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 4 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 documentary film about the Plains made in 2015, A letter a soldier wrote home in 1847, A historian's book about the railroads written in 1995, A map a gold miner drew in 1848

PrimarySecondary

2.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: A forty-niner's diary from 1849, A museum sign written in 2020 explaining a mining tool, A website that sums up the history of the missions, The census count of California taken in 1850

PrimarySecondary

3.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: A biography of Abraham Lincoln written in 2010, An encyclopedia article on the Mexican-American War, General Order No. 3, issued in 1865, A photograph of a mining camp taken in 1850

PrimarySecondary

LessonPrint · D2.His.9.3-5 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Made at the Time or Made Later?

Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. A documentary film about the Plains made in 2015 — Secondary 2. A historian's book about the railroads written in 1995 — Secondary 3. A letter a soldier wrote home in 1847 — Primary 4. A map a gold miner drew in 1848 — Primary
2.1. A forty-niner's diary from 1849 — Primary 2. A museum sign written in 2020 explaining a mining tool — Secondary 3. A website that sums up the history of the missions — Secondary 4. The census count of California taken in 1850 — Primary
3.1. A biography of Abraham Lincoln written in 2010 — Secondary 2. A photograph of a mining camp taken in 1850 — Primary 3. An encyclopedia article on the Mexican-American War — Secondary 4. General Order No. 3, issued in 1865 — Primary

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