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 23 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 Spanish missions of the Southwest
Pennsylvania farms
California ranchos, after 1834
Virginia, after 1612
A.Farming and herding under priests, with the forced labor of Native people
B.Raising cattle on huge private land grants to sell hides and tallow
C.Growing tobacco to sell in England
D.Growing wheat to grind into flour
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
New England shipyards
The coast of South Carolina
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.Building ships from the region's tall forests
D.Growing rice with the forced labor of enslaved Africans
LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — How Early Colonists Made a Living
Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The Spanish missions of the Southwest — A (Farming and herding under priests, with the forced labor of Native people) 2. Pennsylvania farms — D (Growing wheat to grind into flour) 3. California ranchos, after 1834 — B (Raising cattle on huge private land grants to sell hides and tallow) 4. Virginia, after 1612 — C (Growing tobacco to sell in England)
2.1. New England shipyards — C (Building ships from the region's tall forests) 2. The coast of South Carolina — D (Growing rice with the forced labor of enslaved Africans) 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)
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.3.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.