Quick steps:

1. 3–5 minute document scan: tag POV, audience, purpose
2. 10–15 minute planning: outline paragraph topics & evidence
3. Write 40–45 minute essay: intro, 3–4 body paragraphs, conclusion

HIPPO — doc analysis

• Historical context
• Intended audience
• Purpose
• Point of view
• Outside evidence

Sample DBQ thesis

Although the Indian Ocean trade network allowed port cities to accumulate wealth and cosmopolitan culture between 1200 and 1450, the benefits were uneven because merchant elites consolidated economic power and states gradually imposed taxes that deepened social stratification.

Body paragraph plan (DBQ)

1. Topic sentence linking doc evidence to thesis
2. Use 2–3 documents as evidence, explain HIPPO for at least 2
3. Add 1 piece of outside evidence
4. Conclude & link to thesis

B.A.E.

1. Before: Describe earlier system or situation with evidence
2. After/Change: Describe change(s) and reasons
3. Explain: Show causes, consequences, and continuity

Sample LEQ planning

Prompt: Evaluate changes and continuities in labor systems from 1750 to 1900.
Thesis: From 1750 to 1900 labor systems shifted from coerced labor (slavery, serfdom) toward wage labor and indentured servitude as industrial demand grew and abolitionist sentiments reshaped policies.

Format: 2–4 sentences. Direct answer, cite one specific fact, explain connection.

Q: Describe one political change in China between 1750 and 1900.
A: The Qing dynasty faced increasing foreign pressure and internal rebellions (Taiping Rebellion), which weakened imperial authority and set the stage for reforms and eventual revolution.

Timing & Practice

• DBQ: plan 15 min, write 35–45 min
• LEQ: plan 10–12 min, write 40–45 min
• SAQ: 3–5 min each

DBQ: Analyze the economic causes and effects of the Columbian Exchange from 1492–1750.

LEQ: Evaluate the extent to which industrialization changed gender roles between 1750 and 1900.

SAQ Set:

1. Identify one example of cultural syncretism between 1200–1450.
2. Give a cause of the Russian Revolution (1917).
3. State one long-term effect of European imperialism in Africa.