Source, or what you think was really going on.
Context20
Note: It is useful to consider the tone/vocabulary of the Source, just as you would in analyzing a piece of literature. It will sometimes convey the intent of the author (anger, disdain, admiration, satire, etc.). (Note: comments courtesy Ane Lintvedt)
Confusing
“POV” with
“View”
4D
POV … Opinion
Example: “Zhi Dun’s point of view is pro-Buddhism.”
Comments: Point of View emphases the “Point,” not the actual “View.” Zhi Dun’s opinion about Buddhism is pro-Buddhism,
but why is he pro-Buddhism? What events in his life have influenced him to come to this opinion? In order to earn POV students
must “connect” some intangible background information (e.g. China was being invaded by central Asian steppe nomads) to a
tangible characteristic within the Source itself. How might Zhi Dun’s view toward Buddhism be affected by all of these
characteristics of his time & place? If he had lived three centuries later, after a powerful empire had been restored, would he have
written this same Source? If not, how and why do you think it might have been different? If he had lived in southern China where
the public didn’t have to deal with the threat of invasion, how might his “opinion” toward Buddhism have changed?
20
Special Note: Occasionally students attempt to ‘Group Analyze POV’ by saying that 3 doc’s all share a particular POV. While this statement earns
credit for “Analyze by Grouping,” it does not “double dip” to earn POV credit as well. Both point #4 (POV/Context) and #5 (Grouping) require analysis, but
POV must be specific to a single author/Source, while Analysis by Grouping applies to a characteristic shared by multiple Sources.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS
37
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix G: Frequent EBQ Mistakes
Mistake
5
Grouping
or
Content
Analysis
Example
June 30, 2012
How to Fix It
5A No groups exist
Pre-writing planning and organization.
Groups implied only by 1st part of essay
essay structure, not
discusses the
5B
explicitly stated
positives, the 2nd part
the negatives.
This does show at least a little organization, so it’s better than nothing, but
be more explicit and sophisticated..
Grouping only of whole Doc’s 1, 3, & 6 all
Sources, not specific
belong in one group.
5C characteristics of the
Sources
Be more specific! Name the specific characteristic that is shared by the
Sources. (e.g. “Supporters of Buddhism like the Anonymous Chinese scholar
and Zong Mi ignored or at least de-emphasized Buddhism’s non-Chinese
origins, (Sources 3, & 5) even as they had to defend Buddhism from attacks
by supporters of ‘native’ Chinese Confucianism. (Doc’s 4, 6)”
5D
Group includes only
1 Source
5E Too few groups
Each body paragraph must refer to at least 2 Sources.
Write AT LEAST 3 body paragraphs, each mentioning $2 sources.
What IS Content Analysis? (and how is it subtly different from ‘Grouping’?)
Content Analysis requires students to look for some CHARACTERISTIC that multiple Sources share, then create a group under the
title of that characteristic. DON’T group whole Sources, analyze characteristics OF Sources. (That’s why one Source can belong to
more than one group.)
Here’s a good exercise to practice this: Organize the sources into at least 3 groups, BUT (here’s the tricky part) ONE of the sources
must belong in ALL the groups. That way one has to analyze source #x, and see that it really has several different characteristics:
Characteristic #1 makes it belong in Group A; Characteristic #2 makes it belong in Group B, etc. THAT’s real analysis!21
21
In my own class “double grouping” of Sources is worthy of “Expanded Core” points. (Extra Credit)
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS
38
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix G: Frequent EBQ Mistakes
Category
Mistake
Example
No additional
6A Evidence requested.
6
Additional
Evidence
No reason/justification stated for
6B
the additional
Evidence.
June 30, 2012
How to Fix It
Earning the Additional Evidence point is so easy. All it takes is one
sentence to describe the additional Evidence, and a second sentence to
describe how an historian would use it to more fully answer the question.
It would be good to
have Evidence from
a peasant.
Describe what information is “missing” and how an historian might use it.
(Why would it be ‘good’? What questions would an historian be able to
answer with that information/evidence that aren’t possible to answer now?)
Acceptable justifications could include …
At present one can only wonder whether Emperor Wu was the ONLY emperor opposed to Buddhism. If historians possessed an edict on religious
matters from a later emperor they could compare Emperor Wu’s (Source #6) motives to that later emperor’s reasons.
If historians had some kind of census figures of how many Buddhists existed in a given city or region, they could better conclude how widely
Buddhism challenged Confucianism among the general population.
Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS
39
bstrickl@egrps.org
Appendix H: “Power Writing” for EBQs
When students are first aware of the EBQ rubric, they can easily be overwhelmed by the categories. They often wrongly conclude that they have to write three
sentences for each Source, each sentence focused on earning a point in a separate rubric category.
Analyzing historical sources requires a combination of skills, from basic to highly sophisticated. High quality writing satisfies multiple Rubric Categories
simultaneously. If a student analyzes a Source’s Point of View (Category #4) they can/will almost automatically also earn credit toward Using Evidence
(Category #3) and Demonstrating Understanding. (Category #2) Assuming students have mastered the more “basic” skill of Reading Comprehension,
I recommend teaching students to “aim high” for Context/POV. Obviously if they haven’t mastered Reading Comprehension, they’ll probably not be able
to analyze Context/POV, but students should “aim” to write in a way that demonstrates as many Historical Thinking Skills as possible.
Rubric Categories
Efficient “Power” Writing
Note their “Hierarchical” Relationship
“Zong Mi praised each religion’s founder as “perfect sages” because he was afraid
to anger his Confucian emperor.” This sentence simultaneously earns credit toward
three rubric categories: Context = author’s motive (“because”); Evid = the phrase
“perfect sages”; Understanding = “praised each religion’s founder” = a response
to the spread of Buddhism; Acknowledging Existence = simply mentioning the
source/author or any text from the Source. All this in only 18 words!
#4
Context
Why did
this author
create this source
at this time?
#3 Evidence
What specific words or
concepts unique to this source
support this paragraph’s argument?
#2 Demonstrates Understanding
Reading Comprehension
Did the student correctly understand this source?
Acknowledge Existence
Did the student acknowledge that this source exists?
Bill Strickland
Inefficient “Writing to the Rubric”
“In Source #5 Zong Mi supports Buddhism when he says that “all three teachings
lead to the creation of an orderly society and for this they must be observed with
respect.” Acknowledges Existence of Source #5, also Demonstrates Understanding
by characterizing Zong Mi as “support[ing] Buddhism.” Uses Evidence, but quotes
far too much of the Source. Unfortunately this is a common example of student
writing. It’s not “wrong” per se, but it spends 31 words to earn very little credit
toward Rubric points. The quotation alone is 20 words!
Even Worse: Nothing but Quoting
“In Source #5 Zong Mi says, “Confucius, Laozi and the Buddha were perfect
sages.” Acknowledges Existence of Source #5 but does NOT demonstrate that the
writer Understands the Source’s Meaning, because they merely quoted the Source
w/o any further comment. Also does NOT earn credit for Using Evidence, because
the only “Evidence” is a quotation w/o any argument to support. Note also how the
nominative clause of this sentence is “the Source” rather than a “response to the
spread of Buddhism.” This is why I don’t allow students to start sentences with
“Doc/Source” or “In doc/source # …” 14 words of effort with little to show for it.
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bstrickl@egrps.org