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Sources for Both Sides is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on choosing sources allowing for disagreement, aligned to Common Core standard D1.5.3-5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 11 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Sources for Both Sides

D1.5.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best source for each purpose.

1.You want to know what goods the canal carried. Which source?
  • A.The 2015 history
  • B.The canal toll table
  • C.The petition
2.You want the case for the railway. Which source?
  • A.The petition
  • B.The workhouse register
  • C.The newspaper report of the opening
3.You want a measure of who lost work. Which source?
  • A.The election poster
  • B.The toll table
  • C.The workhouse register and the trade directory
4.Why use both the petition and the newspaper report?
  • A.Both are from 1846
  • B.They give opposite views of the same change
  • C.Both are printed
5.You want somebody's overall judgement of the change. Which source?
  • A.The 2015 local history
  • B.The toll table
  • C.The timetable
6.Why is the 2015 history not enough on its own?
  • A.It is too short
  • B.It is one historian's argument built from the other sources
  • C.It is too recent
7.You want to know what voters were promised. Which source?
  • A.The railway report
  • B.The workhouse register
  • C.The election poster
8.You want the case against the railway. Which source?
  • A.The railway timetable
  • B.The trade directory
  • C.The 1844 petition from the boatmen

LessonPrint · D1.5.3-5 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sources for Both Sides

Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The canal toll table
  2. 2.The newspaper report of the opening
  3. 3.The workhouse register and the trade directory
  4. 4.They give opposite views of the same change
  5. 5.The 2015 local history
  6. 6.It is one historian's argument built from the other sources
  7. 7.The election poster
  8. 8.The 1844 petition from the boatmen

More practice for D1.5.3-5

Work out what kind of source would help, allowing for the fact that people disagree.

Teaching this next? Choosing Sources for Both Sides is the 45-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 to Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D1.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.