State Dates Worksheet

The United States grew one state at a time, and knowing when each state joined the Union helps students place American history in order. This State Dates Worksheet gives fourth graders a clear statehood chart and asks them to put six states into the right chronological sequence. Ordering real historical dates builds the same skill students use on a timeline, in a social studies chapter, and on a state assessment.

Page one is a reference page. It holds a short introduction explaining what the Union is, plus a Statehood Chart listing twelve states in alphabetical order beside the year each one joined. Because the chart is alphabetical and not chronological, students have to read the years carefully instead of copying the list straight down. Page two asks them to write six of those states in order from earliest to most recent, answer three multiple-choice questions, and finish with a short written explanation. A full answer key is included on the last page, so this state dates worksheet works just as well for independent practice as it does for a guided lesson.

What’s Included

• A reference page with a Statehood Chart of twelve states and the year each joined the Union
• Part A: put six states in order, from the first to join to the most recent
• Part B: three fill-in-the-bubble questions, including one that compares two dates
• Part C: a written response explaining what a statehood year tells you
• A complete answer key on the final page

Three things make this 4th grade statehood worksheet useful in a real classroom. First, it turns an abstract idea, that states joined at different times, into a concrete chart students can read and compare. Second, the multiple-choice section includes a subtraction question, so students practice finding the number of years between two dates. Third, the written response asks students to explain their thinking, which is exactly what constructed-response test items require.

Teachers can hand out page one on its own as a reference sheet during a unit on United States history, or display it while the class builds a timeline along the wall. Try having students find their own state on a full statehood list and add it to the chart. At home, parents can turn the chart into a quick game: name two states and ask which one joined first. Students who finish early can pick one state from the chart and write a sentence about what was happening in the country that year.

Related Resources

• United States Blank Map Worksheet
• Historical Timeline Worksheet
• United States Flag Worksheet
• Civil War Worksheet
• 50 States Song