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Reading Comprehension Worksheets
The War of 1812
Flag Day
Broad Stripes and Bright Stars - Song for a Flag

The War of 1812
The War of 1812


Broad Stripes and Bright Stars - Song for a Flag
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 2 to 4
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   2.04

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    anthem, booms, glare, hailed, perilous, telescope, ever, lived, broad, poem, rockets, have, rocket, flying, harbor, capital
     content words:    Star-Spangled Banner, United States, Francis Scott Key, William Beane, Fort McHenry, So Key


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Broad Stripes and Bright Stars - Song for a Flag
By Toni Lee Robinson
  

1     Have you ever written a poem? We write poems and songs about things we care about. The words tell how we feel. Sometimes we write about beauty or love. Sometimes we write about sad things. The best songs come from things we care about most.
 
2     Lots of songs have been written about places people live. We write poems for forests or rivers. We even write songs for our countries. This type of song is called an anthem.
 
3     "The Star-Spangled Banner" is an anthem. Even though the words tell of a banner, or flag, the song is about the United States. A man named Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the song. Key was a lawyer. He lived near Washington, D.C. Here is the story behind the song.
 
4     In 1814, the U.S. was at war. They were fighting with England for the second time. The war was going badly. Enemy troops had burned the U.S. capital. They had captured Dr. William Beane. Beane was Key's friend.
 
5     Dr. Beane was being held on a British (English) ship. The ship had sailed for Baltimore with the rest of the English fleet. The British wanted to burn that city like they had burned Washington, D.C.
 
6     There was one problem with their plan. A fort in the harbor guarded Baltimore. It was called Fort McHenry. The British had to capture the fort before they could attack the city.
 
7     Key went to ask the British to free his friend. He rode in a small boat to the ship where Dr. Beane was held. The ship sat with the rest of the British fleet. They were in Baltimore's harbor. They had anchored just out of reach of the fort's big guns.
 
8     Key heard some good news when he got to the English ship. He learned that his friend could go free! But the two men had overheard plans for the attack on Baltimore. They were told they couldn't go home until the attack was over. So Key and Dr. Beane waited.
 
9     The two friends went back to Key's small boat. It sat behind the British warships. Early in the morning, the ships began their attack on the fort. They fired cannons. Some of the ships fired bombs. They also had a new weapon called a rocket.

Paragraphs 10 to 25:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable



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The War of 1812
             The War of 1812


Flag Day
             Flag Day


More Lessons
             Second Grade Reading Comprehensions and 2nd Grade Reading Lessons


United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 


United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)
 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830)
 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870)
 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991)
 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806)
 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865)
 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945)
 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900)
 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918)
 
 
    World War II  
 


50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit


Document Based Activities
      Document Based Activities



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