U.S. Constitution Worksheets Step by Step -- Article I Worksheet

Liven up your government teaching with this guided Constitution worksheet that takes students through the details of Article I, all about the legislative branch. These worksheets let students really get into the primary source text instead of relying on textbook authors to tell them what the Constitution says about Congress -- and because it is a complete look at Article I, it covers a lot of ground that textbooks tend to overlook.

Give your students a really complete view of the rights, roles, and responsibilities of Congress!

I BELIEVE IN CRITICAL THINKING

The worksheet is more than a reading comprehension activity. At key points, it asks students the critical "why?" questions that are so essential to true understanding. To complete the worksheet, students will have to do a close reading of Article I to discover key details, but then they will have to apply critical thinking skills to figure out what reasons the Framers probably had in mind for including certain provisions regarding the legislative branch.

For example, the Constitution specifies that Congress members can't be held to answer in a court of law for anything they say while in Congress. No reason for this prohibition is given, but of course there is a very good one. Students are challenged to think for themselves as to why it was a good idea to make sure that Congress members feel free to speak their minds without worrying about being sued for their remarks. And this is just the tip of the iceberg -- these worksheets are about clear reading and careful analysis, always providing the guidance that students need to get at the heart of these important matters.

Students are also challenged to think through what some of the somewhat advanced vocabulary used in Article I must mean. What are "habeas corpus" and "duty of tonnage?" The Constitution uses the terms without explanation; with this worksheet, students are asked to go beyond the surface level of the text to reach a level of true understanding.

TEACHER CONVENIENCE IS NUMBER ONE WITH ME!

As a teacher myself, I know that you have plenty to do. You need support materials that make your life easier, not harder. When it comes to this Article I Constitution Worksheet, that means:

---Two different difficulty levels provided, ready made for you to differentiate instruction.

---Convenient division into sections that match the Constitution to make printing easy!

---A reusable option -- all problems presented not only in worksheet format, but also as a question list. A class set of these can be reused from year to year since students won't write on the pages.

---A full answer key is provided as well as helpful ancillary information!