Preparing Students for the 8thGrade NYS Social Studies Exam

Useful Websites

• DBQ-CRQ Teaching with Documents– www.edteck.com
• Intermediate Test Prep SS Grade 7 & 8 – www.studyzone.org
• NYS Archives Throughout the Ages – www.nysed.gov
• NYC Social Studies – www.nycsocialstudies.org
• Welcome to Social Studies – www.nysed.gov
• Brown v. Board of Ed - www.asbj.com/BrownvBoard/brown7.html

DBQ Resources

• DBQ Student Checklist
• Student Guide to Responding to the DBQ
• Pre-Writing Strategies for Writing a DBQ
• Writing a DBQ
• DBQ Teacher Checklist
• Construction of Document-Based Essay – group work
• DBQ-Lawyer Comparison

Writing Tools

• Essay Graphic Organizer (pdf)
• Essay Graphic Organizer (Word)
• My Writing Checklist

Social Studies 8th Grade Exam Resources

• NYS S.S. Test: Observations and Analyses
• Grade 8 Holistic Scoring – Power Point
• Holistic Scoring – Power Point
• 8 th Grade SS Test – Assessment Skills Item Analysis
• 8 th Grade SS Test – Assessment Topics Item Analysis
• Definitions of DBQ Essay Question words
• Adapting and Modifying DBQ Essay Questions
• Tips for preparing for the 8 th grade SS Test