Made at the Time or Made Later? is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on telling primary from secondary sources, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.9.3-5. It prints 3 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 22 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.

Made at the Time or Made Later?

D2.His.9.3-5

NameDate

A primary source was made at the time. A secondary source was made later about the past. Sort each one.

1.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: A photograph of a mining camp taken in 1850, A historian's book about the railroads written in 1995, A newspaper report printed in 1848 about the gold find, A biography of Abraham Lincoln written in 2010

PrimarySecondary

2.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: A letter a soldier wrote home in 1847, An encyclopedia article on the Mexican-American War, General Order No. 3, issued in 1865, A website that sums up the history of the missions

PrimarySecondary

3.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: An information text written for a worksheet, A forty-niner's diary from 1849, A museum sign written in 2020 explaining a mining tool, A map a gold miner drew in 1848

PrimarySecondary

LessonPrint · D2.His.9.3-5 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Made at the Time or Made Later?

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. A biography of Abraham Lincoln written in 2010 — Secondary 2. A historian's book about the railroads written in 1995 — Secondary 3. A newspaper report printed in 1848 about the gold find — Primary 4. A photograph of a mining camp taken in 1850 — Primary
2.1. A letter a soldier wrote home in 1847 — Primary 2. A website that sums up the history of the missions — Secondary 3. An encyclopedia article on the Mexican-American War — Secondary 4. General Order No. 3, issued in 1865 — Primary
3.1. A forty-niner's diary from 1849 — Primary 2. A map a gold miner drew in 1848 — Primary 3. A museum sign written in 2020 explaining a mining tool — Secondary 4. An information text written for a worksheet — Secondary

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.9.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.