Emergency Sub Plans for 5th-7th Grade Social Studies: On the Constitution

Explain why the Articles of Confederation failed and why the Constitution was written to replace them.

Recall key facts of the Constitutional Convention, including James Madison's Virginia Plan, the Great Compromise, and the ratification requirement of 9 of 13 states.

Compare a nonfiction account and a fictional first-person account of the same events, noting point of view and details unique to each text.

Prepare the listed copies, classroom information, schedule and procedures before leaving the packet.

Provide crayons or colored pencils for the day-three and day-five activities.

Use the dated feedback forms to follow up on each day’s work.

Active-reading annotation — students mark key details, vocabulary words, surprises, names, and dates using the packet's symbol guide while reading each passage.

Reading comprehension — students answer multiple-choice, true/false, and term-matching questions drawn directly from the two Constitution texts.

Comparing texts — students sort details into a graphic organizer contrasting the nonfiction passage's third-person account with George Washington's first-person letters.