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History, Civics & Social Studies · Grade 5

Founding Documents and Constitutional Ideas

Fifth graders learn why the first national government under the Articles of Confederation was too weak, how delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention reached compromises (including the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise), how the Constitution's principles (popular sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism) limit power, and how the debate over ratification led to the Bill of Rights.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 110 minutes
  • Constitution check: 9 questions
  • Ways to answer: choose an answer, highlight a text, match pairs, type a number, put in order and sort into groups
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What learners will discover

  • Explain the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and why leaders called the Constitutional Convention.
  • Explain the major compromises of the Constitutional Convention and how different groups viewed them.
  • Explain the Constitution's key principles, including popular sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism.
  • Describe the ratification debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists and the protections in the Bill of Rights.

Lessons

  1. A government too weak 3 steps2 practiceabout 25 min
  2. Compromises in Philadelphia 5 steps4 practiceabout 28 min
  3. Principles of the Constitution 5 steps3 practiceabout 30 min
  4. Ratification and the Bill of Rights 4 steps2 practiceabout 27 min
  5. Constitution check 9 questions at the end

Keep exploring

More 5th grade social studies

Guide for grown-ups