US Constitution Unit | 5th Grade - 8th Grade

This U.S. Constitution unit covers how the Constitution was created and how the US government works. Your students will love the simulation where they are delegates at a Constitutional Convention who debate and vote on issues like presidential terms and representation in Congress. 

I’ve made these US Constitution activities as easy as possible for busy teachers to implement. From thorough lesson plans to answer keys – it's all there. This unit will prepare you to teach about complex topics like the US Constitution and slavery, popular sovereignty, limited government, federalism, separation of powers, and more.  

Even better, this unit makes a boring topic fun! The 15 US Constitution lessons are filled with a variety of engaging activities. By the end, your students will be experts not only on how the Constitution came to be but also on how it affects daily lives today.

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Table of Contents

Part 1: Context for the Constitutional Convention

• The Articles of Confederation— identify the strengths and weaknesses (informative article, task cards, classifying worksheet)
• 6 Key Concepts in the US Constitution—describe key concepts: popular sovereignty, limited government, republicanism, federalism, separation of powers, checks & balances (student booklet, sorting cards, game)

Part 2: Events of the Constitutional Convention

• Simulation: Become a Delegate—assume a fictional identity as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention (article, identity cards, delegate character sketch, and more)
• Simulation: Choosing Representatives—in a simulated Constitutional Convention, debate and vote on if representatives should be appointed or elected (arguments for both sides, student worksheets, informative article)
• Simulation: Representation in Congress—in a simulated Constitutional Convention, debate and vote on if states should be represented equally or by population (arguments for both sides, student worksheets, informative article)
• Simulation: Presidential Terms—in a simulated Constitutional Convention, debate and vote on if presidential terms should be long or short (arguments for both sides, student worksheets, informative article)
• The US Constitution and Slavery—identify sections of the Constitution that permitted slavery and how these sections affected the nation (informative article, graphic organizer)
• Ratification of the Constitution—identify primary source quotes as Federalist or Antifederalist arguments (informative article, primary sources, student posters, reflection sheet)

Part 3: The Constitution and the US Government

• Be a Constitution Detective—summarize the main idea of each section of the Constitution and answer questions about the US government (puzzle pieces, student worksheet)
• The Preamble—translate and illustrate the Preamble (task cards & recording sheet, student-created posters, preamble cut apart for memorizing)
• Three Branches of Government—explain how power is separated between the three branches of government (posters/anchor charts, matching worksheet, card game)
• Federal, State, and Local Governments—list and analyze the powers of the federal and state governments and research elected officials (graphic organizers game, research elected leaders worksheet)
• The Bill of Rights—interpret and teach about the Bill of Rights (worksheet for analyzing each Bill of Right, amendment rap, main idea worksheets, cards for acting out the Bill of Rights)
• Amendments—categorize the amendments and create an amendment (amendments timeline, amendments chart, create my own amendment worksheet)
• The Constitution in Your Daily Life—explain how the Constitution affects me in my daily life and analyze The American's Creed (teacher guide, situations worksheet, writing about The American's Creed)

Help For The Teacher

• Table of contents (also available in the preview)
• Suggested pacing guide
• 15 lesson plans
• Answer Keys (Of course!)
• Editable end-of-unit test and study guide
• Easy printing file with all student worksheets and articles

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This unit also includes DIGITAL ACCESS via Google Slides.*

• I have created a Google Slides resource for each lesson. Each resource contains student instructions, student worksheets with editable text boxes, and articles/task cards if applicable.
• Teachers can assign Google Slides via Google Classroom.
  

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Why I created this unit

1. I want your students to be excited and passionate about learning US history!

2. I believe that teachers deserve excellent social studies resources (Can someone please tell our school districts?)

3. Planning complete units is tedious and time-consuming. I want to save teachers precious time so they can focus on doing what they love—teaching!

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What people are saying about this unit:

“My students love these resources! I have become a "Rock Star" Social Studies teacher because of them. This is my 5th packet and it's superb! The role-playing is always their favorite part and they truly learn about history through their active involvement. Don't let the price scare you - the resource is worth every single penny! Not only are the kids learning, but I always learn from these resources as well. Very thought out and engaging! Thank you!” —Karen C.

“I absolutely love everything that The Clever Teacher makes. She makes units so fun and includes a variety of different activities to try with your class. I have learned so many strategies from her lesson plans. My kids love her simulations and I feel they are actually learning and retaining information! ” —Tailor H.

“I love the three week unit plans I get from The Clever Teacher! My students understood the Constitutional Convention for the activity in here. They were engaged and had a great understanding of our Constitution. ” —Jacquelyn S.

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How can this unit be for grades 5th-8th?

The articles are written at a 7th-8th grade reading level. If you teach one of those grades, your students will be able to complete the activities more or less independently. If you teach 5th or 6th grade, I recommend reading and analyzing the articles with your students. They will do great! Check out the reviews to see how teachers at your grade level have successfully used and loved this unit.

Where can I find more history units?

I have already created units for the following topics:

• Age of Exploration
• 13 Colonies
• Declaration of Independence
• US Constitution
• Early Republic
• Revolutionary War
• Westward Expansion
• Civil War

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Customer Tips:

For samples of what is included, download the preview file. I would love to answer any and all questions about this product. Ask a question by clicking on “Product Q & A”

All of my products are digital and non-refundable. This is a digital file. A physical product will not be shipped. Please make sure you have a way to open: a zip file, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, and a word document before purchasing.

This product is not editable. The only part of the unit that is editable is the end-of-unit study guide and test. The other elements (like lesson plans, student worksheets, PowerPoint presentations, Google Slides, etc.) are not. The PDFs are password protected. This protects my work as well as the work of graphic and font artists I've purchased from.