The Northwest Ordinance Readers Theater Script | Grades 6-8

Northwest Ordinance — Grades 6‑8 Readers Theater

Survey the Ohio frontier, ban slavery north of the river, and watch sectional tensions spark—students explore how one ordinance shaped America’s path to statehood.

• Grade bands: 6-8
• Characters: 15
• Word count: 2300

Perfect For

• Territorial government lessons
• Sectionalism introductions
• Map‑skill activities

(a single PDF with links to Google Docs/Slides, if print format is preferred you can download from your Google Drive to DOC/PDF/PPT/etc.)

What’s Included

• Editable script (~2300 words, 10 scenes, Google Doc/PDF)
• Teacher guide (~10‑15 pages, Google Doc/PDF)
• Student worksheet (~25 Google Slides/PPTX)
• Self‑graded Google Forms quiz (20 questions)

Will this meet your needs?
Download this Free King Philip’s War RT Script first and try one before you buy one :)

Scene Synopsis

• Congress debates slavery ban proposal.
• Settlers dream of free land.
• Veterans seek promised acreage.
• Southern opposition to the ban.
• Ordinance is proclaimed.
• Wagons head west.
• Survey lines frustrate settlers.
• Statehood clause inspires towns.
• North‑South arguments flare.
• Frontier celebrates, conflict brews.

Want More Social Studies Activities?

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2. King Philip’s War (1675–1676) [FREE DOWNLOAD!]
3. The First Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)
4. Proclamation of 1763 (1763)
5. The Northwest Ordinance (1787)
6. The Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
7. The Barbary Wars (1801–1805)
8. Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806)
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6. The Second Continental Congress (1775)
7. Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence (1776)
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10. Foreign Allies: Lafayette and France (1777–1778)
11. Sybil Ludington and Molly Pitcher (1777)
12. Hamilton and His Duel (1780s–1804)
13. Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris (1781–1783)
14. Washington Steps Down: The Man Who Would Be King (1783)
15. Slavery and the Revolution (1770s–1780s)

• NOTE 1: These 15 scripts do not include Google Docs or Slides but the docx file can easily be uploaded to Google Docs and distributed digitally if desired.
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