How Early Colonists Made a Living is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on the resources early colonists used to make a living, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Eco.3.3-5. It prints 2 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 17 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.
How Early Colonists Made a Living
D2.Eco.3.3-5
NameDate
Draw a line from each colony or place to how people there made a living.
1.Draw a line from each one to its match.
The coast of South Carolina
Russian America, now Alaska
New France, along the St. Lawrence River
New Orleans, in French Louisiana
A.Shipping goods down the Mississippi River through a port city
B.Trading with Native nations for beaver furs
C.Making Aleut hunters hunt sea otters for their fur
D.Growing rice with the forced labor of enslaved Africans
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
Pennsylvania farms
New England shipyards
Virginia, after 1612
California ranchos, after 1834
A.Raising cattle on huge private land grants to sell hides and tallow
B.Growing wheat to grind into flour
C.Growing tobacco to sell in England
D.Building ships from the region's tall forests
LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — How Early Colonists Made a Living
Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The coast of South Carolina — D (Growing rice with the forced labor of enslaved Africans) 2. Russian America, now Alaska — C (Making Aleut hunters hunt sea otters for their fur) 3. New France, along the St. Lawrence River — B (Trading with Native nations for beaver furs) 4. New Orleans, in French Louisiana — A (Shipping goods down the Mississippi River through a port city)
2.1. Pennsylvania farms — B (Growing wheat to grind into flour) 2. New England shipyards — D (Building ships from the region's tall forests) 3. Virginia, after 1612 — C (Growing tobacco to sell in England) 4. California ranchos, after 1834 — A (Raising cattle on huge private land grants to sell hides and tallow)
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.3.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.