Organized Crime Reading

This worksheet helps students in Grades 5 and 6 strengthen reading comprehension, historical analysis, cause-and-effect reasoning, and written expression by examining Al Capone’s rise during the Prohibition era. Students read a narrative passage detailing how the ban on alcohol created opportunities for illegal enterprises, then answer open-ended questions in complete sentences, identifying key ideas and analyzing how Prohibition inadvertently fueled organized crime.

Learning Goals

• Understanding Prohibition & Organized Crime (Grades 5-6) – Students explore how legal restrictions led to the growth of criminal networks.
• Reading Comprehension of Informational Text – Learners identify main ideas, supporting details, and key events.
• Analysis of Cause and Effect – The activity emphasizes connections between Prohibition laws and unintended consequences.
• Constructed Response Writing – Students practice writing thoughtful, evidence-based explanations in complete sentences.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with upper-elementary ELA and social studies standards.
• Narrative & Analytical Focus – Combines storytelling with critical examination of historical events.
• Promotes Text-Based Reasoning – Open-ended questions encourage students to cite evidence and explain thinking.
• Flexible Classroom Use – Works well for independent reading, guided instruction, assessments, or discussion.
• Low-Prep Printable – Ready for classroom or homeschool use with minimal preparation.

This Organized Crime Reading worksheet helps students understand the unintended consequences of Prohibition and the rise of figures like Al Capone. By analyzing cause-and-effect relationships and providing evidence-based written responses, learners strengthen comprehension, critical thinking, and historical literacy in a meaningful context.

This worksheet is part of our Prohibition Era Worksheets collection.