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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 18 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 the case for the railway. Which source?
  • A.The newspaper report of the opening
  • B.The petition
  • C.The workhouse register
2.You want to know what goods the canal carried. Which source?
  • A.The 2015 history
  • B.The petition
  • C.The canal toll table
3.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
4.You want a measure of who lost work. Which source?
  • A.The toll table
  • B.The workhouse register and the trade directory
  • C.The election poster
5.You want to know what voters were promised. Which source?
  • A.The railway report
  • B.The workhouse register
  • C.The election poster
6.You want the case against the railway. Which source?
  • A.The 1844 petition from the boatmen
  • B.The railway timetable
  • C.The trade directory
7.You want somebody's overall judgement of the change. Which source?
  • A.The toll table
  • B.The 2015 local history
  • C.The timetable
8.Why use both the petition and the newspaper report?
  • A.They give opposite views of the same change
  • B.Both are from 1846
  • C.Both are printed

LessonPrint · D1.5.3-5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sources for Both Sides

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.