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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Convict Identification Cards - Template
A convict identification card template to use in the classroom when learning about the convicts of the First Fleet.
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Story Sequencing - Template
A worksheet to use when teaching students how to sequence important events when reading.
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My School – Worksheets
A set of 4 worksheets that allow students to describe the special and important features of their school.
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Adding and Subtracting Fractions Worksheets
Use these adding and subtracting fractions worksheets to enable your students to practise this important skill.
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Little Red Riding Hood – Comprehension Worksheet
Develop your students' reading comprehension skills with a well-known fairy tale.
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Chance Worksheets - Year 4
2 chance worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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6 Part Colour Wheel and Colour Theory Worksheets
A set of colour theory worksheets featuring the 6 primary and secondary colours.
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Word Family Worksheet Pack - CVC Words
Consolidate your students' understanding of onset and rime with this set of 20 worksheets.
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Representing Hundredths Worksheet
Have students demonstrate their understanding of hundredths with this simple one-page worksheet.
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Understanding Sequence - Jack and the Beanstalk
A worksheet to use when teaching students how to understand sequence when reading.
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Communication Changes Over Time Worksheet
A sequencing activity to use when exploring how communication devices have changed over time.
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Positive and Negative Numbers Worksheet & Answers
Four pages of worksheets using positive and negative numbers.
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Blank Digital and Analogue Clock Worksheet
A blank analogue and digital worksheet to use when teaching students about time.
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Writing Lower Case Letters
Students practice writing the lower case letter next to the provided capital letter.
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Australian Climate Regions Poster and Worksheet
A poster and a worksheet outlining the climate regions in Australia.
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Phoneme Substitution Worksheets - Word Search Pack
Help students manipulate phonemes with these phoneme substitution worksheets where students substitute phonemes and search for words in a word search.
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How Do Animals Move Worksheet Pack
Colour, sort, and categorise how animals get around with a set of ‘How Animals Do Animals Move’ Worksheet Pack
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Measuring Length with Dinosaur Footprints - Hands-on Maths Task
Engage your students in learning about informal measurement with a 'Dino-Mite' hands-on measurement activity in which they use dinosaur footprints to measure objects around the classroom.
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Do I Have a Shadow? Activity (F-1)
Explore light and shadow while practising science inquiry skills with an engaging Predict and Observe Shadow Experiment for early learners.
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Science Observation Table Templates
Plan, observe, and record scientific observations and data with printable Science Observation Templates for upper primary school students.
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Printable Weather Recording Charts
Use these printable weather charts to graph and analyse the weather for each month.
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Year 1 Narrative Writing Assessment Pack
Help your students master narrative writing with this scaffolded Year 1 Narrative Writing Assessment Pack, built around an exciting “Unexpected Visitor” story theme.
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Producer, Consumer, or Decomposer? Activity - Outdoor Search and Find
Explore animal roles in habitats in the field with a search-and-find Producers, Consumers, Decomposers activity.
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R-Controlled Vowel Phoneme Spotter Stories
Use this set of decodable texts featuring various graphemes that make r-controlled vowel sounds.
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Embedded Clause Worksheets
Teach the embedded clause with these engaging and easy-to-use worksheets designed to build understanding through clear examples and guided practice.
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Voice in Narrative Writing Prompts
Explore voice in narrative with this set of engaging worksheets that require students to write literary passages in different points of view.
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Fix the Sentences Worksheets
Use these Fix the Sentences Worksheets to help your students become confident writers.
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Comprehending Science - States of Matter Worksheet Pack
Use our Comprehending Science - States of Matter Worksheet Pack to review concepts related to solids, liquids, and gases.
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Editing Sentences – Year 4 Worksheets
Download these Year 4 editing worksheets to get your students identifying and fixing errors in sentences.
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Letter Confusion Worksheets
Help students who are struggling with letter confusion with this set of 10 letter confusion worksheets.
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Persuasive Letter Writing Task - Year 2-3
Improve student composition with an engaging persuasive letter-writing task.
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Comparing Mass With Balance Scales Worksheet
Practise comparing and contrasting the mass of objects as shown on balance scales with this set of mass measurement worksheets.