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 9 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

One paper per student

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

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.

Virginia, after 1612
New England shipyards
Pennsylvania farms
New Orleans, in French Louisiana

A.Shipping goods down the Mississippi River through a port city
B.Growing wheat to grind into flour
C.Growing tobacco to sell in England
D.Building ships from the region's tall forests

2.Draw a line from each one to its match.

The Spanish missions of the Southwest
The coast of South Carolina
New France, along the St. Lawrence River
California ranchos, after 1834

A.Farming and herding under priests, with the forced labor of Native people
B.Trading with Native nations for beaver furs
C.Raising cattle on huge private land grants to sell hides and tallow
D.Growing rice with the forced labor of enslaved Africans

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.3.3-5 · Set 9 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — How Early Colonists Made a Living

Set 9. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. Virginia, after 1612 — C (Growing tobacco to sell in England) 2. New England shipyards — D (Building ships from the region's tall forests) 3. Pennsylvania farms — B (Growing wheat to grind into flour) 4. New Orleans, in French Louisiana — A (Shipping goods down the Mississippi River through a port city)
2.1. The Spanish missions of the Southwest — A (Farming and herding under priests, with the forced labor of Native people) 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. California ranchos, after 1834 — C (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.