Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Reading Comprehension Worksheets
U.S. Independence Day
A Star-Spangled Performance, Part 2

U.S. Independence Day
U.S. Independence Day

A Star-Spangled Performance, Part 2
Print A Star-Spangled Performance, Part 2 Reading Comprehension


Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 7 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.96

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    illustrative, enactment, hailed, perilous, punctual, rockets, presentation, emphatic, tranquil, knickers, emphasis, re-read, glare, original, auditorium, syllable
     content words:    Star Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key, Fort McHenry, United States, Scott Key

Other Languages
     Spanish: Una actuación de estrellas centelleantes (segunda parte)

A Star-Spangled Performance, Part 2
By Beth Beutler 		  
1     Lenna's student group had met several times during the last three weeks to prepare for their presentation about the Star-Spangled Banner. They had read about Francis Scott Key watching the fight for Fort McHenry. He was inspired by how the flag remained waving even with the bombs going off around it. It was symbolic of the strength of freedom and the United States' desire to preserve it.
 
2     The group chose Ben, a tall boy, to play Francis Scott Key. One of the girls and her mother fashioned a pair of knickers and a ruffled shirt so he would look like he belonged in the 1800s. The boys were in charge of making the props, including building a cardboard fort and a flagpole. They also had to come up with a way to create the smoke through which Francis Scott Key watched the battle. Ammi had a beautiful voice. The rest of the group was emphatic that she be the one to sing the anthem.
 
3     The day of the performance arrived. All the classes came together in the school auditorium. Lenna was getting a little nervous, but she was excited, too.
 
4     Finally, the time came for their group to perform. The boys quickly arranged the cardboard box fort and the flag and flagpole on one side of the stage. They turned on a fan so the flag gently fluttered. Then they set a stool in the middle of another cardboard box that was meant to represent the British ship on which Francis Scott Key was being held captive.
 
5     Ben sat on the stool. He held a pad of paper and looked toward the flying flag with a tranquil look on his face.
 
6     The lights went down, and the auditorium grew quiet. The music began to play, and Ammi's sweet voice sang each syllable clearly.
 
7     
O say can you see,
 
8     by the dawn's early light,

Paragraphs 9 to 23:
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U.S. Independence Day
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