FORGE DBQ ESSAY
Planning makes perfect!
March 20th 2014
Learning Goal: Students will analyze various primary and secondary documents to determine if they would have quit had they been an American solider in the Battle of Valley
Forge.
STEP ONE CREATE A THESIS
STATEMENT
The thesis statement is your answer to the analytical question: “Would you have quit?”
Your answer being: choose a side- quitting or not quitting!
I would have quit the fight at Valley Forge
I would not have quit fighting for freedom from Britain
THESIS AND ROADMAP/ CHICKEN
FOOT
Your thesis statement and the three reasons why you would either quit or not quit
I would have quit because
3
THESE THREE REASONS BECOME
PARAGRAPH 2, 3, AND 4
These three reasons become your baby thesis's for paragraphs 2, 3, and 4!
They are the way you start these three paragraphs! A baby thesis is a paragraph opener!
ORGANIZING PARAGRAPH ONE (1)
Grabber
Background
Stating the question with key terms defined
Thesis and roadmap
CREATE A WORKING TITLE
Dead Cold Eyes
Dying for a Cause
Freezing Death
Valley Forge: where men died for nothing
Ready to die for Freedom
Come up with something creative
CREATE A GRABBER
War is hard, but it is not always bayonets and bullets! GIVE THE READER SOME BACKGROUND ON
WHAT VALLEY FORGE WAS!
In a couple of sentences 3 or 4 tell the reader the background of Valley Forge
STATING THE QUESTION WITH KEY
TERMS DEFINED:
“would you have quit?” is changes to something in your own words: “Would you have chosen to go home instead of reenlisting in the war at Valley Forge?”
Chosen to go home and not re-enlist replaces
“quit”
THESIS AND ROAD MAP EXAMPLE:
I will re-enlist for three reasons: the sickness of the men, loyalty to my government, and belief in our cause.
PARAGRAPH #2
Now plug this evidence into your paragraph to give facts to support your argument that you would or would not quit!
Baby thesis #1 from roadmap
Use evidence from the documents to back up your reason and baby thesis
Example of Evidence: half of the army is too sick for roll call (this came from Doc A)
1800 to 2500 will die from illness (this came from Doc
A)
End paragraph with an argument statement that connects to evidence: Example: “I cant let my friends die for nothing. I must fight for fallen comrades even if continental congress is showing us no support for the war they declared.
PARAGRAPH #3
Baby Thesis # 2 from roadmap Example Baby Thesis: “I will re-enlist because my government deserves loyalty.”
Evidence from documents- committee of congress has stayed with us through much of winter (Doc B)
End paragraph with an argument statement that connects to evidence
Example of an argument statement: Now I see that the government does support me and I will stay and support my government!
PARAGRAPH # 4
Baby Thesis # 3 on Roadmap
Evidence
Argument
PARAGRAPH #5
Conclusion:
Restate your main idea or argument
“I will quit or I will not quit and why”
This is a way to end your essay with organization and let the reader know the essay is over without saying “the end!”
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