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 24 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 letter a soldier wrote home in 1847, A Lakota winter count painted on a hide in the 1870s, A historian's book about the railroads written in 1995, A museum sign written in 2020 explaining a mining tool

PrimarySecondary

2.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: A textbook chapter about the Gold Rush, A forty-niner's diary from 1849, A map a gold miner drew in 1848, An encyclopedia article on the Mexican-American War

PrimarySecondary

3.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: The census count of California taken in 1850, A photograph of a mining camp taken in 1850, A biography of Abraham Lincoln written in 2010, A documentary film about the Plains made in 2015

PrimarySecondary

LessonPrint · D2.His.9.3-5 · Set 24 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Made at the Time or Made Later?

Set 24. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. A historian's book about the railroads written in 1995 — Secondary 2. A Lakota winter count painted on a hide in the 1870s — Primary 3. A letter a soldier wrote home in 1847 — Primary 4. A museum sign written in 2020 explaining a mining tool — Secondary
2.1. A forty-niner's diary from 1849 — Primary 2. A map a gold miner drew in 1848 — Primary 3. A textbook chapter about the Gold Rush — Secondary 4. An encyclopedia article on the Mexican-American War — Secondary
3.1. A biography of Abraham Lincoln written in 2010 — Secondary 2. A documentary film about the Plains made in 2015 — Secondary 3. A photograph of a mining camp taken in 1850 — Primary 4. The census count of California taken in 1850 — Primary

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