Lesson
America in Transition Deconstructed DBQ Mini-Lesson
Guiding question
How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century?
Founding Principles
Objectives
- Students will provide historical context for primary source documents.
- Students will engage in critical thinking to interpret historical perspectives using VIEW (Voice, Intent, Environment, Who).
- Students will develop a thesis statement using historical evidence.
- Students will group sources based on similarities and historical themes.
- Students will develop a thesis that answers the guiding question using evidence from grouped sources.
Materials
Materials
Student Materials
- Rotating Responses Handout
- Unit 6 Context, Thesis, Grouping, VIEWing Documents Deconstructed DBQ Graphic Organizer
- Document Set (choose 1):
- Unit 6 Deconstructed DBQ Assignment Sheet and Document Set
- Scaffolded Deconstructed DBQ Assignment Sheet and Document Set
- Documents contained within both sets include:
- Document A: Excerpt from a young woman working in the Lowell Mills (1830s or 1840s)
- Document B: Excerpt from Angelina Grimké’s “Letter to Catharine Beecher” (1837)
- Document C: Excerpts from “Letters from an Immigrant” by Johan Schütz (1840s)
- Document D: Excerpt from the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
- Document E: The County Election by George Caleb Bingham (1852)
- Document F: Excerpt from Frederick Douglass’ What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Speech (1852)
- Document G: Excerpt from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden (1854)
- Documents contained within both sets include:
- America In Transition Video
Teacher Materials
- Unit 6 Deconstructed DBQ Document Set and Teacher Context Teacher Resource
- Unit 6 Model Organizer and Scoring Guide Teacher Resource
- Unit 6 Slide Deck
Teacher note: There are two versions of the deconstructed DBQ documents. The original version includes light scaffolding and is intended for assessment. The second version is more scaffolded and is intended for using the deconstructed DBQ as a learning activity. The two versions can also be used for different levels of learners in the same class.
Lesson Components
Student Response Handout that helps students analyze a political cartoon to build background knowledge for the deconstructed DBQ.
Scaffolded Document Set that addresses the question: How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century?
Document Set that addresses the question: how did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century?
Lesson Components
A pre-made slide deck to accompany this lesson.
Scaffolded Document Set that addresses the question: How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century?
Document Set that addresses the question: how did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century?
Analyze primary sources to answer a historical prompt.
Student Response Handout that helps students analyze a political cartoon to build background knowledge for the deconstructed DBQ.
Guiding Question: How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century? About the Video Series: Our video resources in the Building a Self-Governing People middle school curriculum integrate primary source analysis with Document-Based Question (DBQ) skills to deepen student learning. Use them to launch your assessment lesson or to support students who need a refresher on DBQ strategies. Each video features two young professionals: a museum curator leading a gallery tour and an educator accompanying students on a field trip. The curator models how to analyze primary sources such as historical documents and artwork. Then, the educator demonstrates how to use that analysis to answer a compelling historical question. For guidance on how to use the videos within your lessons, refer to the unit’s Deconstructed DBQ Lesson Plan.
Teacher support for implementing the Unit 6: American in Transition Deconstructed DBQ.
A scoring guide to assist in the assessment of the Unit 6 DBQ.
Lesson plan
More Information
Facilitation Notes
- This mini-lesson reinforces the skill of providing context, which was introduced in Unit 5.
- This mini-lesson is intended to take 45-60 minutes and focus on a specific skill. It was created to accompany the mini-lesson teacher slide deck.
- This lesson was created to build upon the previous Deconstructed DBQ lessons. However, it can be implemented in isolation with additional supports. Modify the lesson by using the scaffolding notes to fit your classroom.