Editor Dona Herweck Rice Editorial Project Manager Evan D. Forbes, M.S. Ed. Editor in Chief Sharon Coan, M.S. Ed. Illustrator Sue Fullam Cover Artist Keith Vasconcelles Art Director Elayne Roberts Imaging Alfred Lau Critical Thinking Activities USA Brain Teasers Grades 5-8 Product Manager Phil Garcia Publisher Mary D. Smith, M.S. Ed. Author Carol Eichel Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 6421 Industry Way Westminster, CA 92683 www.teachercreated.com ISBN: 978-1-55734-547-9 1995 Teacher Created Resources, Inc. Reprinted, 2009 Made in U.S.A. The classroom teacher may reproduce copies of materials in this book for classroom use only. The reproduction of any part for an entire school or school system is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be transmitted, stored, or recorded in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Table of Contents Introduction...................................... 2 Presidents........................................ 3 People.......................................... 14 States, Capitals, and Washington, D.C................. 22 Places, Landmarks, and Symbols.................... 36 Celebrations and Patriotism........................ 46 General Knowledge............................... 50 Answer Key................................. 75 Introduction The Brain Teasers series provides ways to exercise and develop brain power! Each page stands alone and can be used as a quick and easy filler activity. The pages can be distributed to students as individual worksheets or made into transparencies for presentation to the entire class at once. The activities are especially useful in helping students develop: Logic and other critical thinking skills. Creative thinking skills. Research skills. Spelling skills. General vocabulary skills. General knowledge skills. This U.S.A. activity book pays particular attention to the fabulous country in which we live. Along with a United States social studies curriculum, the activities here can be invaluable in introducing and reinforcing knowledge. They can also be used just for fun. Great care has been taken in collecting accurate data for this book. As much as possible, the most current data has been used. We hope you and your students will have great fun learning more about the country in which we live the United States of America. #TCM 547 USA Brain Teasers 2 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Which President? 1. Which president was nicknamed Honest Abe? 2. Which president was called the Father of the Constitution? 3. Which president and his wife were the first to occupy the White House in Washington D.C.? 4. Which future president was the author of the Declaration of Independence? 5. Which president was the only one to serve two nonconsecutive terms of office? 6. Which president was nicknamed Old Rough and Ready? 7. Which president was assassinated in Ford s Theater? 8. Which two presidents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery? 9. Which president served more than two terms? 10. Which president was in office when the White House was set on fire? 11. Which president was the grandson of another president? 12. Which president was the shortest? 13. Which President never married? 14. Which president was the first to talk to a man on the moon? 15. Which five presidents were left-handed? Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 3 #TCM 547 USA Brain Teasers
Do You Know? 1. Which president was the son of a former president? 2. For which president was the teddy bear named? 3. Which president was called the Accidental President? 4. Which was the first president born in a log cabin? 5. Which president s family farm was named Mt. Vernon? 6. Which president was a movie star before becoming a president? 7. Who was America s first vice-president? 8. Which president is pictured on the two-dollar bill? 9. Which president was elected to four terms of office? 10. Who was the only person to serve as vice president and then president, who was not elected to either office. 11. Which president gave The Gettysburg Address? 12. What was President Jefferson s first name? 13. Which president s first two initials were U.S.? 14. Which president was the first to resign from office? 15. Which president caught a cold at his inauguration and died of pneumonia a month later? #TCM 547 USA Brain Teasers 4 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Presidential Stumpers Use the names of the presidents to answer these questions humorously. The first one has been done for you. 1. Which president was the most honest? Truman 2. Which president was the slowest? 3. Which president was irritated by his child? 4. Which president was popular at a service station? 5. Which president was the namesake of a popular cat? 6. Which president sewed clothing? 7. Which president took care of the laundry? 8. Which president was helpful in fixing a flat tire? 9. Which president was often cold? 10. Which president cleaned the carpets? _ Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 5 #TCM 547 USA Brain Teasers
Presidential Fill-In Fill in the names of U.S. presidents in the blanks below. Use the names within the word bank. 1 1 2 T A 2 3 2 F T 7 5 4 3 6 45 8 5 6 7 8 9 9 Monroe Lincoln Adams Reagan Grant Taft Word Bank Nixon Wilson Bush Ford Filmore Kennedy Madison Washington Eisenhower Roosevelt Jefferson Cleveland #TCM 547 USA Brain Teasers 6 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.