Worksheet

A Letter After the Great Chicago Fire

Use a firsthand-style letter and timeline to sequence the Great Chicago Fire and explain how conditions led to effects.

Grade 4Social StudiesInteractive · Printable

Aligned toHIS.4.4

Play online Play as a game

PrintLetter-size worksheet Answer keyPrintable answers

Assign to classAssign to your classes, or get a join code

What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 C3 Framework standard
Printable answer key
15 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 4
Subject: Social Studies
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students sequence major events in the Great Chicago Fire on a timeline.
Students explain how conditions contributed to the fire and identify its effects.

How to use

Read the letter aloud or independently, then have students use the timeline and details from the letter to explain the event chain.

Curriculum

C3 Framework standard covered

HIS.4.4

Sequence events in U.S. history on a timeline and explain causes and effects.

Preview

OwlSheets.com

Name Date

A Letter After the Great Chicago Fire

Read a letter, follow the timeline, and trace causes and effects.

Read the letter

Read the letter about Chicago in October 1871. Then answer the questions using details from the letter and timeline.

A Letter from Chicago, October 12, 1871

Dear Aunt Clara, I am safe, though our city looks very different. On Sunday evening, October 8, a fire began in a neighborhood southwest of the city center. Chicago had gone through a dry summer. Many buildings and sidewalks were made of wood, and they stood close together. A strong wind pushed sparks from one roof to another. These conditions helped the fire spread quickly.

During Monday, October 9, the flames moved north and east. Families carried what they could and hurried toward the lake or to open ground. Firefighters worked for hours, but the fire moved faster than they could stop it. Some people crossed the Chicago River to get away from the flames. By late Monday night, much of the business district and many homes had burned.

Rain began during the night between October 9 and October 10. The rain and cooler weather helped firefighters bring the fire under control by Tuesday. Our family lost our wooden house, but we found shelter with relatives outside the burned area. Many other families also needed food, clothing, or a place to stay. About 100,000 people were left without homes, and about 300 people died.

Now Chicago must rebuild. Workers are clearing damaged streets, and businesses are planning new buildings. City leaders are also considering stricter rules for building materials and fire safety. The fire caused great loss, but the rebuilding may make the city safer in the future. I hope to write again when our neighborhood begins to take shape. Your loving niece, Elise

Which conditions helped the fire move from building to building?

A. Cool rain fell throughout Sunday.
B. Dry weather, wooden buildings, and strong wind worked together.
C. Most buildings stood far apart from one another.
D. Firefighters had already cleared the streets.

Word bank: wooden · stone · metal · underground

Many of Chicago's buildings and sidewalks were .

Circle the two details from the letter that help explain why the fire spread quickly.

A strong wind pushed sparks from one roof to another.Families carried what they could.Many buildings and sidewalks were made of wood.Elise wrote to her aunt.

Which sequence puts the main events in the correct order?

A. Rain helped stop the fire; the fire began; families fled; Chicago rebuilt.
B. Families fled; Chicago rebuilt; the fire began; rain helped stop the fire.
C. The fire began; rain helped stop it; flames spread; families found shelter.
D. The fire began; flames spread; rain helped stop it; Chicago began rebuilding.

Why did firefighters have difficulty stopping the fire?

A. The flames moved quickly through closely packed wooden places.
B. Heavy rain kept firefighters away from the streets.
C. Families refused to leave their homes.
D. The fire stayed in one small building.

Word bank: shelter · tickets · crops · boats

After their house burned, Elise's family found with relatives.

According to the timeline and letter, what happened on October 10?

A. The fire first began southwest of the city center.
B. The flames moved north and east through Chicago.
C. Rain and cooler weather helped bring the fire under control.
D. Workers finished rebuilding the burned buildings.

Trace the changes

Use the letter and timeline to reason about causes, effects, and what happened next.

Sort each detail by its place in the event chain.

A dry summerMany families needed shelterA strong wind carried sparksCity leaders considered stricter fire-safety rules

Helped the fire spread	Result of the fire

If Chicago leaders required more fire-resistant building materials after the fire, what was the most likely purpose?

A. To help future fires spread more quickly between buildings.
B. To reduce the chance that another fire would destroy so much.
C. To make families leave the city before rebuilding began.
D. To prevent rain from reaching the city streets.

10.

Circle the two details that show the fire affected both people and the city.

About 100,000 people were left without homes.The letter was written on October 12.Workers were clearing damaged streets.The fire began on a Sunday evening.

11.

What can the reader infer about why families moved toward the lake or open ground?

A. They hoped to find a safer place away from burning buildings.
B. They planned to watch the fire from a closer place.
C. They were traveling to begin the city's rebuilding work.
D. They wanted to collect wooden sidewalks for new homes.

12.

Sort each event by when it happened in relation to the rain.

The fire moved north and east.Firefighters worked for hours.Workers cleared damaged streets.City leaders considered new fire-safety rules.

Before the rain helped stop the fire	After the rain helped stop the fire

13.

Which statement best explains a cause-and-effect connection in the letter?

A. Because the city had a lake, few buildings were damaged.
B. Because families carried belongings, the wind became stronger.
C. Because the rain stopped on Tuesday, the fire began on Sunday.
D. Because the fire spread so quickly, many families lost their homes.

14.

Suppose the weather had stayed dry and windy instead of becoming rainy and cooler. What would most likely have happened?

A. The fire might have remained difficult to control for longer.
B. The fire would have changed into a flood.
C. The city would have finished rebuilding that same day.
D. Families would have needed less shelter after losing homes.

15.

Use at least three events from the letter and timeline to explain one cause-and-effect chain. Put the events in time order and show how one event led to another.