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 18 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
New England shipyards
Virginia, after 1612
New England fishing towns
A.Growing tobacco to sell in England
B.Growing rice with the forced labor of enslaved Africans
C.Catching and drying cod to sell abroad
D.Building ships from the region's tall forests
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
Pennsylvania farms
Russian America, now Alaska
New France, along the St. Lawrence River
The Spanish missions of the Southwest
A.Farming and herding under priests, with the forced labor of Native people
B.Making Aleut hunters hunt sea otters for their fur
C.Growing wheat to grind into flour
D.Trading with Native nations for beaver furs
LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — How Early Colonists Made a Living
Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The coast of South Carolina — B (Growing rice with the forced labor of enslaved Africans) 2. New England shipyards — D (Building ships from the region's tall forests) 3. Virginia, after 1612 — A (Growing tobacco to sell in England) 4. New England fishing towns — C (Catching and drying cod to sell abroad)
2.1. Pennsylvania farms — C (Growing wheat to grind into flour) 2. Russian America, now Alaska — B (Making Aleut hunters hunt sea otters for their fur) 3. New France, along the St. Lawrence River — D (Trading with Native nations for beaver furs) 4. The Spanish missions of the Southwest — A (Farming and herding under priests, with the forced labor of Native people)
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.3.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.