Student Resources:

• Copy of the Articles of Confederation Excerpts or Scaffolded version 

Teacher Resources:

• Northwest Ordinance Primary Source Essentials Video  

Engage 

• Ask students to “Imagine you are the leaders of the United States after they during and after the Revolutionary War. Your job is to figure out how to run the government. What challenges might the new nation face?”  
• Write their ideas on the board to refer to later.  
• If students struggle to begin, ideas might include debt, lack of remaining military, trade problems, conflicts with Britain, Spain, or Native Americans still in the area, dealing with the new lands. 
• Tell students, “Today, they will investigate the Articles of Confederation as it attempted to address the challenges facing the new nation.”  

Explore 

• Hand out the Articles of Confederation Excerpts. 
• Explain to students their task is to read the excerpt, put it in their own words, and identify the problem(s) the excerpt would have addressed.  
• Glossary: Sovereign- supreme authority 

Assess & Reflect

• Answer the first two reflection questions on the primary source handout based on the brainstormed list from the beginning of class.  
• Watch the Primary Source Essentials on the Northwest Ordinance to answer the third reflection question.  

Extend 

• Complete the Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation lesson