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 2 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
Virginia, after 1612
New England fishing towns
New England shipyards
A.Growing tobacco to sell in England
B.Building ships from the region's tall forests
C.Growing rice with the forced labor of enslaved Africans
D.Catching and drying cod to sell abroad
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
California ranchos, after 1834
Pennsylvania farms
Russian America, now Alaska
The Spanish missions of the Southwest
A.Making Aleut hunters hunt sea otters for their fur
B.Farming and herding under priests, with the forced labor of Native people
C.Raising cattle on huge private land grants to sell hides and tallow
D.Growing wheat to grind into flour
LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 2 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — How Early Colonists Made a Living
Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The coast of South Carolina — C (Growing rice with the forced labor of enslaved Africans) 2. Virginia, after 1612 — A (Growing tobacco to sell in England) 3. New England fishing towns — D (Catching and drying cod to sell abroad) 4. New England shipyards — B (Building ships from the region's tall forests)
2.1. California ranchos, after 1834 — C (Raising cattle on huge private land grants to sell hides and tallow) 2. Pennsylvania farms — D (Growing wheat to grind into flour) 3. Russian America, now Alaska — A (Making Aleut hunters hunt sea otters for their fur) 4. The Spanish missions of the Southwest — B (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.