Primary or Secondary? The Founding Era is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on telling primary from secondary sources about the founding, 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 11 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.
Primary or Secondary? The Founding Era
D2.His.9.3-5
NameDate
Sort each source: primary or secondary?
1.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?
Sort: A 1775 newspaper report on Lexington and Concord, James Madison's notes taken during the Constitutional Convention, A website summary of the Boston Tea Party written last year, A historian's book about women in the Revolution
PrimarySecondary
2.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?
Sort: Paul Revere's 1770 engraving of the Boston Massacre, A British officer's 1775 report on the Battle of Bunker Hill, A museum sign explaining what happened at Yorktown, A modern atlas map showing where the battles were fought
PrimarySecondary
3.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?
Sort: A documentary film about the Constitution made in 2010, Abigail Adams's letter to John Adams, 1776, A biography of George Washington written in 2005, The Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776
PrimarySecondary
LessonPrint · D2.His.9.3-5 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Primary or Secondary? The Founding Era
Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. A 1775 newspaper report on Lexington and Concord — Primary 2. A historian's book about women in the Revolution — Secondary 3. A website summary of the Boston Tea Party written last year — Secondary 4. James Madison's notes taken during the Constitutional Convention — Primary
2.1. A British officer's 1775 report on the Battle of Bunker Hill — Primary 2. A modern atlas map showing where the battles were fought — Secondary 3. A museum sign explaining what happened at Yorktown — Secondary 4. Paul Revere's 1770 engraving of the Boston Massacre — Primary
3.1. A biography of George Washington written in 2005 — Secondary 2. A documentary film about the Constitution made in 2010 — Secondary 3. Abigail Adams's letter to John Adams, 1776 — Primary 4. The Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776 — Primary
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.9.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.