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 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.

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 magazine article in which a historian explains the Stamp Act, A British officer's 1775 report on the Battle of Bunker Hill, A historian's book about women in the Revolution, James Madison's notes taken during the Constitutional Convention

PrimarySecondary

2.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: A modern atlas map showing where the battles were fought, The Constitution as it was signed in 1787, A letter George Washington wrote to Congress during the war, A documentary film about the Constitution made in 2010

PrimarySecondary

3.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?

Sort: A 1775 newspaper report on Lexington and Concord, A museum sign explaining what happened at Yorktown, The Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, A website summary of the Boston Tea Party written last year

PrimarySecondary

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

Answer key — Primary or Secondary? The Founding Era

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. A British officer's 1775 report on the Battle of Bunker Hill — Primary 2. A historian's book about women in the Revolution — Secondary 3. A magazine article in which a historian explains the Stamp Act — Secondary 4. James Madison's notes taken during the Constitutional Convention — Primary
2.1. A documentary film about the Constitution made in 2010 — Secondary 2. A letter George Washington wrote to Congress during the war — Primary 3. A modern atlas map showing where the battles were fought — Secondary 4. The Constitution as it was signed in 1787 — Primary
3.1. A 1775 newspaper report on Lexington and Concord — Primary 2. A museum sign explaining what happened at Yorktown — Secondary 3. A website summary of the Boston Tea Party written last year — Secondary 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.