Changes on the Great Plains is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how the Plains changed for the nations who lived there, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.5.3-5. It prints 6 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 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Number the events in order. Then choose the best answers.
1.Number these events from earliest to latest.
Chinese workers blast tunnels through the Sierra Nevada (1866)
Congress passes the Pacific Railway Act (1862)
The two lines meet at Promontory Summit, Utah (1869)
Work on the line begins in California (1863)
2.What did the Homestead Act of 1862 offer?
A.160 acres of land to settlers who lived on it and farmed it
B.Gold to anyone who found it
C.Free train tickets to California
3.How did windmills help Plains farmers?
A.They pumped water up from deep underground
B.They kept the wind away
C.They ground bison bones into flour
4.Why did many settlers on the Plains build houses from sod?
A.Wood was too light
B.There were few trees on the prairie for lumber
C.Sod was the law
5.What did the US government force many Plains nations to do?
A.Move to Europe
B.Become railroad owners
C.Move onto reservations
6.Which is true of Plains nations today?
A.Many, such as the Lakota and Cheyenne, keep their governments and traditions
B.They all live in Europe
C.None of them still exist
LessonPrint · D2.Geo.5.3-5 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Changes on the Great Plains
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.Correct order: 2, 4, 1, 3
2.160 acres of land to settlers who lived on it and farmed it
3.They pumped water up from deep underground
4.There were few trees on the prairie for lumber
5.Move onto reservations
6.Many, such as the Lakota and Cheyenne, keep their governments and traditions
Questions about Changes on the Great Plains
What does the Changes on the Great Plains worksheet cover?
It practices how the Plains changed for the nations who lived there — 6 questions for Grade 3 to Grade 5, all on C3 Framework D2.Geo.5.3-5: Explain how a place changes over time, in its land and its culture. The instruction to students is “Number the events in order. Then choose the best answers”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which C3 Framework indicator does Changes on the Great Plains practice?
D2.Geo.5.3-5, under Geography for Grade 3 to Grade 5. The published indicator reads: “Explain how the cultural and environmental characteristics of places change over time.” The worksheet assesses that indicator rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Changes on the Great Plains is written for Grade 3 to Grade 5, typically ages 40-41. It is one of the sheets on D2.Geo.5.3-5, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Changes on the Great Plains come with an answer key?
Yes. All 6 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Changes on the Great Plains can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Changes on the Great Plains free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Changes on the Great Plains, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
More practice for D2.Geo.5.3-5
Explain how a place changes over time, in its land and its culture.