1. OPTIC Workshop
AP World history

2. Important Things To Know:
OPTICs are about evaluating visual sources
I won’t grade you on getting the “right answer” – different interpretations are OK!
I will grade you on:
Historical accuracy
How you explain your answer
Make an argument: answer the question “What does this mean?” and explain why (using OPTI)
Imagine the grader doesn’t know history

3. OPTIC RUBRIC
Part 1: The students will list components of the document using OPTICS.
Part 2: Draw a conclusion using all components of OPTICS and a personal inference.
Overview
Parts
Title, Caption, Words
Interrelationships
Personal analysis of reliability
5. Personal inference
TOTAL SCORE: ________ / 10

4. Overview: Give a brief overview of the visual – a short, descriptive one- sentence summary about the visual. Be sure to include a historical overview.
Parts: Focus on the parts of the visual – divide it into parts and examine each part separately. List the details that seem important.
Titles, Words, Captions: What is the visual’s title, and what does it have to say about the visual? What does the caption or source say about the author, artist, or creator? What words are in the visual, and why might they be important?
Interrelationships: What big umbrella concept connects the whole visual? How do the parts connect, or relate to each other?
Reliability: How reliable is this visual? Who created it, and why might that affect the visual’s message?
Part 2:
Conclusion: Draw a conclusion about the visual as a whole, summarizing it in a paragraph. What does it mean? Explain the meaning of the visual using your details from OPTI as evidence. (“This visual is ___________ because ___________”)

5. Part 2: Drawing a Conclusion
Overview: Start your conclusion with a one-sentence description—what is the image?. Make sure it includes a historical overview.
Think like you’re writing a thesis statement
Include
what the visual is (a tapestry, a stone carving, a painting, etc.),
what is depicted
historical context (when it happened)
Example:
“This rock art from the Tasilli-n-Ajjer mountain range in the Sahara was drawn by a member of a nomadic tribe to represent their hunter-gatherer lifestyle.”

6. Part 2: Drawing a Conclusion
Parts: Describe important details from the visual and how they support your conclusion.
“This detail represents ________” or “This part looks like this because __________”
Example:
“Human figures are depicted wielding bows and arrows, representing members of the tribe hunting a herd of cattle, grouped together at the bottom of the rock.
Other human figures are seen bending over because they are gathering plants or another food source.”

7. Part 2: Drawing a Conclusion
Titles, Words, Captions: What does the title, caption or source say about the author, artist, or creator? What words are in the visual, and why might they be important?
Example:
“Because this Saharan rock art dates to 7000 b.c.e., it was created in the middle of the Neolithic Revolution. However, the invention and cultural diffusion of agriculture around the world took thousands of years, so the tribe depicted may not have discovered it yet.”
Remember to answer if the visual is reliable – otherwise you can’t get this point!!!

8. Part 2: Drawing a Conclusion
Interrelationships: What big umbrella concept connects the whole visual? Use the title and parts. How do they relate to each other?
Example:
“The divisions of humans into hunting and gathering groups, as well as the human figures drawn running after cattle, indicate that the society depicted was nomadic, following packs of animals that they hunted for a food source.”

9. Part 2: Drawing a Conclusion
Personal inference: This is a very important step—it’s where you tie everything together. What does this image tell us about the time period when it was created? Include outside knowledge.
Think hard about this – theorize.
Example:
“This visual demonstrates how the Neolithic revolution was a gradual process. The invention of agriculture led nomadic groups to settle in one place and develop more complicated societies, eventually creating the first civilizations near river valleys. This was a gradual change over thousands of years, and not all societies invented or picked up agriculture. The society that drew this picture probably left it as a record of their nomadic, hunter- gatherer lifestyle as they passed through the area.”

10. A Few Final Thoughts Be specific! Watch for historical accuracy
If you make an argument about a part of the visual, explain why
Watch for historical accuracy
If you say something historically inaccurate, you can’t score points from it
Paleolithic vs. Neolithic (8000 bce)
Be confident in your point
No “I,” “I think,” “This may be,” “like”
You can do it! Mr. Storck believes in you! :D