Mastering the DBQ in AP African American Studies
TL;DR: These AP African American Studies DBQ resources pair a rubric-aligned writing packet with a companion slideshow to help students master DBQ writing through clear, repeatable processes.
One of the biggest challenges students face in AP African American Studies is the Document-Based Question (DBQ). In just 45 minutes, students must analyze five historical documents, craft an argument, and hit every row of the College Board rubric. That can be really difficult for students, especially if this is their first experience in a timed-writing setting. In this guide and companion teacher slideshow, I attempt to break it down for students.
Why DBQ Writing Feels So Hard
The DBQ isn’t just an essay—it’s a highly structured task. When I was in school, I remember struggling, even after being given the rubric. Some of these categories sounded vague and even when I was familiar with the history or topic, I failed to achieve what the rubric asked for. I needed more guidance on what I should be writing for each row of the rubric.
How These Resources Help
The DBQ writing guide is meant to explain to students what they should write for each part of the essay. It is process-oriented. Instead of vague advice (“add more analysis”), students get clear sentence-level structures and models. For example, students learn to write contextualization using a simple Broad–Narrow–Bridge structure, and thesis statements using a Claim + Line of Reasoning format. Evidence, outside evidence, and sourcing are all broken into repeatable, student-friendly steps.
The guide is also flexible for instruction. Teachers can use the materials straight through or pull individual sections (context, thesis, sourcing, etc.) for targeted practice.
What’s Included
Across these DBQ resources, you’ll find:
A full DBQ writing guide that walks through every rubric row
A teacher slideshow that covers all of the same steps for classroom use
A sample prompt and documents aligned to AP African American Studies units
Model sentences and paragraph structures for:
Context
Thesis & line of reasoning
Document evidence
Outside evidence
Source analysis (POV, purpose, context, audience)
A complete DBQ outline students can reuse on test day
Important Reminder
The goal isn’t to script student writing—it’s to give them a reliable framework so they can focus on historical thinking instead of guessing what graders want. There is NO SUBSTITUTE to learning the content of the course. The more content knowledge that a student has, the more powerful this DBQ guide can be.
Get Started
Whether you’re scaffolding DBQs early in the year or tightening writing before the exam, these resources are designed to make DBQ writing more transparent—and far less intimidating. If you use them in your classroom, I’d love to hear how they go and what your students find most helpful.