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 7 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 children's book retelling the scientist's discovery, a magazine article about the history of the railway, an online reference article about the bridge, a newspaper report written on the day of the flood, the speech the mayor gave at the opening, a letter a soldier wrote home during the war
Primary sourceSecondary source
2.Sort each one: Primary source or Secondary source?
Sort: a scientist's notebook from her experiment, a poster printed to advertise the fair in 1908, a textbook chapter about the voyage, written a century later, a school attendance list from 1920, a sports historian's book about the club, a biography of the soldier written by his great-grandson
Primary sourceSecondary source
3.Sort each one: Primary source or Secondary source?
Sort: a map drawn by an explorer on her journey, a diary kept by a sailor during the voyage, a history book about floods in the region, a modern atlas page showing the explorer's route, a website summing up the mayor's career, a ticket from the first train to run on the line
Primary sourceSecondary source
LessonPrint · RI.5.6 · Set 7 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Primary or Secondary Source?
Set 7. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. a children's book retelling the scientist's discovery — Secondary source 2. a letter a soldier wrote home during the war — Primary source 3. a magazine article about the history of the railway — Secondary source 4. a newspaper report written on the day of the flood — Primary source 5. an online reference article about the bridge — Secondary source 6. the speech the mayor gave at the opening — Primary source
2.1. a biography of the soldier written by his great-grandson — Secondary source 2. a poster printed to advertise the fair in 1908 — Primary source 3. a school attendance list from 1920 — Primary source 4. a scientist's notebook from her experiment — Primary source 5. a sports historian's book about the club — Secondary source 6. a textbook chapter about the voyage, written a century later — Secondary source
3.1. a diary kept by a sailor during the voyage — Primary source 2. a history book about floods in the region — Secondary source 3. a map drawn by an explorer on her journey — Primary source 4. a modern atlas page showing the explorer's route — Secondary source 5. a ticket from the first train to run on the line — Primary source 6. a website summing up the mayor's career — Secondary source
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.5.6 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.