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

LessonPrint · D1.5.3-5 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sources for Both Sides

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

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