The American Constitution: A Nonfiction Close Reading Activity

The American Constitution is introduced in this nonfiction close reading passage providing a brief summary of the history and main function of the Constitution. Using nonfiction text features such as subheadings, this text introduces the concept behind switching from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, the disagreements with creating too strong of a federal government, and the system of checks and balances and compromises made to encourage ratification. This short passage does not go into details about the specific articles of the Confederation, or the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, as it is only designed to serve as an overview or introduction to the document.This passage is designed in such a way that students should be able to analyze the text and respond to testing-style questions without having prior knowledge of the Constitution. This close reading activity is perfect for PARCC or ACT Aspire practice and the integration of History into English Language Arts.

Designed for 6th-8th grade students, this close reading activity has students focus first on reading the excerpt multiple times while searching for unknown words, new concepts, and key points. Then, the students answer questions ranging from Knowledge to Synthesis on Bloom's Taxonomy.

The nature of close reading, as well as the passage and questions lend this activity to Standardized Test Practice as well. The questions and activities are designed to help students practice analyzing a difficult, technical nonfiction text and respond to a variety of questions in preparation for similar techniques used in PARCC & ACT Aspire testing. Close reading is a strategy that is encouraged through Common Core, best completed with short passages such as the one provided here.