How to EBQ Name - Cornerstone Charter

How to EBQ Name ________________________

2004 EBQ: Responses to Buddhism in China October 17, 2013

Bill StricklandEast Grand Rapids High School

East Grand Rapids, [email protected]

Teachers,

Here’s what I use to introduce the DBQ to my students. (Note: While this question is officially titled theDBQ: Document Based Question, I refer to it as an “Evidence Based Question” as most of the tasksstudents should do to “documents” are more accurately focused on the evidence in the documents. Moreon this later.) Given that the 2004 EBQ (Buddhism in China) is early in the 1st semester, I use it to teachgood evidence analysis skills. This lesson is divided into several sections which I teach over 3-4 classperiods. (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 itwould be simply overwhelming for them. I only use 3-5 of the Appendixes, but usually a different 3-5each year, reflecting on my interpretation of my students’ needs. I’ve included ever possible resource Ican think of that might help students, but much depends on your students’ background, experience,strengths and weaknesses.

Section I: General Advice for All Essays.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

Section II: The EBQ (Evidence Based Question). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

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: Types of Sources.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Appendix G: “Using” Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Appendix H: Frequent EBQ Mistakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Appendix J: “Power Writing” for EBQs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://moodle.egrps.org/course/enrol.php?id=136

How to EBQ October 17, 2013ii

“How to EBQ” Classroom CalendarNote: I see my students on a “traditional” schedule, 58 minutes/day, 5 days/week.

Day Homework to complete before class Class activity

1

• Sect. I: General Advice for all Essays• Sect. II: the EBQ1

• Sect. III: The Question• Sect. IV: Historical Background

Lead the whole class activity through a carefulreading & analysis of the Question, HistoricalBackground paragraph, and each of the 6 sources.

By the end students should understand “what” theindividual sources say and how they (individually)relate to the question.

2• Sect. V: Reading & Analyzing the

Evidence Sources

3• Sect VI: Pulling It All Together• Sect VII: Thesis• Sect VIII: Additional Evidence

By the end of this hour students should: understandhow the Evidence Sources collectively/cumulativelycontribute to the question.2

4

• Sample Essays A & B. (& Annotatedversions) Students should read & givea preliminary score to both Samples.

Lead students through scoring these two sampleessays. Once they have personal experience reading& scoring essays they understand how to write anessay far better.

5

Write EBQ Essay in ClassI give them the whole class hour to write an actual EBQ on this very question. Given thatthey’ve spent three full days analyzing the question and the Sources they have no excuse for notwriting a great essay. Obviously that doesn’t always happen, but it encourages good writinghabits from the very beginning of the year, rather than spending months breaking them of badhabits.

6

[Many days later, after I grade their EBQs]Students pick one body paragraph to rewrite. Students type their original paragraph and thentype a “new & improved” version correcting any mistakes I indicated. The new paragraph musthave a clear topic sentence, relevant evidence from $2 Sources, a valid POV/Context state-ment, and a valid Additional Evidence Sources. See Appendix B: Generic EBQ Structure onp. 27 and Appendix H: Power Writing on p. 40.

1 This is entirely optional. The “General Advice” section is really just background material that givesstudents 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 inprevious weeks.

2 As the old “Acorn Book” used to say, “the fullest understanding of any particular Source emerges onlywhen that Source is viewed in the wider context of [all the Sources].” Students often forget how the Sources relate toeach other.



How to EBQ October 17, 2013iii

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’llthen have a 5-10 minutes break before starting the Essay section. Below is a table summarizing how theEssay Section fits into the overall exam.

SectionMultipleChoice

10 M

in B

reak

Free Response (Essay)

Weight 50%50%

16.67% 16.67% 16.67%

# ofQuestions

70EBQ

Evidence BasedQuestion

CCOTContinuity &

Change Over Time

Comparative(Compare and

Contrast)

TimeAllowed

55 minutes10 minute mandatory reading/planning period,

then 120 self-budgeted minutes to write all 3 essays.

SuggestedPace

~ 45 secondsper question

40-45 minutes 35-40 minutes 35-40 minutes

Mandatory Reading PeriodWhen the Essay section begins, you’ll receive a green booklet containing all three essays. You have 10minutes to read all the questions, including the Sources for the EBQ, take notes, and begin to plan youressays. 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 duringthe exam period. After 10 minutes you’ll be given a pink booklet with blank lined pages on which towrite your essays.

Big Mistake #1: Wasting 10 min Reading/Planning PeriodOne of the biggest mistakes students make during the AP Exam is not using the 10-minmandatory reading/planning period to plan and outline their essays. Too often studentssimply stare into space, think about what they’re going to do after school, etc. The timeis 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 tomake sure you write as good an essay as possible.



How to EBQ October 17, 2013iv

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” forwhich to write first, last, etc. Also note that while the exam proctor will remind you during the writingtime that “you have x minutes remaining,” you can spend as much or as little time as you want on eachessay, so you’ll need to be self-disciplined in order to write three high-quality essays in the time allowed.

Maximizing your ScoreEach point on an Essay is worth more than 2.5 Multiple Choice questions!4

Core ScoringNext, realize that APWH essays are graded according to a rubric. The rubric for each type of essay isslightly 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 “ExpandedCore” (extra credit) points. The “Expanded Core” categories are basically just the same as the Corecategories, but require a higher quality of performance. The Rubrics are structured this way to encouragestudents 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 possiblyearning “Expanded Core” points. The “Core” characteristics are worth 7 points, while the ExpandedCore is worth 2 additional points. Thus, the maximum possible score for each essay is 9.

Asset ModelOne last thing to note is that the scoring of the essays is done on an “asset model.” That is, the scorerswant to give you every point that you deserve and are looking for every opportunity to do so. What thismeans, practically speaking, is that they will read over your errors rather than remove points. So, bedaring and do everything that is required and more. Do not let fear of errors hold you back to a timidstandard on the AP World History essays. Study the rubrics in this section so that you know what isscored 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.



How to EBQ October 17, 2013v

Section II: The EBQ (Evidence Based Question)

Purpose of the EBQThe purpose of the EBQ is to test students’ ability to do what professional historians actually do: use andinterpret 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 testof students’ skills to perform a variety of analytical tasks. Why is this important to realize? When youfirst read an EBQ question, you will most likely have absolutely no idea about the topic. Relax! That’snormal. No one is expected to know anything about the topic. That’s what makes an EBQ a “levelplaying field.” No one has any advantage over anyone else.

Maximizing your ScoreDon’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 Has an acceptable Thesis 1 Thesis

2Addresses all of the Evidence Sources and demonstrates(a correct) understanding of all or all but one.

1Meaning

of Sources

3

Supports thesis with appropriate evidence from all orall but one Source.

2

EvidenceSupports thesis with appropriate evidencefrom all but two Sources.

1

4 Analyzes the Context of at least two Sources. 1 Context5

5Analyzes Sources by grouping them in two or three ways,depending on the question.

1 Grouping

6Identifies and explains the need for one type ofappropriate additional Evidence.

1AdditionalEvidence

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, myown 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.



How to EBQ October 17, 2013vi

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 forstudents in how to write the essay. The Rubric lists six characteristics, but that does NOTmean 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 orthree ways,” the Teacher chooses the minimum, not the student.6 So how many shouldyou 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 requiredminimum 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 necessaryfor each rubric category.



How to EBQ October 17, 20131

Section III: The Question

The Question:

Based on the following Sources, analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhismin China. What additional evidence would you need to evaluate the extent ofBuddhism’s appeal in China?

1. What is the question asking you to do? (What’s the verb in the question? Restate the verb in yourown words.)

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

2. O.K., now what is the object of the verb? ([verb] what? [verb] where? [verb] when?) Make sure youfocus 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 “thespread of Buddhism.” also WRONG! The correct topic is “the responses to the spread of Buddhism.” Any essay dis-cussing 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, thesubject of every sentence in their essay will be “the responses to the spread of Buddhism,” rather than “Source #1says …”




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 maywonder. Surprisingly, the answer is “No.” Instead of answering the question, studentsanswer a question related to or similar to the question, or what they wish the questionasked, 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’sspecific parts. Each question has a what, a where, and a when. Every sentence in youressays must relate to the question. You must not get off track and talk about a slightlydifferent where, or a when that you heard a great story about, or a what that you knowa ton of information about. Anything you write that does not “answer the question” isirrelevant, 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 irrelevantto 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 greatestchallenges in teaching. My students are so accustomed to summarizing that they unconsciously andrepeatedly slip back into “Book Report” or “Summarization” mode unless they make a deliberate effortto think at a higher level. I used to be very critical of them for this behavior until I tried to imagine howI would feel if I were writing an EBQ for the first time. They’ve been instructed to ‘Read andsummarize” for their entire academic career. Now suddenly along comes this crazy AP World Historyteacher 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 knowwhat the verb “analyze” means!




Big Mistake #5: Summarizing Sources

The purpose of any essay is to Answer the Question. Too often students’ EBQs sink to amere 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 aremerely raw materials to help students answer the question. See Section VI “Pulling it AllTogether” on p. 18 and “Appendix H: Frequent EBQ Mistakes” on p. 35 for more on this important point.

Imagine for a second that your teacher did NOT give you any historical sources. If you had ONLY thequestion (“Analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in China”) and a month of time in which tofind historical sources that address this question would you should be able to answer the question, right?

When you were finally done researching started writing your research paper, would you write sentenceslike this?:

One book I read said blah blah blah.

The author of book Yada Yada said 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 to thespread of Buddhism,” and at the end of each sentence you’d have a footnote documenting where youfound that response just in case your reader wanted to check it. Each body paragraph would be organizedaround 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 anysentence that references information you found in one of the sources, just write “(Source #).” This is akind of “quick & easy informal footnote.”




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 professionalhistorians do, NOT whether students know what historians know.) Fight the instinct to panic and showyour reader how well you can read, think, and write!

Big Mistake #6: Historical BackgroundThe Historical Background paragraph is there to help you. Don’t ignore it! The examwriters have given it to you for a reason. Make sure you know how the historicalbackground relates to the question and how to use the background information to helpyou better answer the question.

The exam writers know that students need some hints to help them place the EBQ question into thelarger context of “everything” in world history. That’s exactly what the Historical Background is: theexam 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 toChina by the first century C.E., gradually winning converts following the collapse of the Handynasty in 220 C.E. Buddhist influence continued to expand for several centuries. Between220 C.E. and 570 C.E., China experienced a period of political instability and disunity. After570 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 thequestion?

HB Theme(s) _____________________________________________________________________

Question Theme(s) _________________________________________________________________

2. Are there any hints in the HB paragraph that will influence how you read, interpret, and categorizethe Sources? Based on the information in the HB, how are you going to read the Sources anydifferently than you would if you hadn’t read the HB? After all, the writers went to some effort togive you the HB information. What use will you make of it?

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________




3. Make a timeline of the information in the HB ¶.

Info fromHB

Date of Source #1 Date of Source #6

Info fromSources




Section V: Reading and Analyzing the Sources

Source CharacteristicsWhat notes should one take as one reads the Sources? Much of that depends on the question beingasked, but there are several common characteristics in each source that one should look for because anyof 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 didthe author hope this source would have? What did the author want the reader(s) of thissource 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 thesame individual, but occasionally they may actually be different. (e.g. a speech may bewritten 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’sinterpretation? 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 aclue to this interpretation.8

Additional Evidence SourceAfter you read a source, you’ll be able to use information in the source to help answer the question, butno single source contains everything needed to answer the question fully. No matter how muchinformation a source contains, it will never provide the answer to all parts of the question, and in fact itwill often raise new questions.

So, what kinds of information would you like to have to help answer the question better? You don’t haveto 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 dowith such information? What conclusion could you make with “Information x” that you can’tmake 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.




Characteristics Shared with Other Sources (aka “Grouping”)After you’re finished reading all the sources, look back over your SOAPSTone notes written. Do younotice any characteristics that more than one source share? These characteristics are vitally important tonote 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 thesources. 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. Examplesof the kinds of shared characteristics might (hypothetically) include:

• Buddhism became less popular after imperial structure was restored in 589 C.E. (as seen inSource #4 by Han Yu and Source #6 by Emperor Wu)

• Government officials frequently tried to influence imperial attitudes toward Buddhism. (asseen 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 inSource #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 everydaylife. (as seen in Source #2 by Zhi Dun or Source #5 by Zong Mi)

Maximizing your ScoreCompare 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 notjust facts, a large part is also interpretation of facts. This is one area that makes history both fun andcontroversial, 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 anythingother than the literal words on the paper? Are there any reasons why although a source says “x” it shouldbe interpreted as meaning something more, less, or different? All the intangible circumstancessurrounding 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 samewords. Would you interpret and respond to each person identically, or would you take each person’sidentity 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 willnever 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 youinclude all the sources somewhere in your essay and misinterpret no more than one source, you’ll earn full credit foryour interpretation(s).




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 sourcemakes a huge difference in how seriously one interprets the Source. Note, however, that one should notautomatically come to the conclusion that Source 1 is “wrong” while Source 2 is “right.” (Can you thinkof any circumstances that might make your sister be correct? Just because she’s six years old doesn’tmean she’s automatically wrong, it just means that you’d probably want some more information re: thecontext of your sister’s comments before you render judgement on her words. After all, she might havejust heard your parent say, “If that car isn’t moved out of the middle of the street [your name] will bepunished!”)

Context is far more subtle than simply labeling Sources as “right” or “wrong.” You have to be veryspecific in deciding to what degree a Source should be interpreted about a certain topic. Ultimatelyyou should be able to place each Source on a spectrum of the Source’s “trustworthiness.”

Value Limitations

What characteristics strengthen/enhancethe value of this Source?

What characteristics limit/reducethe 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? Howcredible is this author? Discuss the author’s gender, age, ethnicity, social status, religion, level ofeducation, political philosophy, etc.

2. When was this Source produced? What else was happening at that time? Can it be connected witha significant historical event or era? (Think back to the Historical Background information.) Notethe date of each Source. Was this source created before/after/at the same time as any otherSource?

3. Who was the intended audience? Was the Source written to be read by a specific person? Is it apublic 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 whatlimited information you have about them? What effect did the author hope this Source wouldhave? 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.




If these questions seem too overwhelming to remember, here’s a simplified way of earningContext/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 ofView” 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’vewritten 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 ofView of the man on the island is excitement,” you will NOT earn the POV credit. Simply callingsomething “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.




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 poorlythat it actually hurts their score. (Students think they’ve interpreted more than they really have, andsmugly 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 towardeverything?)11

2) In what direction is the Source biased? Remember that bias can be positive and/or negative. Is theSource/author in favor of a particular issue, or against it? If you just say, “the author is biased,” yourreader 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 favoritesports 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’sbackground info. Bias must “connect” a specific characteristic of the context behind the source to aspecific 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 anony-mously quote such an example out loud to the class I immediately declare that I won’t award credit for such a state-ment. When the students ask, “Why not?” I respond, “Because you’re Sophomores.” There’s usually an awkwardpause, and then one brave student quite understandably asks, “Why does being a Sophomore mean the bias statementwon’t earn any credit for Context/POV?” “Absolutely nothing,” I respond. “What does being British have to do withbeing biased? Are all British completely “biased” about everything? Are you saying that all British persons werenever objective or reliable on any topic at any time?” At that point there’s usually a chuckle around the classroom asmy students realize how simplistic and inappropriate the “biased because he’s British,” attempt was, and how muchmore specific (and more difficult) truly valid historical interpretation really is.




Here’s a sample of the kinds of notes one might make when analyzing sources. Note: this is NOT arealistic 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 theBuddha (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 wishunfulfilled is sorrow.

The Second Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Arising of Sorrow, it arises from craving, which leadsto rebirth, which brings delight and passion, and seeks pleasure-the craving for sensual pleasure, thecraving 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 thatcraving, so that no passion remains, leaving it, being emancipated from it, being released from it, givingno 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 byChinese.

OK, now it’s your chance to read the actual Sources and take your notes.




Source #1

Source: According to Buddhist tradition, “The Four Noble Truths,” the first sermon preached by theBuddha (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 wishunfulfilled is sorrow.

The Second Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Arising of Sorrow, it arises from craving, which leadsto rebirth, which brings delight and passion, and seeks pleasure-the craving for sensual pleasure, thecraving 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 thatcraving, so that no passion remains, leaving it, being emancipated from it, being released from it, givingno place to it.

The Fourth Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Way that Leads to the Stopping of Sorrow.




Source #2

Source: Zhi Dun, Chinese scholar, author, and confidant of Chinese aristocrats and high officials duringthe 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 thecommandments, who recites the Buddhist Scriptures, and who furthermore makes a vow to be rebornwithout ever abandoning his sincere intention, will at the end of his life, when his soul passes away, bemiraculously transported thither. He will behold the Buddha and be enlightened in his spirit, and then hewill enter Nirvana.*

*Nirvana: the extinction of desire and individual consciousness




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 pastand Confucius not practice it? In the Confucian Classics no one mentions it. Why, then, do you love theWay of the Buddha and rejoice in outlandish arts’? Can the writings of the Buddha exceed the Classicsand 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 theBuddha would be like comparing a white deer to a unicorn, or a swallow to a phoenix. The records andteachings of the Confucian classics do not contain everything. Even if the Buddha is not mentioned inthem, what occasion is there for suspicion?

Question: Now of happiness there is none greater than the continuation of one’s line, of unfilial conductthere is none worse than childlessness. The monks forsake wives and children, reject property andwealth. Some do not marry all their lives.

Answer: Wives, children, and property are the luxuries of the world, but simple living and inaction arethe wonders of the Way. The monk practices the Way and substitutes that for worldly pleasures. Heaccumulates goodness and wisdom in exchange for the joys of having a wife and children.




Source #4

Source: Han Yu, leading Confucian scholar and official at the Tang imperial court, “Memorial onBuddhism,” 819 CE.

Your servant begs leave to say that Buddhism is no more than a cult of the barbarian peoples spread toChina. 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 theBuddha [a relic brought to China from India], and that Your Majesty will ascend a tower to watch theprocession as this relic is brought into the palace. If these practices are not stopped, and this relic of theBuddha is allowed to be carried from one temple to another, there will be those in the crowd who willcut 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 adifferent fashion. The Buddha’s sayings contain nothing about our ancient kings and the Buddha’smanner of dress did not conform to our laws; he understood neither the duties that bind sovereign andsubject, 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 thenation, dismissed, and not allowed to delude the masses. How then, when he has long been dead, couldthe 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 deeplyashamed and begs that this bone from the Buddha be given to the proper authorities to be cast into fireand water, that this evil be rooted out, and later generations spared this delusion.




Source #5

Source: Zong Mi, a leading Buddhist scholar, favored by the Tang imperial household, essay, “On theNature of Man,” early ninth century CE.

Confucius, Laozi and the Buddha were perfect sages. They established their teachings according to thedemands of the age and the needs of various beings. They differ in their approaches in that theyencourage the perfection of good deeds, punish wicked ones, and reward good ones; all three teachingslead to the creation of an orderly society and for this they must be observed with respect.




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 religionof idols gradually came to prominence. So in this latter age Buddhism has transmitted its strange waysand has spread like a luxuriant vine until it has poisoned the customs of our nation. Buddhism has spreadto all the nine provinces of China; each day finds its monks and followers growing more numerous andits temples more lofty. Buddhism wears out the people’s strength, pilfers their wealth, causes people toabandon their lords and parents for the company of teachers, and severs man and wife with its monasticdecrees. 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 hersilkworms, someone will go cold. At present there are an inestimable number of monks and nuns in theempire, all of them waiting for the farmers to feed them and the silkworms to clothe them while theBuddhist public temples and private chapels have reached boundless numbers, sufficient to outshine theimperial palace itself.

Having thoroughly examined all earlier reports and consulted public opinion on all sides, there no longerremains the slightest doubt in Our mind that this evil should be eradicated.




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 thecharacteristics of each Source and comparing those characteristics across Sources.

Organizing the Evidence

This Characteristic12 appears in these sources as shown by this specific word/phrase

12 There must be at least 2 sources that share each characteristic, but each group could include more 2sources. Any characteristic that is present in only 1 source is inadmissable because it is not a characteristic that isshared by a “group” of sources as required by the rubric.




Now, look at your characteristics list on the previous page. You may not realize it, but you’vejust outlined/organized the body paragraphs for your essay! Simply change the titles onthe 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 SentenceMust be “a response …”

Sources to includein this ¶

Examples to use as evidence that support yourinterpretation of the Source.




Below is a “key” to how students could analyze/group the Sources’ evidence. Note: There is noexhaustively complete “right” way to analyze historical Sources.

Organizing the Evidence - “Key”

This characteristic (a“response to Buddhism”)

is shared by thesesources

as shown by this specific word(s) from theSource. (cite 1-3 words, 5 maximum)

Favoring Buddhism 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 “all perfect sages” all “encourage good deeds”“punish wicked” “reward good”create “orderly society” “observe w/ respect”

Anti-Buddhism 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”

After Imperial StructureRestored

4 Han Yu see above

5 Zong Mi

6 Emperor Wu

Before Imperial StructureRestored

2 Zhi Dun

3 Anonymous Scholar

Buddhist Scholars 2 Zhi Dun

3 Anonymous Scholar

5 Zong Mi




Section VII: The Thesis

OK, so now you’ve spent considerable time reading, sifting, and analyzing these Sources. Can you stillremember 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 andanalysis 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 firstread the question, because then as you read the Sources you will tend to selectively favor only theevidence that supports your thesis and ignore any evidence that contradicts your thesis. The EBQ isdesigned to test your ability to interpret all relevant evidence and develop a thesis that reflects thatevidence. There is no single “right” thesis to any essay question. There is more than enough informationin 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 isa fundamental error. Even professional historians struggle to maintain the objectivity when examiningthe complexities of all relevant evidence.13

The whole purpose of the EBQ is to test your ability to do what historians actually do: Developarguments that are supported by evidence.

13 If you want to see an example of a wannabe-historian who refuses to acknowledge evidence thatcontradicts 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. WhenWhen I show the dvd, my students squeal with delight as Menzies interprets various facts in just the right way thatsupport his interpretations, while conveniently ignoring evidence that obviously and overwhelmingly contradicts hisinterpretation. 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.


http://www.amazon.com/1421-Year-China-Discovered-America/dp/B0002IQNF6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370110486&sr=8-2&keywords=1421+china+menzies

https://drive.google.com/a/egrps.org/?tab=3o#my-drive

https://drive.google.com/a/egrps.org/?tab=3o#my-drive



Here’s a guide to the most common mistakes students make when attempting to write a thesis.

Mistake Example How to Fix It

1Thesis

No Thesis Pre-writing organization. Read the question, thenplan/outline your response before you begin to write.

Plan More, Write Less

Thesis notrelated to thequestion

Most Chinese areBuddhists …

China has over abillion people today …

Buddhists like tomeditate …

• Identify the verb in the question. What is thequestion asking you to do?

• Identify the “key words” of the question thatspecify the topic, location and time period. (The“What, When, and Where”) Make sure everysentence in your essay is relevant to the topic,time, and place that the question asks.

Thesis repeatsor just para-phrases thequestion

There were manyresponses to thespread of Buddhismin China.

Try to “argue” your thesis. Could you take an“opposite” position? If not, then the thesis isn’t anacceptable thesis.

Avoid the “thesis killer” words.14 (very, many,things, a lot, big, large, huge, etc.)

Thesis is toovague

Buddhism had a largeimpact on China.

Mentioningindividualsources

or

GroupingSources

Some Chinese rejectedBuddhism. (Source #4and #6)

The sources can begrouped in severalways: Sources #1 &#5 favored Buddhism,Sources #4 & #6opposed Buddhism.

This isn’t “wrong” so much as just unnecessary anda poor use of time. Your reader already knows theSources. If you eliminated the “Source #4 & #6”would the sentence be any worse? How will tellingyour reader which Sources you’ll use to do x, y, or zhelp your score?

The Thesis is supposed to be your overall conclu-sion of all the sources. Mentioning individualSources in the Thesis is too detailed.

14 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, complexthesis. One tactic I’ve learned (from Geri McCarthy of Barrington, RI) is to require students to begin their thesis witheither “While,” “Although,” or “Despite/In spite of.” These words strongly encourage students to formulate a maturethesis, which in turn helps structure the rest of their essay.




OK, now pull together everything you’ve done: your reading & understanding of the Sources; theircontent; 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 Paragraphshould preview the topic sentences of your later body paragraphs.) This takes some time and a lot ofpractice to do well, but if you can learn to plan your thesis and outline your essay, it will make the actualwriting TONS easier. By the time your reader finishes the Thesis Paragraph, s/he should know WHATyour 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._____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________




Section VIII: The Additional Evidence Source

OK, so you’ve answered the question using the Sources as evidence to support your thesis. The problemis that there are only a handful of Sources. They can’t possibly represent EVERY conceivable piece ofrelevant evidence. Are there any pieces of evidence relevant to the question that AREN’T alreadyrepresented in the Sources?

You can add the “Additional Evidence” suggestion at virtually any point in your essay. It’s mostcommon to add it at the end of the essay, or at the end of the thesis paragraph, but the best essays call forAdditional Evidence in every body paragraph to supplement the evidence supporting that paragraph’stopic sentence.

“In order to [describe what interpretation/conclusion you’d like to be able to draw] historianswould need [describe what kind of evidence/information desired].”

Missing Information /Additional Evidence

• HOW would this Evidence would help answer thequestion 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 EvidenceThe most common mistake is that students simply forget to even ask for AdditionalEvidence. Even when they do, students don’t explain how/why such Evidence isnecessary. The most common unsuccessful types are:

“It would help to have Evidence from a peasant.” HOW would it help? Same for Evidencewritten 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 answerthe question? This isn’t a “poll” surveying public opinion re: Buddhism. (To use aridiculous 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 anilliterate 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.




Appendix A: The “Shoe Activity”15

Here’s a simple & easy activity that demonstrates the complexity of good historical analysis. Note: thereare dozens of variations on this lesson, so this is not at all the only way to do this. If you’re serendipi-tously inspired in the middle of the activity, go with your own intuition.

1. Ask for 3-4 student volunteers, and immediately send them out of the room.2. Ask the remaining students to take off one of their shoes.16 (ANY shoe)3. Pile all the shoes up into one big heap.4. Invite one volunteer back into the room.5. 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.

Variations1 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 inthe room thought of get a special reward. To give you an idea of how inspired students can be, hereare 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 theseclunkers,” or “He/she wanted to impress another personbecause 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 Listservmessage, 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.




Post-Activity DiscussionThere is no single “right” answer that students “should” have used to analyze the shoes. There are amyriad of legitimate ways to categorize shoes. While this seems obvious to bystanders, I try to rememberthat many of my students think that the “goal” of learning how to write essays is to write the one andonly one “correct answer” to the question. Essay writing involves all of AP World History’s HistoricalThinking 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, constantlyevolving 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 wonder-fully 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 minuteslater we were all laughing and giving each other a hard time at how they felt that “Chris” didn’t knowthe first thing about shoes, so his/her categorization really wasn’t meaningful, but “Mary” was such aclothes-hound, that her analysis was much more significant.

Also, students should recognize the importance of looking at all the shoes and planning how they wantto organize them before actually doing so. The point is that they should also read all the EBQ’s Sourcesbefore sorting them into appropriate groups, and they should do so before they begin to write their essay.

CaveatI try to point out an important limitation this activity has: Because shoes are physical objects, one cannotsort a single shoe into two groups simultaneously. (e.g. “brown” and “left foot”) Historical Sources canexist 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 arescrambling to organize their essays while trying to remember to include each Source into one of thegroups/paragraphs.

Teaching TipThe EBQ rubric requires students to address all the Sources, correctly understand all but one Source, andto analyze the Sources by grouping them in 2 or more groups, depending on the question.” In order toreinforce 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 onegroup. This is a great goal for students to “aim” for. It’s NOT something that MOST students can do, butit is something teachers can use to focus & motivate advanced students.




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 Sources)• 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 youressay that begins, “Source #___ says ‘…’”This is merely summarizing the Source.Your teacher/reader already knows thatinformation better than you do. Your job isto interpret the information in the sourcesto 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 manyof my students say it helps them focus while they’re writing.



Appendix C: “Bias” Rules

“Bias” Rules

If you use “bias”you must describe the:

1) Topic/Issue

2) Direction

3) Degree

4) Cause



Appendix D: “Must Do’s” for Essay Rubrics October 17, 2013

EBQ

Rubric Must Do’s Should NOT Do’s

1 Thesis

• 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 inlater ¶s)

2SourceMeaning

• Attempt to understand all Sources. (cannot ignore orleave out any Source)

• No sentence should discuss “thesource” 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

3 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(ContextAnalysis)

• 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?

• “bias” (without connection to char-acteristic) e.g. “Source #2 author’s isbiased because he is British.”

5

Grouping(ContentAnalysis)

• Group sources by a shared characteristic• $3 Groups, organized around ¶ Topic Sentence,

e.g. “Gov’t authorities used their power to theirown advantage.” (Sources 2, 7, 4)

• Each Paragraph must discuss $2 Sources

6Add’lEvidence

• 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)

• “It would be nice to have evidencefrom …” (why would it ‘be nice?’)

• “because none of the sources are froma 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 [email protected]

Continuity & Change Over Time (CCOT)

Rubric Must Do’s Should NOT Do’s

1 Thesis

• 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)

2

AddressesParts ofQuestion

• 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

• 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. Useactive/transitive verbs and adverbs (evolved, morphed,developed, slowly, quickly, intermittently)

C “snapshots”C “then vs. now” comparisons

(first it was like this, then itended up as that.)

4GlobalContext

• Contextualize events “inside” the question to the largerworld historical context “outside” the question.(“zoom out”)

5Analysis ofChange/Cont

• Explains reason(s) for a change or continuity. WHY?because led to caused by due toaffected impacted came from in order to

Comparative

Description Must Do’s Should NOT Do’s

1 Thesis

• 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).”

• (A + B) were both(similar & different)

2

AddressesParts of

Question

• Discuss 2 similarities (3 if possible)• Discuss 2 differences (3 if possible)

3 Evidence• Give 6 specific examples of evidence (for 2 pts)• Give 3 specific examples of evidence (for 1 pt)

4Direct

Comparison

• Makes at least 1 relevant, direct comparison (“Cue” words:

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)

• Put a comma btwn this & that, here & there.

C Parallel/Indirect Comp’s(“This happened here. [Period]That happened there.”)

5Analysis of

Sim/Diff

• Explains reason(s) for a similarity/difference WHY?because led to caused by due toaffected impacted came from in order to

Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS [email protected]

Appendix E: Instead of “Said”

When writing EBQ essays, avoid the verb “said.” (e.g. In Source #2, Zhi Dun said …”)

advisedadvocatedalibiedallegedamplifiedannouncedansweredapologizedarguedaskedassertedavowed

babbledbadgeredbanteredbawledbeamedbeggedbellowedbemoanedbewailedblamedblurtedboastedbullied

cackledcajoledcededchargedchatteredchidedcitedclaimedcoaxedcommandedcommentedcomplainedcomplimentedconcludedconfidedconfirmedcontendedcontinuedcontradictedcounteredcrawled

criedcroakedcroonedcrowed

declareddecreeddecrieddemandeddenieddenounceddirecteddiscloseddroned

elaboratedenunciatedestimatedexaggeratedexclaimedexpandedexpounded

fantasizedforecastfrettedfumedfussed

gaspedgibedgossipedgrantedgreetedgrousedgrowledgrumbled

haranguedhazardedhedgedhintedhowled

impliedimploredinformedinquiredinsinuatedinsisted

instead ofinterjectedinterruptedintimatedintroduced

jabberedjeeredjokedjolliedjoshedjubilatedjudgedkibitzedkidded

lamentedlampoonedlashed (out)lecturedlisted

maintainedmimickedmockedmumbledmurmuredmutterednagged

narratednatterednegotiatednoted

objectedobservedofferedopinedordered

pantedpesteredpledgedposedpositedpostulatedpoutedproclaimedpromised

protestedpulledpuzzled

quarreledqueriedquestionedquibbledquoted

ragedravedrecitedreckonedrecollectedremarkedrememberedreminiscesrepeatedrepliedreportedreprovedrequestedresolvedrespondedretortedrevealedrhapsodizedroared

schemedscoffedscoldedscreamedscreechedsecondedshoutedshriekedsighedsizzledsnappedsnarledsneeredsniffledsobbedspatspeculatedsplutteredsquarked

squawkedsqueakedsquelchedstammeredstatedstutteredsubmittedsuggestedsummarizedsummonedsupportedsupposedsympathizedsynopsizedsynthesized

tauntedteasedtestifiedthreatenedtrembledtwanged

upheldurgeduttered

vituperatedvolunteeredvouchedvowed

wailedwaivedwarbledwarnedwhimperedwhispered

yalpedyawnedyearnedyelledyieldedyodeledyowled

zinged

Courtesy of Bill Zeigler [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Appendix F: Types of Sources

(Note: Anything that has been created by humans is a historical source.)

Accountant RecordsAdvertisementAnnouncementAnthemApplicationArchitectureArticleAutobiographyBiographyBlogBookBrochureBuildingBusiness LetterCampaign SpeechCartoonChildren’s StoryChildren’s PoemClassified AdClothes/FashionCoinsComic/CartoonCommercialComplaintConfession

DebateDialogueDiaryDictionary EntryEditorialEmailEpitaphEquationEulogyFairy TaleFilmFlyerFolk SongsFolk TaleGraffitiGraphGreeting CardInterviewInvitationJob DescriptionJokeLab ReportLawsLegal BriefLetter

ListMapMemoMemoirMinutes of a meetingMoviesMusicMythsOathObituaryPaintingPamphletPetitionPhotographsPlayPledgePoetryPolice ReportPosterPrayerProclamationProfessional Trade

PublicationPublic Notice

QuestionnaireRecordingReportResumeRiddleSatireSculptureSermonShip’s LogSloganSong LyricsSonnetStatueSurveyTax recordsTelegramText MessageTravelogueTV News BroadcastUndercover surveillance

reportWanted PosterWar CorrespondenceWill

The $64,000 Question is:

How would you interpret a source differently

if it were a _____ rather than a _____ ?

If you said ‘nothing,’ then you don’t understand

WHY the type of source is important.

32

Appendix G: “Using” Sources

for the AP World History EBQ October 17, 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 Rubriccategories that require students to “use” Sources, each for a different purpose, and each Rubric category requires the “use” of a different numberof Sources.

Rubric Official DescriptionShorthandDescription

Historical Thinking Skill(or Cognitive Task)

Required Numberof Sources

2

Addresses all of the Sources

and

demonstrates understanding ofall or all but one.

Meaning

Acknowledging Existenceof Evidence

Must attempt to understand all Sources.(cannot ignore or “leave out” any Source)

Reading Comprehension Must correctly understand all but oneSource.

3Supports thesis with appropriateevidence from all or all but oneSource.

Evidence

Historical Argumentation

Appropriate Use of RelevantHistorical Evidence

All or all but one Source = 2 pts

All but two sources = 1 pt

4Analyzes Point of View inat least two Sources.

POV

Appropriate Use of RelevantHistorical Evidence

Contextualization

No less than 2 (but minimum could be more)

5Analyzes Sources by groupingthem in two or three ways,depending on the question.

Grouping Analysis No less than 2 (but minimum could be 3)

33Bill Strickland, East Grand Rapids HS [email protected]

Appendix H: Frequent EBQ Mistakes June 30, 2012

Question: Based on the following Sources, analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in China. What additional kind ofEvidence(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., graduallywinning 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 structurewas restored.

Category Mistake How to Fix It

Pre-WritingOrganization

PWO

Not reading the questionto know EXACTLY whatit is asking.

Essays are difficult to do, especially under pressure in limited time. Taking 5+ minutes to organizeyour thoughts helps in several ways: 1) It will focus your thesis directly on the question, rather thansome 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 youorganize your response? Are there any categories that lend themselves to organizing your response?Plan More, Write Less

HistoricalBackground

HB

Ignoring or not using thehistorical backgroundinformation.

The HB info is designed to HELP YOU! You don’t know what the EBQ will ask, right? You’rethinking to yourself, “How can they possibly expect me to remember everything I’ve learned allyear?” Well, the HB info is there to refresh your memory, to give you clues as to how to structure youressay, what information is important, and place the question in the larger context of all you’ve learned.

With this specific EBQ question, the HB information practically outlines a chronological structure foryou: 1) Buddhism gradually wins converts following the collapse of the Han dynasty; 2) Buddhistinfluence continues to expand during the period of political instability and disunity; 3) Imperialstructure is restored in 570 C.E.

Can you anticipate likely comparisons or contrasts? (e.g. “Contrast the Chinese responses toBuddhism during the period of political instability and disunity to the responses after imperialstructure was restored..” “How did the political status of China affect Chinese attitudes towardBuddhism?)




1Thesis

1ANo Thesis 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 agood score!)

1BThesis not relatedto the question

Most Chinese are Buddhists.China has 1.3 billion people.Buddhists often meditate.

• 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,” “Where,” and “When”)

1CThesis just repeatsor paraphrases thequestion

There were many responses tothe spread of Buddhism inChina.

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.)1D

Thesis is toovague

Buddhism had a large impacton China.

1E

Mentioningindividual sources

orGrouping Sources

Some Chinese rejected Bud-dhism. (Source #4 and #6)

The sources can be grouped inseveral ways: Sources #1 & #5favored Buddhism, Sources #4& #6 opposed Buddhism.

This isn’t “wrong” so much as just unnecessary and a poor use of time. Yourreader already knows the Sources. If you eliminated the “Source #4 & #6”from these examples would the sentence be any worse? How will telling yourreader 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 thesources. 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.” Possiblythe 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 requirestudents 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.




2Meaning

ofSources

2A

Source(s) notreferenced or usedat all in the essay

Essay never mentions a Source,explicitly or implicitly.

Pre-writing organization. As you outline your essay, note whichsources 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 mustat least include an ATTEMPT to understand it.

2B

Misinterpretationof Source

The Anonymous Chinese Scholar(Source #3) is clearly attackingBuddhism. The questions are hostileand meant to drive people awayfrom Buddhism.

Practice, practice, practice. Read Sources of all sorts: text, photo-graphs, maps, political cartoons, charts & graphs, etc.

Note: This is not a fatal error. You CAN misinterpret 1 Source andstill earn this Rubric point.

2CSummarizingSources

Source #2 says … Don’t being any sentence with the word “Source” or “in source #…”

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 everysentence should be [an analysis of] the “responses to the spread of Buddhism.” The EBQ is NOT “about” theSources. The Sources are not “the point” of the EBQ. They should not be the subject of any sentence. TheSources are merely “raw materials” to help students answer the question. Strive to spend your time answeringthe question rather than summarizing the Sources.

Correct: “Chinese initially favored Buddhism. (Source #2)” Sentence’s subject = a response to Buddhism

Incorrect: “Source #2 shows how Chinese initially favored Buddhism.” Sentence’s subject = “the Source.”

“In Source #2 Zhi Dun favors Buddhism.” Just eliminate “in Source #2"




3Evidence

3ANo specific evidenceused from Sources

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 ¶.

3B

Evidence used fromSources unrelated tothe thesis.

The unicorn mentioned inSource #3 is a mythicalcreature.

Probably caused by lack of clear thesis and/or lack of pre-writing organ-ization. There isn’t a “quick fix” to this. The purpose of the essay tomake an argument. What IS your argument? You may have to ‘puzzleand puzzle ‘til your puzzler is sore,’19 but the whole point of the essay tomake an argument. There is no ‘shortcut.’

3C

Excessive quoting orparaphrasing ofSources

As Zhi Dun says in Source #2,“[followed by 3 lines of text]”

Try to use only a few words (max 5) from a Source. Keep in mind, yourteacher/reader knows the Sources better than you do. How will quotingwhole sentences help your score? Your reader/teacher will think you’retrying to make your essay look longer because you don’t want to admitthat you don’t really know what to write.

3D

SummarizingSources (aka“Plot Summary”)

Source #1 says …blah blahblahSource #2 says …blah blahblah

Virtually any sentence that begins, “Source # says …” is guilty ofsummarizing Sources rather than using evidence to support the thesis.

Even worse is when the 1st ¶ begins, “Source #1 says …,” followed bythe 2nd ¶, “Source #2 says …” This is what teachers/readers call a“laundry list” essay. It’s merely a straight summation of each individualSource. (Which is precisely what the directions say NOT to do!)

19 With apologies to Theodore Geisel. (Dr. Seuss)



Mistake How to Fix It

4Point of

View(POV)

or

Context20

4ANo POV/Context given

Comments: This is actually the most common POV mistake made. Students simply don’t even attempt to analyze POV becausethey 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 thehardest point on the EBQ Rubric to earn.

4B

Attribution(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 thesewords doesn’t count, in fact, it makes your reader think you’re trying to “pad” your essay to make it appear longer/better than itreally is.

4C

Quoting orparaphrasingSources

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 canevaluate how much you “trust” the information in the Source, or what you think was really going on.

Note: It is useful to consider the tone/vocabulary of the Source, just as you would in analyzing a piece of literature. It will some-times convey the intent of the author (anger, disdain, admiration, satire, etc.). (Note: comments courtesy Ane Lintvedt)

4D

Confusing“POV” with“View”

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 studentsmust “connect” some intangible background information (e.g. China was being invaded by central Asian steppe nomads) to atangible characteristic within the Source itself. How might Zhi Dun’s view toward Buddhism be affected by all of thesecharacteristics of his time & place? If he had lived three centuries later, after a powerful empire had been restored, would he havewritten this same Source? If not, how and why do you think it might have been different? If he had lived in southern China wherethe 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 sources all share a particular POV. While this statement earnscredit 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, butPOV must be specific to a single author/Source, while Analysis by Grouping applies to a characteristic shared by multiple Sources.




5Grouping

or

ContentAnalysis

5A No groups exist Pre-writing planning and organization.

5B

Groups implied only byessay structure, notexplicitly stated

1st part of essaydiscusses thepositives, the 2nd partthe negatives.

This does show at least a little organization, so it’s better than nothing, butbe more explicit and sophisticated..

5C

Grouping only of wholeSources, not specificcharacteristics of theSources

Sources 1, 3, & 6 allbelong in one group.

Be more specific! Name the specific characteristic that is shared by theSources. (e.g. “Supporters of Buddhism like the Anonymous Chinese scholarand Zong Mi ignored or at least de-emphasized Buddhism’s non-Chineseorigins, (Sources 3, & 5) even as they had to defend Buddhism from attacksby supporters of ‘native’ Chinese Confucianism. (Sources 4, 6)”

5DGroup includes only1 Source

Each body paragraph must refer to at least 2 Sources.

5E Too few groups 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 thetitle of that characteristic. DON’T group whole Sources, analyze characteristics OF Sources. (That’s why one Source can belong tomore 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 sourcesmust 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)



Category Mistake Example How to Fix It

6AdditionalEvidence

6ANo additionalEvidence requested.

Earning the Additional Evidence point is so easy. All it takes is onesentence to describe the additional Evidence, and a second sentence todescribe how an historian would use it to more fully answer the question.

6B

No reason/justifi-cation stated forthe additionalEvidence.

It would be good tohave Evidence froma 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 toanswer 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 religiousmatters 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 widelyBuddhism challenged Confucianism among the general population.


Appendix J: “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 threesentences 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 Categoriessimultaneously. 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 ableto analyze Context/POV, but students should “aim” to write in a way that demonstrates as many Historical Thinking Skills as possible.

Rubric CategoriesNote their “Hierarchical” Relationship

#4 ContextWhy did

this authorcreate this source

at this time?

#3 EvidenceWhat specific words or

concepts unique to this source support this paragraph’s argument?

#2 Demonstrates UnderstandingReading Comprehension

Did the student correctly understand this source?

Acknowledge ExistenceDid the student acknowledge that this source exists?

Efficient “Power” Writing“Zong Mi praised each religion’s founder as “perfect sages” because he was afraidto anger his Confucian emperor.” This sentence simultaneously earns credit towardthree rubric categories: Context = author’s motive (“because”); Evid = the phrase“perfect sages”; Understanding = “praised each religion’s founder” = a responseto the spread of Buddhism; Acknowledging Existence = simply mentioning thesource/author or any text from the Source. All this in only 18 words!

Inefficient “Writing to the Rubric”“In Source #5 Zong Mi supports Buddhism when he says that “all three teachingslead to the creation of an orderly society and for this they must be observed withrespect.” Acknowledges Existence of Source #5, also Demonstrates Understandingby characterizing Zong Mi as “support[ing] Buddhism.” Uses Evidence, but quotesfar too much of the Source. Unfortunately this is a common example of studentwriting. It’s not “wrong” per se, but it spends 31 words to earn very little credittoward 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 perfectsages.” Acknowledges Existence of Source #5 but does NOT demonstrate that thewriter Understands the Source’s Meaning, because they merely quoted the Sourcew/o any further comment. Also does NOT earn credit for Using Evidence, becausethe only “Evidence” is a quotation w/o any argument to support. Note also how thenominative clause of this sentence is “the Source” rather than a “response to thespread of Buddhism.” This is why I don’t allow students to start sentences with“Source” or “In source # …” 14 words of effort with little to show for it.

41Bill Strickland [email protected]

How to EBQ Name - Cornerstone Charter

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