The Night Our Anthem Was Written is a free printable Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies worksheet on what a song tells about the event behind it, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.12.K-2. It prints 6 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Read the anthem and the note, answer the questions, then circle the best answers.
1.Look at the source, then answer the questions.
The Star-Spangled Banner
Verse 1 of "The Star-Spangled Banner," by Francis Scott Key, September 1814. It became the national anthem by an Act of Congress on March 3, 1931. The note after it was written for this worksheet.
O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Note: Key wrote these words after watching British ships attack Fort McHenry in Baltimore all night. In the morning, the American flag was still flying over the fort.
1. What does the last line call the land?
2. Who wrote the words of this song?
3. Why was it good news that the flag was still there in the morning?
4. What made Key write the song?
2.Which fort did Francis Scott Key watch being attacked?
A.Fort Sumter
B.Fort Knox
C.Fort McHenry
3.What was Francis Scott Key's job?
A.A British sailor
B.A lawyer
C.A king
4.Who wrote the words of the national anthem?
A.Francis Scott Key
B.Katharine Lee Bates
C.George Washington
5.In what year did the song become the national anthem?
A.1776
B.1931
C.1492
6.During which war was Fort McHenry attacked?
A.The Civil War
B.The War of 1812
C.World War II
LessonPrint · D2.His.12.K-2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — The Night Our Anthem Was Written
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The land of the free and the home of the brave. 2. Francis Scott Key. 3. It meant the fort had not fallen to the British ships. 4. He watched British ships attack Fort McHenry all night, and in the morning the flag was still flying.
2.Fort McHenry
3.A lawyer
4.Francis Scott Key
5.1931
6.The War of 1812
Questions about The Night Our Anthem Was Written
What does the The Night Our Anthem Was Written worksheet cover?
It practices what a song tells about the event behind it — 6 questions for Kindergarten to Grade 2, all on C3 Framework D2.His.12.K-2: Ask questions about a source and the event it comes from. The instruction to students is “Read the anthem and the note, answer the questions, then circle the best answers”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which C3 Framework indicator does The Night Our Anthem Was Written practice?
D2.His.12.K-2, under History for Kindergarten to Grade 2. The published indicator reads: “Generate questions about a particular historical source as it relates to a particular historical event or development.” The worksheet assesses that indicator rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
The Night Our Anthem Was Written is written for Kindergarten to Grade 2, typically ages 7-8. It is one of the sheets on D2.His.12.K-2, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does The Night Our Anthem Was Written come with an answer key?
Yes. All 6 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of The Night Our Anthem Was Written can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is The Night Our Anthem Was Written free to print and photocopy?
Yes. The Night Our Anthem Was Written, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
More practice for D2.His.12.K-2
Ask questions about a source and the event it comes from.