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 23 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 magazine article in which a historian explains the Stamp Act, A documentary film about the Constitution made in 2010, Paul Revere's 1770 engraving of the Boston Massacre, The Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776
PrimarySecondary
2.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 biography of George Washington written in 2005, A fifth-grade textbook chapter on the Revolution
PrimarySecondary
3.Sort each one: Primary or Secondary?
Sort: A museum sign explaining what happened at Yorktown, Abigail Adams's letter to John Adams, 1776, A historian's book about women in the Revolution, A letter George Washington wrote to Congress during the war
PrimarySecondary
LessonPrint · D2.His.9.3-5 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Primary or Secondary? The Founding Era
Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. A documentary film about the Constitution made in 2010 — Secondary 2. A magazine article in which a historian explains the Stamp Act — Secondary 3. Paul Revere's 1770 engraving of the Boston Massacre — Primary 4. The Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776 — Primary
2.1. A 1775 newspaper report on Lexington and Concord — Primary 2. A biography of George Washington written in 2005 — Secondary 3. A fifth-grade textbook chapter on the Revolution — Secondary 4. James Madison's notes taken during the Constitutional Convention — Primary
3.1. A historian's book about women in the Revolution — Secondary 2. A letter George Washington wrote to Congress during the war — Primary 3. A museum sign explaining what happened at Yorktown — Secondary 4. Abigail Adams's letter to John Adams, 1776 — Primary
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.9.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.