Structure of the U.S. Constitution Matching for Civics & American History

Review the United States Constitution with this Structure of the U.S. Constitution Matching Activity! Students match each section of the Constitution with brief, easy-to-understand descriptions, then provide an illustration representing the main idea behind each section. An advanced version is included for students who need a little extra enrichment, in which students write out the summaries themselves! Perfect for middle school students studying the United States Constitution in their Civics, American History, or American Government classrooms, this resource requires students to read thoroughly, think critically, and create creative illustrations that represent key concepts related to the U.S. Constitution.

This activity can be used as an introduction to the Structure of the Constitution, as well as a review tool for exams and unit reviews! Add to an interactive notebook, or use as a centers activity! This resource can be expanded as well: have students highlight key terms in the summaries, or use the internet to find images for their illustrations!

Compatible with the Florida State Standard for Middle School Civics:

• Standard 3: Demonstrate an understanding of the principles, functions, and organization of government. 

This Structure of the U.S. Constitution Matching Activity includes:

✯ The Structure of the U.S. Constitution Matching Activity. Students match descriptions to the appropriate section of the Constitution, then illustrate the central idea of the section. Synthesizing their understanding into a drawing helps students remember these tricky concepts! 

• Covers the Preamble, Articles I-VII, and The Amendments.
• Sample Summaries:
  • This section includes all the changes that have been made to the Constitution over the years. The first ten additions are called the Bill of Rights. Other changes include abolishing slavery, establishing voting rights, setting the national voting age to 18, and banning poll taxes. (The Amendments)
  • The Legislative Branch has the power to make laws. This Congress is split into two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The powers and responsibilities of the Congress include levying taxes, funding the military, and declaring war. (Article I)
• In this activity, students read through the summaries and paste them in the correct matching sections, then illustrate the main idea behind each section of the Constitution. You can let students draw and color-in their illustrations, or use the internet to print off images to paste in instead! Either way, students have to think critically and creatively about each section of the Constitution to capture the central idea in an image. This helps hammer home the different Articles and really understand the Constitution’s structure!

✯ The Structure of the U.S. Constitution Advanced Version. In this version, students summarize each section of the Constitution themselves in their own words, then provide an illustration. Great for students who need a little extra challenge and for teachers looking for differentiation opportunities!

This resource is presented as a non-editable PDF, and it includes an Answer Key.

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