Grades 2–5
Read and Learn: Martin Luther King Jr.
Read 5 facts about Martin Luther King Jr. (the bus boycott, the “I Have a Dream” speech, the Nobel Peace Prize, his holiday), draw a scene and answer 3 questions.
Social studies worksheet · Historical figures
Read and Learn: Benjamin Franklin
Read 5 facts about Ben Franklin (printer, kite experiment, inventor, signer of the Declaration of Independence, the face on the $100 bill), draw a scene and answer 3 questions.
- Grade level
- Grades 2–5
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Topic
- Historical figures
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- Researching people from history, Biography, Cause and effect, Using sources
What kids do
“Read the facts about Benjamin Franklin. Draw a scene from his life, then answer the questions.”
Printed on the sheet:
- Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in 1706. He had 16 brothers and sisters!
- He was a printer in Philadelphia and wrote a popular yearly book called Poor Richard’s
- In 1752 he flew a kite in a storm to show that lightning is electricity.
- He invented the lightning rod, bifocal glasses and a stove that heated rooms better.
- He helped write the Declaration of Independence and signed it. His face is on the $100 bill.
- Draw Ben Franklin and his kite
- 2. What did his kite show about lightning?
Teacher tip
Show a $100 bill photo with his face.
How to use it
- Read a picture book biography aloud before the sheet.
- Model finding facts in a book or a kid-safe website.
- Keep a classroom globe, a world map and a U.S. map in reach while kids work.
Watch for
Kids who copy whole sentences from a book. Teach them to write facts in their own words.
Talk about it
- How is our life different because of them?
- How does this connect to where we live?
Take it further
Hold a wax museum where kids dress up and share facts as their person.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More historical figures worksheets
Grades 2–5
Read and Learn: Sacagawea
Read 5 facts about Sacagawea (the Lemhi Shoshone woman who traveled west with Lewis and Clark carrying her baby), draw a scene and answer 3 questions.
Grades 2–5
Read and Learn: Helen Keller
Read 5 facts about Helen Keller (deaf and blind from a baby, her teacher Anne Sullivan, the word “water”, college and her work for others), draw a scene and answer 3 questions.
Grades 4–5
Famous Words: Who Said It?
Match 7 famous words from American history (“Give me liberty, or give me death!”, “Four score and seven years ago”, “One small step”) to the people who said them.
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