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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. What does the song say about the flag's stripes and stars?
  2. 2. Write one question you could ask Francis Scott Key about that night.
  3. 3. What made Key write the song?
  4. 4. What does the song not tell you about the attack?
2.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
3.In which city is Fort McHenry?
  • A.Chicago, Illinois
  • B.Boston, Massachusetts
  • C.Baltimore, Maryland
4.During which war was Fort McHenry attacked?
  • A.The War of 1812
  • B.World War II
  • C.The Civil War
5.At which kind of event is the anthem often played?
  • A.Only at bedtime
  • B.A ball game or a school assembly
  • C.Only in other countries
6.In what year did the song become the national anthem?
  • A.1776
  • B.1492
  • C.1931

LessonPrint · D2.His.12.K-2 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — The Night Our Anthem Was Written

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Broad stripes and bright stars. 2. A question about the attack on Fort McHenry, such as where he watched it from. 3. He watched British ships attack Fort McHenry all night, and in the morning the flag was still flying. 4. It does not say how many people were hurt in the attack.
  2. 2.Over the heart
  3. 3.Baltimore, Maryland
  4. 4.The War of 1812
  5. 5.A ball game or a school assembly
  6. 6.1931

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