Building the Nation's Capital is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how Washington, D.C. was planned and grew from fields into a capital, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.5.3-5. 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 information text and answer its questions, then circle the best answers.
1.Look at the source, then answer the questions.
L'Enfant's Plan for the Capital
An information text written for this worksheet.
In 1790 Congress decided to build a new capital city beside the Potomac River. President George Washington chose the exact place and asked Pierre-Charles L'Enfant, a French-born engineer who had fought in the American Revolution, to design it. At the time the land was mostly farms, fields and woods.
In 1791 L'Enfant drew a plan. He placed the Capitol, where Congress meets, on a hill, and the President's House about a mile and a half away, joined by a wide avenue.
Streets ran north to south and east to west like a grid, and wide avenues crossed them on a slant, meeting at circles and squares. A long open park, now the National Mall, stretched west from the Capitol.
Enslaved workers, as well as free workers, did much of the work of building the Capitol and the President's House.
L'Enfant argued with the leaders in charge of the city and was dismissed in 1792, but the city was later built mostly on his plan.
1. Why was L'Enfant dismissed in 1792?
2. Where did L'Enfant place the Capitol?
3. How do we know L'Enfant's plan still mattered after he was dismissed?
4. Who did much of the work of building the Capitol and the President's House?
2.Why did the United States build a new capital city in the 1790s?
A.To have one permanent home for the national government
B.To make a new state
C.To build a whaling port
3.Who lived on the land where Washington, D.C. now stands, long before the city?
A.Settlers from Spain
B.French soldiers
C.American Indian peoples, such as the Nacotchtank
4.Who is the city of Washington, D.C. named after?
A.A river in Maryland
B.Washington State
C.George Washington, the first President
5.What did L'Enfant's wide avenues and circles give the city?
A.Open spaces and long views between important buildings
B.Only narrow, crowded alleys
C.A tall wall around the city
6.In what year did Congress first meet in the new city of Washington?
A.1800
B.1865
C.1776
LessonPrint · D2.Geo.5.3-5 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Building the Nation's Capital
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. He argued with the leaders in charge of the city. 2. On a hill. 3. The city was later built mostly on his plan. 4. Enslaved workers, as well as free workers.
2.To have one permanent home for the national government
3.American Indian peoples, such as the Nacotchtank
4.George Washington, the first President
5.Open spaces and long views between important buildings
6.1800
Questions about Building the Nation's Capital
What does the Building the Nation's Capital worksheet cover?
It practices how Washington, D.C. was planned and grew from fields into a capital — 6 questions for Grade 3 to Grade 5, all on C3 Framework D2.Geo.5.3-5: Explain how a place changes over time, in its land and its culture. The instruction to students is “Read the information text and answer its questions, then circle the best answers”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which C3 Framework indicator does Building the Nation's Capital practice?
D2.Geo.5.3-5, under Geography for Grade 3 to Grade 5. The published indicator reads: “Explain how the cultural and environmental characteristics of places change over time.” The worksheet assesses that indicator rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Building the Nation's Capital is written for Grade 3 to Grade 5, typically ages 40-41. It is one of the sheets on D2.Geo.5.3-5, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Building the Nation's Capital 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 Building the Nation's Capital 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 Building the Nation's Capital free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Building the Nation's Capital, 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.Geo.5.3-5
Explain how a place changes over time, in its land and its culture.