Constitution Day | Reading Mystery Worksheets | Grades 4–6 | Branches of Government

A whole school signed the Preamble by hand, and overnight every signature disappeared — and the only way to work out who did it is to understand how the Constitution actually works. Students read a nonfiction article, answer fifteen comprehension questions from the text, and cross a suspect off the line-up with every correct answer. Printable, self-checking and no prep, it is built for Constitution Day on September 17, civics units, sub days, early finishers and homework in Grades 4–6.

Quick Details

Skill: Nonfiction comprehension, text evidence and civics content knowledge · Grades: 4–6 · Format: One case — two-page informational article, 15 multiple-choice questions, written response and full answer keys (printable PDF, color and black-and-white) · Theme: Constitution Day

The Case

Liberty Falls Elementary has spent a month getting ready for Constitution Day. The whole school signed a giant handwritten copy of the Preamble, and it was framed and hung in the front hall for the assembly on September 17. This morning the frame is still on the wall, but the page inside it is not the same page. Every signature is gone, and in its place is a neat copy of the Preamble that nobody at the school remembers writing. There are sixteen suspects. To crack the case, students first have to understand the Constitution and how it works — the clues are hidden inside the facts.

What the Article Covers

Why the Articles of Confederation failed — a Congress that could ask the states for money but not make them pay, could sign treaties but not enforce them, and could not raise an army or settle arguments between states. Then the summer of 1787, the convention, the compromises, the three branches and the checks that hold them against each other, and why the result is now the oldest written national constitution still in use.

How the Reading Mystery Works

Students take on the role of Reading Detectives. They read the article, answer each multiple-choice question from the text, and cross off the suspect shown beneath the correct answer. Work through all fifteen and the final name remaining is the culprit — so the content knowledge is not an add-on to the puzzle, it is the puzzle.

What's Included

• A "You are a detective" case-file page that sets the scene and the mission
• A two-page nonfiction article on the Constitution and the branches of government
• Three pages of multiple-choice comprehension questions, every answer found in the text
• A sixteen-suspect line-up page for eliminating names one clue at a time
• Written-response pages with sample answers
• A themed word search and extension activities for early finishers
• Self-checking answer keys for every page
• Full color and ink-saving black-and-white versions
• Teacher instructions and print-and-go PDF format

Skills Covered

• Reading and understanding informational text
• Finding and citing text evidence
• Main idea, supporting details and cause and effect in nonfiction
• The Articles of Confederation, the 1787 convention and the three branches of government
• Civics and social studies vocabulary in context
• Logical reasoning and deductive elimination as suspects are ruled out

Best Used For

• Constitution Day on September 17
• Civics, government and US history units
• Nonfiction comprehension practice
• Reading and social studies centers, early finishers and sub plans
• Small groups, intervention and homeschool
• Review and test prep for Grades 4–6

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