Government Limits

This worksheet helps students in Grades 4 and 5 strengthen historical understanding, written expression, and civic reasoning by examining the powers and limitations of the national government under the Articles of Confederation. Using structured sentence starters, students write complete informational sentences explaining what Congress could do and where it struggled, reinforcing key ideas about early American governance.

Learning Goals

• Powers and Limits of Early Government (Grades 4-5) – Students identify specific authorities Congress held and major powers it lacked.
• Writing Complete Informational Sentences – Learners practice clarity, accuracy, and sentence structure when explaining historical concepts.
• National vs. State Authority – The activity highlights how power was divided and why states held greater control.
• Understanding Government Functions – Students analyze issues related to taxation, trade, foreign relations, and amendments.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with elementary social studies and ELA standards.
• Sentence Starter Support – Scaffolding helps students focus on ideas and content rather than struggling to begin writing.
• Flexible Classroom Use – Works well for independent practice, guided instruction, assessment, or homework.
• Builds Civic Vocabulary and Reasoning – Encourages students to articulate why the early government was ineffective.
• Low-Prep Printable – Ready for classroom or homeschool use with no additional materials needed.

This Government Limits worksheet helps students clearly explain why the Articles of Confederation created a weak national government. By writing complete sentences about government powers and struggles, learners strengthen historical comprehension, writing skills, and civic understanding. It’s a practical, effective resource for classroom and homeschool instruction focused on early American government.

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