Homework Packet for April 13-17
Monday:
1. Read for 20 minutes
2. Read the following passage and answer the questions.
Beginnings
It was the end of the 1700s. The United States had just gained its independence from England after
fighting the Revolutionary War. Although rules were created to make the country strong, many citizens
did not feel that there were strong enough laws to protect their rights or the nation. If a farmer did not
earn enough money to pay his debts, he could lose everything he had including his livestock, farm, and
any other property on the farm. The problem was that many farmers in Massachusetts could not pay
their debts which caused them to lose everything. These farmers wanted to do something about these
laws.
1. What is the central idea of the text?
a. Farmers did not earn enough money to pay their debts.
b. Many citizens believed the U.S.A. needed better rules.
c. Farms and livestock could be taken away.
2. Which textual evidence below best supports your answer to question 1?
a. Citizens did not feel that the laws protected their rights.
b. The United States gained its independence.
c. The Revolutionary War ended in the 1700s.
Tuesday:
1. Read for 20 minutes
2. Read the following passage and answer the questions.
Shays Rebellion Aftermath
Due to Shays Rebellion, where a group of farmers stormed the local court system seeking to shut it
down in 1786, a group of political leaders got together to draft a document that could establish rules
that would govern the United States. Since the United States was a new nation, many citizens were
concerned that it would collapse and eventually be overtaken. Many citizens moved to the United States
in order to escape the laws they felt oppressed them in their previous countries.
1. What is the author’s purpose for writing this?
a. To explain the effects of Shays Rebellion
b. To describe the laws that were in the United States.
c. To contrast the different reasons for a rebellion.
Continue to next page – there is another question!!!!
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2. What caused political leaders to draft a governing document? Explain your ideas.
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Wednesday:
1. Read for 20 minutes
2. Read the following passage and answer the questions.
Forming a New Nation
The colonial leaders organized a convention to establish new rules for governing the United States. In
order to do this, they studied the political systems of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Both ancient
civilizations had a form of democracy where citizens had a voice as to how the nation would be run.
During the 1700s, many of the countries that the American citizens immigrated from were run by
monarchies or the wealthy elite. Citizens had no rights. The United States government had to be
organized in a way in which the government did not have too much power and citizens would have
rights to protect them.
1. What did the leaders do before they created new laws?
a. They researched the laws of other nations.
b. They modeled the country after monarchies.
c. They organized government power.
2. What is the author’s purpose for writing this?
a. To inform the reader about how laws in the United States were developed
b. To persuade readers to investigate democratic systems
c. To describe the steps that have to be taken in order to reorganize a government system
Thursday:
1. Read for 20 minutes
2. Read your current events article and write a 20 word summary of the article.
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Friday:
1. Read for 20 minutes
2. Add up your reading minutes and have your guardian sign your planner
2. Read the following passage and answer the questions.
Organizing the Government
As the leaders of the newly created United States met to establish rules for governing the nation, James
Madison kept detailed records. His notes provide insight into how and why the new government was
organized. In order to prevent one person or a few people from having too much power, three branches
of government were formed. These include the legislative branch which makes the laws, the executive
branch which enforces the laws, and the judicial branch which interprets the laws. The document
outlining all this information is called the Constitution. A Bill of Rights was also created that explains the
rights of each citizen.
1. A Constitution and the Bill of Rights were both created. Why were both documents needed?
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2. What is the central idea of this paragraph? List and explain the details that support this idea.
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