Primary or Secondary Source? is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on telling a source made at the time from one written later, aligned to Common Core standard RI.5.6. It prints 3 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 23 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Primary or Secondary Source?
RI.5.6
NameDate
Sort each one into the right column.
1.Sort each one: Primary source or Secondary source?
Sort: a museum guide explaining the 1908 fair, an interview with a woman who watched the eclipse, a diary kept by a sailor during the voyage, an online reference article about the bridge, a modern atlas page showing the explorer's route, a scientist's notebook from her experiment
Primary sourceSecondary source
2.Sort each one: Primary source or Secondary source?
Sort: a children's book retelling the scientist's discovery, a class report about schools long ago, a map drawn by an explorer on her journey, a textbook chapter about the voyage, written a century later, a poster printed to advertise the fair in 1908, a ticket from the first train to run on the line
Primary sourceSecondary source
3.Sort each one: Primary source or Secondary source?
Sort: a biography of the soldier written by his great-grandson, a documentary about the eclipse made fifty years afterward, a history book about floods in the region, a photograph taken at the opening of the bridge, the speech the mayor gave at the opening, a school attendance list from 1920
Primary sourceSecondary source
LessonPrint · RI.5.6 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Primary or Secondary Source?
Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. a diary kept by a sailor during the voyage — Primary source 2. a modern atlas page showing the explorer's route — Secondary source 3. a museum guide explaining the 1908 fair — Secondary source 4. a scientist's notebook from her experiment — Primary source 5. an interview with a woman who watched the eclipse — Primary source 6. an online reference article about the bridge — Secondary source
2.1. a children's book retelling the scientist's discovery — Secondary source 2. a class report about schools long ago — Secondary source 3. a map drawn by an explorer on her journey — Primary source 4. a poster printed to advertise the fair in 1908 — Primary source 5. a textbook chapter about the voyage, written a century later — Secondary source 6. a ticket from the first train to run on the line — Primary source
3.1. a biography of the soldier written by his great-grandson — Secondary source 2. a documentary about the eclipse made fifty years afterward — Secondary source 3. a history book about floods in the region — Secondary source 4. a photograph taken at the opening of the bridge — Primary source 5. a school attendance list from 1920 — Primary source 6. the speech the mayor gave at the opening — Primary source
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.5.6 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.