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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.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

The Night Our Anthem Was Written

D2.His.12.K-2

NameDate

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. 1. When did he write them?
  2. 2. Write one question you could ask Francis Scott Key about that night.
  3. 3. What does the song say about the flag's stripes and stars?
  4. 4. What gave proof through the night that the flag was still there?
2.In what year did the song become the national anthem?
  • A.1492
  • B.1776
  • C.1931
3.Where do many people place their right hand during the anthem?
  • A.On top of the head
  • B.Over the heart
  • C.In a pocket
4.Who wrote the words of the national anthem?
  • A.Francis Scott Key
  • B.George Washington
  • C.Katharine Lee Bates
5.Whose ships attacked the fort in 1814?
  • A.Mexico's
  • B.Great Britain's
  • C.France's
6.In which city is Fort McHenry?
  • A.Chicago, Illinois
  • B.Boston, Massachusetts
  • C.Baltimore, Maryland

LessonPrint · D2.His.12.K-2 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — The Night Our Anthem Was Written

Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. In September 1814. 2. A question about the attack on Fort McHenry, such as where he watched it from. 3. Broad stripes and bright stars. 4. The rocket's red glare and the bombs bursting in air.
  2. 2.1931
  3. 3.Over the heart
  4. 4.Francis Scott Key
  5. 5.Great Britain's
  6. 6.Baltimore, Maryland

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.12.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.