Worksheets for Teachers
Did someone say printable worksheets? From year 1 maths worksheets to reading comprehension worksheets to printables for kindergarten and beyond, our collection of teacher-created teaching tools is ready to make learning fun and engaging for your students in all subject areas and on all primary year levels.
Explore printable activities, free worksheets, homework sheets and more — all aligned to the Australian curriculum and all created by teachers, for teachers just like you!
Teach Starter worksheets undergo a careful review process by our expert teacher team to ensure they're ready for your lesson plans ... and your students! Best of all, you know each printable is designed with the goal of turning on that lightbulb over your students' heads and producing more of those 'aha!' moments in the classroom!
Curious about how to make worksheets more engaging? Or maybe you're just wondering how worksheets became a tool used in schools? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
Why Do Teachers Use Worksheets?
Worksheets are an important part of any teacher's toolkit — and yes, we say part because we believe in the importance of hands-on learning too (explore our full collection for plenty of student-led activities!) — but do you ever wonder how they ended up being so ubiquitous?
It was back in the mid-20th century that worksheets started to take hold in education.
The concept of individualised instruction was gaining traction, and educators recognised the need to tailor learning experiences to students' unique abilities, interests and learning styles.
Worksheets started to emerge because they were a means to provide students with both individualised practice and reinforcement of skills. Psychologists like Jean Piaget (you may know him best for his theories on children's cognitive development?) played a role here. The Swiss psychologist suggested teachers should be providing their students with materials that would advance their thinking, and worksheets offer a means for students to assess their own learning.
The real win for worksheets, however, was the invention of the photocopy machine! It made it easy for this supplemental tool to spread like wildfire!
How Do You Make Worksheets Engaging?
You already know educational printables are a beneficial learning tool. They enable students to work independently, practising and applying the concepts they've been learning in your classroom.
So how do you keep them from putting your students in boxes?
At Teach Starter, our worksheets aren't 'just worksheets.' Our expert teacher team works every day to create the tools you need to create impactful classroom experiences. That means our teacher team creates our school worksheets specifically to engage students with eye-catching graphics and creative formats. Here are some of their tips to ensure worksheets are used effectively in the classroom — and truly help engage your students!
- Use worksheets as just part of your toolbox. These are great tools to support classroom instruction and provide independent practise, and they should be balanced with a mix of other teaching tools!
- Mix up your worksheet types. Teach Starter's cut-and-paste worksheets, for example, add an interactive element to help hold students' attention.
- Encourage students to doodle. Doodle notes have taken education by storm in recent years as the visual note-taking method has been proven to improve students' focus and memory. Apply those benefits to your worksheets, and you may be surprised by how it pulls kids' attention to the page!
- Add plastic sleeves. Slipping worksheets into plastic sleeves and allow students to use wipe-away pens on the sleeves is a good way to extend the life of a worksheet — and it adds and element of fun for kids who love the chance to use pens!
- Use digital worksheets. Allow students to fill out their worksheets on classroom tablets as a means to add an extra level of engagement.
It's Not Just a Worksheet
The key to effective worksheets comes down to how you use them — a balanced approach to education combines worksheets with other instructional strategies — from hands-on activities to group work to project-based learning.
So what can you get from worksheets?
Consider this — early years students can work on their fine motor skills with our mini books, cut-and-paste worksheets and more while their upper years peers get pulled into the fun of vocabulary fun with word searches and crossword puzzle worksheets. Printable puzzles that engage students in the form of a brain game and colour by worksheets that bring art elements into maths and reading.
Worksheets also provide the opportunity for formative assessment and give your students a chance to practice problem-solving while they work independently.
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Paired Passage Worksheets-Mammals vs. Reptiles
Compare mammals vs. reptiles and add to your reading instruction with leveled nonfiction, compare and contrast passages, and worksheets.
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Multiplication With Models Worksheet
Guide your students to determine the product of single-digit factors with various multiplication models.
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Adjectives and Adverbs Worksheets (Silly Stories)
Have fun with your students creating silly stories together while teaching and learning about parts of speech (adverbs and adjectives)!
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Mean Median Mode Worksheet
Use this double-sided worksheet to check students’ ability to find the mean, median and mode of given data sets.
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Finish the Drawing - Worksheets
Get creative and finish the drawings with a set of five art worksheets.
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Plant Life Cycle Worksheet Pack
Help your students cement their understanding of the plant life cycle with a cut and paste worksheet.
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Colour By 3D Objects - Worksheet
Practise identifying 3D objects and their attributes with a printable code-based colouring task!
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Features of Maps - Worksheet
Apply knowledge of the components of a map to this map elements worksheet.
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Types of Figurative Language - Worksheet
Practise identifying and creating examples of figurative language with this printable worksheet.
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Identifying Descriptive and Figurative Language Worksheets
Help your students identify descriptive and figurative language in narrative texts with this set of colour-coding worksheets.
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Numeracy Assessment Tool for Year 3
A set of 6 numeracy assessment tools suited to Year 3 students.
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Spelling CVC Words - Worksheets
Develop students’ ability to segment and blend the sounds in CVC words with this set of differentiated worksheets.
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Sounds of 'OO' - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Sort words according to whether they contain a long or short ‘oo’ sound with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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The Water Cycle – Reading Comprehension Worksheet
Enhance your students’ comprehension and science vocabulary skills with this water cycle worksheet.
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Planets of Our Solar System – Worksheet
Use this worksheet to review planet order, features and classifications.
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Dependent Clause Worksheet Pack
Engage learners with this dependent clause worksheet pack designed to help students confidently identify and understand clauses in complex sentences.
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Ordering Australian Coins – Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practise ordering Australian coins.
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I Am Sorry – Poem and Discussion Questions
A poem to promote thoughtful discussion around issues of reconciliation on National Sorry Day.
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Colour by Number - 9 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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Colour by Number - 5 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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Multiplication and Division Speed Drill Worksheets – Facts of 12
A set of worksheets to help students develop fast and accurate recall of the twelve times tables.
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Multiplication and Division Speed Drill Worksheets – Facts of 5
A set of worksheets to help students develop fast and accurate recall of the five times tables.
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Apostrophe of Possession Worksheet
A 2 page worksheet to help students consolidate their understanding of the apostrophe of possession.
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Making 10 Number Bonds - Worksheet
A worksheet to practise the addition strategy of making 10.
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Comparing Toys from Past to Present - Worksheet
A worksheet for students to illustrate how toys have changed over time.
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The Australian Aboriginal Flag Poster and Worksheet
Print this Australian Aboriginal Flag poster and worksheet for your classroom.
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Healthy and Unhealthy Food Choices Worksheets
Use this worksheet to help your students to identify healthy and unhealthy foods.
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Split Class/Fast Finisher Booklet - Upper Years
A booklet to use when classes are split or as fast finisher activities.
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How To Make A Sandwich – Procedural Writing Activity
Get your students writing a procedure for their favourite sandwich with this example procedure text and writing scaffold.
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Compass Points Worksheet
A worksheet showing the 8 major compass points.
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Additive Pattern Worksheet Pack
Support maths instruction with additive pattern worksheets designed for teachers who want a low-prep way to help students recognise, describe and create additive patterns.
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Colour Counting Worksheet
A worksheet to consolidate the concept of numbers and associated values.