Grievance Connections

This matching worksheet supports students in Grades 4, 5, and 6 as they build reading comprehension, historical reasoning, civic understanding, and critical thinking skills through the study of the Declaration of Independence. By matching simplified grievance statements to the real colonial complaints that inspired them, students learn how the document organized colonists’ arguments against British rule and addressed specific injustices in clear, purposeful language.

Learning Goals

• Revolutionary Causes (Grades 4-6) – Understand why colonists protested British rule and how grievances reflected real experiences.
• Grievances & Government Accountability – Analyze how the Declaration highlighted abuses of power and demands for fair governance.
• Text-to-History Connections – Match written grievances to historical events and policies that caused conflict.
• Critical Reading & Reasoning – Use context clues and background knowledge to identify accurate parallels.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with upper elementary social studies, civics, and ELA standards.
• Clear Matching Format – Helps students visually connect abstract language to concrete historical events.
• Builds Foundational Understanding – Strengthens comprehension of the Declaration’s purpose and structure.
• Flexible Use – Ideal for American Revolution units, independent practice, review lessons, or formative assessment.

This printable worksheet helps students deepen understanding of the Declaration of Independence by showing how its grievances were rooted in real colonial experiences. By connecting text to historical context, learners strengthen comprehension, civic awareness, and critical thinking. It’s a simple, no-prep resource that works well in both classroom instruction and homeschool learning.

This worksheet is part of our Declaration of Independence collection.