Article Excerpts

This worksheet supports students in Grades 5 and 6 as they build primary-source reading skills, evidence-based analysis, historical reasoning, and critical thinking through direct excerpts from the Articles of Confederation. Students read authentic text selections and highlight or underline clues that reveal why cooperation between states was difficult, then answer questions that analyze these challenges and explain why interstate cooperation was essential for effective governance.

Skills Reinforced

• Primary Source Interpretation (Grades 5-6) – Students read and analyze original historical documents to uncover meaning and intent.
• Evidence-Based Analysis – Learners support their explanations with specific words and phrases from the text.
• Early American Governance – The activity clarifies structural weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation.
• Interpreting Complex Text – Students practice breaking down challenging language and ideas into understandable conclusions.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with upper-elementary social studies and ELA standards.
• Close Reading Focus – Highlighting and underlining promote careful attention to wording and structure.
• Flexible Classroom Use – Suitable for independent work, guided instruction, small groups, or assessment.
• Builds Social Studies Literacy – Encourages students to read like historians and write with evidence.
• Low-Prep Printable – Ready for classroom or homeschool use with minimal preparation.

This Article Excerpts worksheet helps students understand why the Articles of Confederation struggled to unite the states. By working directly with primary-source text and supporting their answers with evidence, learners strengthen comprehension, analysis, and historical literacy. It’s a practical, meaningful resource for classroom and homeschool instruction focused on early American government.

This worksheet is part of our Articles of Confederation Worksheets collection.