WHP AP - Lesson 2.2 Activity - SAQ Practice - Unit 2 Student Materials

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn

AP World History: Modern student activity materials for SAQ Practice – Unit 2, Lesson 2.2, centered on four-step historical analysis when prompts include a primary source. The document explains preparation and a structured method: rewrite the prompts, review relevant AP themes, analyze and annotate the provided source using color-coded theme highlights, and answer the prompts by making a claim and citing, then reasoning with specific evidence. The activity includes prompts about Indian Ocean trade (c. 1200–1450 CE) and provides an excerpt from Abd-al-Razzāq Samarqandī describing travel, ports, merchants, and trading practices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

SAQ Practice Tool Overview

Purpose

Process (Four Steps)

Step 1: Rewrite the Prompts

Prompt A

Prompt B

Prompt C

Step 2: Review the Content

Step 3: Analyze and Annotate

Provided Historical Excerpt

Step 4: Answer the Prompts

Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

WORLD HISTORY PROJECT-AP / LESSON 2.2 ACTIVITY SAQ PRACTICE – UNIT 2 STUDENT MATERIALS Preparation • Three colors of highlighters Purpose Some of the SAQs on the AP® World History: Modern examination includes a primary source: either a text excerpt, an image, a map, or some data. Sourcing these excerpts can be difficult—it’s hard to produce enough accurate factual knowledge to respond completely to SAQ prompts. This activity introduces you to the SAQ Practice Tool, which is a four-step method that gives you a process you can use when conducting historical analysis while answering SAQs. You will practice this four-step method throughout the year in preparation for the AP World History exam. Process In this activity, you will be introduced to the SAQ Practice Tool, which is a four-step process for responding to SAQs that include a primary source. Start by taking out the SAQ Practice Tool. As a class, you’re going to work through a four-step process that will help you expertly respond to SAQs. The steps of the process are: 1. Rewrite the prompts 2. Review the content 3. Analyze and annotate 4. Answer the prompts. (Note that for SAQs without a source, you can just skip the third step.) Step 1: Rewrite the following prompts in your own words: • Prompt A: Identify ONE innovation that facilitated trade in the Indian Ocean network in the period from c. 1200 to 1450 CE. • Prompt B: Explain ONE political factor that influenced trade in the Indian Ocean network in the period from c. 1200 to 1450 CE. • Prompt C: Explain ONE cultural factor that influenced trade in the Indian Ocean network in the period from c. 1200 to 1450 CE. Step 2: It’s time to start thinking about how to respond to the prompts. While it’s tempting to first look at the source provided along with the prompts, you’ll probably have more success if you first try to recall what you already know about the topic so that the source doesn’t limit your thinking. To do this, organize your review using the AP themes. For this activity, you are asked to recall what you remember about Indian Ocean trade in terms of innovation, politics, and culture. Go through each of these themes with your class and add historical details you remember in the tool. As needed, you can go back into Unit 2 to review, but remember that on the exam, you won’t be able to do this. For now, however, the process is the most important thing to focus on. WORLD HISTORY PROJECT-AP / LESSON 2.2 ACTIVITY SAQ PRACTICE – UNIT 2 STUDENT MATERIALS Step 3: Once you’ve organized what you remember into the themes, it’s now time to move on to analyzing and annotating the source. As a class, you’re going to read through the source and try to identify any factors that may have helped trade in the Indian Ocean network. As you work through the source, each time you identify a factor, see if you can connect it to one of the themes from Step 2. When you do, highlight that section of text with the corresponding highlight color from Step 2. Step 4: Now it’s time to answer the prompts. Using the ideas your class came up with in Step 2, along with the annotations from Step 3, you should be just about ready to construct your responses. First, look at the highlighted paragraph to see how the themes align to each prompt. Try to see if you can match the specific theme/evidence to each of the prompts. Choose the theme that will help you construct the strongest response to each prompt. • A – answer the prompt/make a claim • C – cite evidence • E – explain how the evidence supports the claim (often referred to as reasoning) Your teacher will walk you through constructing a response. To wrap up, review the SAQ Practice Tool’s four-step process with your class and be sure to ask any questions you have—you will be using this tool all year so the sooner you get comfortable with it, the better. WORLD HISTORY PROJECT-AP / LESSON 2.2 ACTIVITY SAQ PRACTICE – UNIT 2 STUDENT MATERIALS Name

FAQs

What are the four steps of the SAQ Practice Tool used for primary-source SAQs?

The steps are: 1) Rewrite the prompts, 2) Review the content, 3) Analyze and annotate the source, and 4) Answer the prompts using theme alignment and evidence. If a SAQ has no source, Step 3 can be skipped.

How should students respond to Prompt A, B, and C during Step 1?

Students rewrite each prompt in their own words, focusing on one innovation, one political factor, and one cultural factor that influenced Indian Ocean trade in the period c. 1200 to 1450 CE.

What should students do in Step 3 when analyzing the provided historical excerpt?

Students read the excerpt and highlight text that may help respond to the prompt, then color-code each highlighted section according to the theme chosen in Step 2.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn