Grade 2 History and Social Studies Week 15 | Practice Workbook

Grade 2 | HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES

WEEK 15 • PRACTICE WORKBOOK • DAYS 71–75

Read the matching lesson in the Week 15 Student Textbook first. Write each answer on the line below its question. Day 75 is answered on your own.

Fillable Practice PDF: Open or download Week 15 fillable workbook. Type answers in the labeled fields and save a copy. Complete drawing activities on a printed page.

Day 71: Why a Nation Remembers

Five national holidays

Holiday	When it falls	What it remembers
Martin Luther King Jr. Day	Third Monday in January	The life and work of Martin Luther King Jr.
Washington’s Birthday	Third Monday in February	George Washington, the first President
Memorial Day	Last Monday in May	People who died while serving in the military
Independence Day	July 4	The adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776
Veterans Day	November 11	All people who have served in the military

Which holiday in the table remembers the Declaration of Independence?
Answer: _________________________________________________
In which month is Veterans Day?
Answer: _________________________________________________
Explain why a nation sets aside days to remember people and events from its history.
Answer: _________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

Day 72: Independence Day and Washington’s Birthday

Timeline of two holidays

Year	Event
1732	George Washington is born on February 22
1776	The Declaration of Independence is adopted on July 4
1870	Congress makes July 4 a holiday for federal workers in Washington, D.C.
1879	Congress makes Washington’s Birthday a holiday in Washington, D.C.
1885	Washington’s Birthday becomes a holiday for all federal workers

In what year did Congress first make July 4 a holiday?
Answer: _________________________________________________
What is the official name of the holiday on the third Monday in February?
Answer: _________________________________________________
Explain why the nation chose to remember George Washington with a holiday. Use what you learned about him in Week 14.
Answer: _________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

Day 73: Memorial Day and Veterans Day

Two days that remember people who served

Holiday	First called	Whom it remembers
Memorial Day	Decoration Day	People who died while serving in the military
Veterans Day	Armistice Day	Everyone who has served in the military

Which holiday remembers people who died while serving in the military?
Answer: _________________________________________________
In what Alabama city did Raymond Weeks lead a day to honor all veterans in 1947?
Answer: _________________________________________________
Explain how Memorial Day and Veterans Day are different.
Answer: _________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

Day 74: Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Alabama

King’s work in Alabama

City	Year	What happened
Montgomery	1955 to 1956	King leads the Montgomery Improvement Association during the bus boycott
Birmingham	1963	King works for equal rights and writes his Letter from Birmingham Jail
Selma to Montgomery	1965	King helps lead the march for voting rights

In which Alabama city was King a pastor?
Answer: _________________________________________________
How many years after the law was signed was the holiday first observed?
Answer: _________________________________________________
Explain why the nation remembers Martin Luther King Jr. with a holiday. Use one Alabama event as evidence.
Answer: _________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

Day 75: Independent Check: National Holidays

How five holidays began

Holiday	Began as or began with
Memorial Day	Decoration Day, after the Civil War
Veterans Day	Armistice Day, after World War I
Washington’s Birthday	A law in 1879
Martin Luther King Jr. Day	A law in 1983
Independence Day	A law in 1870

Answer on your own. An adult may read the questions aloud but should not give the answers.

Which holiday began as Decoration Day?
Answer: _________________________________________________
In what year was Martin Luther King Jr. Day first observed?
Answer: _________________________________________________
Choose one holiday. Explain what it remembers and why that person or event matters to the nation.
Answer: _________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

Grade 2 History and Social Studies Week 15 | Practice Workbook