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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.

Set 22 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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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. Write one question you could ask Francis Scott Key about that night.
  2. 2. What does the song say about the flag's stripes and stars?
  3. 3. What made Key write the song?
  4. 4. When did the song become the national anthem?
2.What was Francis Scott Key's job?
  • A.A lawyer
  • B.A British sailor
  • C.A king
3.Who wrote the words of the national anthem?
  • A.Katharine Lee Bates
  • B.Francis Scott Key
  • C.George Washington
4.In which city is Fort McHenry?
  • A.Boston, Massachusetts
  • B.Baltimore, Maryland
  • C.Chicago, Illinois
5.What do many people do with a hat during the anthem?
  • A.Take it off
  • B.Throw it in the air
  • C.Trade it with a friend
6.Where do many people place their right hand during the anthem?
  • A.In a pocket
  • B.Over the heart
  • C.On top of the head

LessonPrint · D2.His.12.K-2 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — The Night Our Anthem Was Written

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. A question about the attack on Fort McHenry, such as where he watched it from. 2. Broad stripes and bright stars. 3. He watched British ships attack Fort McHenry all night, and in the morning the flag was still flying. 4. On March 3, 1931, by an Act of Congress.
  2. 2.A lawyer
  3. 3.Francis Scott Key
  4. 4.Baltimore, Maryland
  5. 5.Take it off
  6. 6.Over the heart

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