How to Use:
Develop skills for in-depth analysis and inquiry with DBQuest, a learning tool that challenges students to dig into primary sources. DBQuest uses document-based questions to guide students in primary source analysis.
Key features
Introduce students to major questions in civics and history with DBQuests. Guided by a “big question,” students examine primary sources, and uncover and corroborate key evidence with the help of document-based supporting questions.
Plan with time in mind
Requiring one to two class periods to complete, DBQuests easily fit into any curriculum.
Supplement your lesson
Deepen student understanding and engagement with digital tools that introduce, reinforce, or review concepts covered in class.
Assign and track
Assign DBQuests and track student progress and performance with the iCivics LMS.
Supporting materials
Each DBQuest includes a Teacher’s Guide that contains printables, a glossary, and student activities to make the most of your class time.
Teaching Tips
Implement with ease
DBQuests are a ready-to-use teaching resource for educators. They do not require students to have any prior knowledge of content. Within a module, students learn everything needed to succeed and accomplish the learning objectives.
Provide scaffolded support
DBQuests can be completed in two modes—guided or freeform. The guided experience provides scaffolding throughout the tool, while freeform offers students the same elements of the tool without additional assistance. Both allow students to produce a thoughtful analysis of the resources provided.
Offer a structured primary source review
DBQuests take students through a structured process to analyze primary sources. This 4-step process guides students to determine a source’s perspective and rate it for usefulness; identify the source’s type and analyze it; address the supporting questions in their own words; and summarize their findings in response to the big question.
Ways to use DBQuest in the classroom:
Introduce
Introduce new topics for which students have little to no prior knowledge, creating curious minds ready for learning.
Supplement
Round out an engaging sequence of learning activities designed to foster an understanding of key content.
Extend
Make learning objectives stick and leverage classroom learning by adding firsthand accounts to your existing materials and teaching methods.
Prep for AP
Make the most of study time ahead of AP Exams. Practice analyzing and summarizing source documents with DBQuests.
Most popular DBQuests
- The Constitution
Learn how the American idea of government evolved from a revolutionary response to monarchy to a union of states.
- Multiple sessions
- The Executive Branch
When President Eisenhower authorized troops under federal authority to desegregate Little Rock Central High School in 1957, he became the first president since Reconstruction to…
- Multiple sessions
- A Growing Nation
The 1830 Indian Removal Act authorized President Andrew Jackson to negotiate treaties with tribes in order to relocate them to land west of the Mississippi & open their lands to white settlement.
- Multiple sessions
What makes DBQuests unique?
DBQuests create a guided experience for students to analyze primary sources, substantiate their analysis with evidence, and identify the intended audience for and potential bias within a source. DBQuests work well for students, as they:
Support the skills needed to read and understand complex texts and model historical thinking.
Break primary sources into manageable chunks that are engaging and approachable for all learners.
Motivate students to hear directly from the people who lived and witnessed historical moments as modules captivate them in rich, multimedia primary sources.
Why DBQuests work for educators
DBQuests are easily implemented resources that fit into any curriculum and allow educators to bypass the time-consuming challenge of curating primary sources. Educators will discover a library of primary sources, from significant to lesser-known texts, videos, and images that tell stories from history often not found in textbooks. DBQuests provide a structure for breaking down evidence-based analytical writing, synthesizing information, and considering multiple sources and perspectives.
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