Do your students need extra practice understanding the Preamble to the Constitution? Reinforce the six goals of government by playing this Preamble Scenario Match! This Preamble matching activity, which comes with an optional short essay response, has students match thirty examples of government-in-action (some pulled from the history books and today’s headlines!) to the six purposes of government listed in the Preamble to the Constitution. Aligned to Florida State Standards for 7th Grade Civics, SS.7.CG.1.8: Preamble of the U.S. Constitution, this is a great enrichment activity for middle or high school Civics, American Government, or American History classes studying the United States Constitution.
This Preamble to the Constitution Matching resource includes:
- 30 Scenario Cards describing various actions by the United States government, including federal, state, and local levels, that correspond to the six goals of government laid out in the Constitution.
Scenarios include:
- In 1969, as the war in Vietnam wore on and the armed forces needed more soldiers to protect American interests, the United States instated a mandatory military draft, where young men were chosen via a random lottery for compulsory military service. (This card matches to the goal, “Provide for the Common Defense”)
- In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Medicare program, which provides health insurance for all Americans over the age of 65, as well as certain people with disabilities. (This card matches to the goal, “Promote the General Welfare”)
- In November of 2019, Congress passed the PACT Act, which makes animal cruelty a federal crime, assuring a felony conviction, fines, and up to seven years in prison for anyone who severely harms an animal. (This card corresponds to the goal, “Establish Justice”)
The resource also includes:
- A Scenario Match Grid for students to stack their cards as they read through the scenarios and identify what goal of government is being described.
- A Cheat Sheet that describes the attributes of each goal of government to help students think about what they need to look for as they make their matches.
- An optional Short Essay Response in which students are asked if they encountered a scenario that could have applied to more than one goal of government, and to argue/describe why.
This activity allows students to think critically about how real actions by the U.S. government fulfill the various goals of government laid out in the Preamble, showing the Constitution at work throughout history and into the present day.
This resource comes as a non-editable PDF and includes an Answer Key!
What other teachers are saying about this resource:
“This activity was a blast”
I had to make modifications because of having both in-school and virtual students, and even then this activity was a blast. Anytime the kids are able to read real scenarios, they love to challenge themselves to be correct. I definitely cannot wait to use this in a regular setting once we go back to normal school operations.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Carmine C.
“LOVED this activity!”
LOVED this activity! By the time we were done with the activity, my students had a very clear understanding of how to categorize the real-life scenarios to the corresponding goals in the Preamble.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Redd Social Studies
“Your activities are always so great”
Your activities are always so great and helpful to teach and review concepts in government
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— erronteacheshistory
More Happy Teacher Products You Might Enjoy:
✩ Preamble to the Constitution Annotated Close Read
✩ “We the People” Preamble to the Constitution One-Pager Activity
✩ Preamble to the Constitution Activity – Government In Action
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