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 3 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.
Russian America, now Alaska
New England shipyards
The Spanish missions of the Southwest
New Orleans, in French Louisiana
A.Shipping goods down the Mississippi River through a port city
B.Farming and herding under priests, with the forced labor of Native people
C.Building ships from the region's tall forests
D.Making Aleut hunters hunt sea otters for their fur
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
New France, along the St. Lawrence River
California ranchos, after 1834
Pennsylvania farms
New England fishing towns
A.Catching and drying cod to sell abroad
B.Raising cattle on huge private land grants to sell hides and tallow
C.Trading with Native nations for beaver furs
D.Growing wheat to grind into flour
LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 3 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — How Early Colonists Made a Living
Set 3. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Russian America, now Alaska — D (Making Aleut hunters hunt sea otters for their fur) 2. New England shipyards — C (Building ships from the region's tall forests) 3. The Spanish missions of the Southwest — B (Farming and herding under priests, with the forced labor of Native people) 4. New Orleans, in French Louisiana — A (Shipping goods down the Mississippi River through a port city)
2.1. New France, along the St. Lawrence River — C (Trading with Native nations for beaver furs) 2. California ranchos, after 1834 — B (Raising cattle on huge private land grants to sell hides and tallow) 3. Pennsylvania farms — D (Growing wheat to grind into flour) 4. New England fishing towns — A (Catching and drying cod to sell abroad)
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.3.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.