Use this lesson with The Constitutional Convention Narrative and after students have done The Articles of Confederation, 1781 Primary Source activity.

By the end of the lesson, students will explain to what extent the Constitution achieved a “more perfect Union” and a government better able to govern and protect natural rights, compared with the Articles of Confederation.

• Handout A: The Constitutional Convention
• Handout B: Constitution Strips

• Depending on student background and familiarity with constitutional principles, it would be useful for students to have access to Handout C: Principles and Virtues Glossary.
• In advance of the lesson, the Constitution excerpt strips should be cut apart, laminated, and organized so that each pair of students has one set of excerpt strips.
• The teacher should monitor students’ responses during part 1 of the Exploration to ensure students are sufficiently evaluating the potential problems related to the Articles of Confederation. For lower-level groups, prompting questions may assist in determining these issues or checking for understanding (e.g., “Why would the inability to tax be a deficiency with a federal government?”). If the chart does not list the proper problems, students will not be able to complete the second step of the activity, identifying the Constitution’s solutions.
• If time allows, the teacher should facilitate a discussion about the problems of the Articles of Confederation, prompting students to analyze why each problematic feature poses a challenge to the implementation of government. Example discussion questions include:
  • Why might a unicameral legislature be considered problematic?
  • What purpose does a judiciary serve? What problems might arise from the absence of one?
  • How does a government ensure that it is sustainable over time? What does a government need to function in a variety of circumstances?
• Strips help students organize their thoughts without committing to a conclusion as they proceed through the activity, thus allowing them to grapple more deeply with the question, “How did the Constitution seek to solve the problems of the Articles of Confederation?” Students should not work alone in this activity unless necessary, because conversations about the placement of certain strips will prompt debate and disagreement, which assists students in processing their understanding of the documents and issues.