Printable PDF Teaching Resources
Explore printable PDF worksheets, activities and thousands more teacher resources you can add to your lesson plans with just a few clicks — including free printables!
Thousands of Teach Starter's teacher-created resources are available in PDF file format, making it easy for any teacher to use anywhere — no matter what type of computer or software you have.
Curious about the advantages of PDF resources for teachers? Read on for a quick guide from our teacher team!
What Does PDF Stand For?
Before we dive into all the ways you can use a PDF in your classroom, it's worth looking at the meaning behind the acronym. PDF stands for "Portable Document Format."
It's a file format that was developed by the software company Adobe in the 1990s. The format was designed to protect the appearance and layout of documents across different platforms and devices.
That's exactly what makes it so easy for teachers to use. You can print a PDF worksheet on the school printer and send that same PDF via email to a student's parent, and the layout will remain exactly the same — even if you are using entirely different computers.
How Do I Open a PDF File From Teach Starter?
Most web browsers — like the one you're using right now to access our teacher resources — will allow you to open a PDF file directly in the browser.
What if you want to open the file without opening a browser? We suggest downloading Adobe's free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to easily display any PDF.
How Do I Print a PDF Document for My Students?
The ease of printing has made the PDF format a must for teacher resources, so how do you actually print your new worksheet or activity?
Simple!
- Open the PDF file in your browser or PDF viewer (like Adobe Acrobat Reader, mentioned above).
- Click on the "File" menu in the top-left corner.
- Select "Print" or use your keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + P" (Windows) or "Command + P" (Mac).
- In the print dialog box, choose your printer from the list.
- Adjust print settings like orientation, paper size and the number of copies you'll need for your students.
- Click "Print" to start printing.
Can I Edit a PDF File?
This is a common teacher question, and the answer is a bit complicated.
There's special software out there that will allow for some edits on a PDF, but you will typically need to have the original document to get the best results.
To make sure teachers can make the edits they need to adjust our resources for their lesson plans and their individual students, most Teach Starter resources are available in other (editable) formats, such as Google Slides!
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Teacher Call Backs - Attention-Getting Phrases List
Catch your students’ attention with a set of fun attention-grabbing callback phrases.
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Parent Teacher Conference Templates
Save time, enhance organization and strengthen the parent-teacher partnership with this set of parent-teacher conference forms.
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Letter to the Teacher Template
Get to know your new students by having them write a letter to the teacher.
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Positive Notes Home – Parent Communication Templates
Use this editable template to share information with parents and guardians about academic improvement, positive behavior and more!
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Making Ten Activity
Practice making 10 using objects, pictorial models, and number sentences with this activity mat.
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5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise – Worksheet
De-escalate your students while in difficult situations with this calming exercise.
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Spooky Subtraction 4-Digit Color by Number - Worksheet
Bring a bit of spooky math fun into the classroom with a Halloween color by number worksheet focused on subtracting four-digit numbers.
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Cooperation Cartoons - Social Skills Activity
Encourage cooperation and collaboration in your classroom with a collaborative drawing activity.
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Internal and External Character Traits - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Explore the internal and external traits of story characters with this differentiated cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Printable Three Before Me Classroom Poster
Print a "3 before me" classroom poster to encourage students to try 3 things before asking for help.
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Main Idea Task Cards
Practice finding the main idea and supporting detail in a passage with these task cards.
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Character or Not? Cut and Paste Worksheet
Explore the difference between characters and non-characters with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Number Talks - Double Digit Subtraction Task Cards
Encourage the use of mental math strategies with 2-digit subtraction number talks task cards.
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Add It In - Listen and Draw Activity
Practice following directions to color and draw pictures with a listen and draw activity pack.
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Finding the Main Idea - Graphic Organizer Templates
Teach students how to find the main idea of a text using one of these one-page graphic organizers.
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Subtraction Using the Bar Model - Worksheet
Review and assess your students’ subtraction skills with a 3-digit subtraction worksheet focusing on the bar model strategy.
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Parts of A Plant Worksheet
Label the parts of a plant with a printable plant worksheet.
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Animals With Adaptations - Worksheet Pack
Use these animal adaptation worksheets when teaching students about the structural, behavioral, and physiological adaptations of animals.
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Grassland Biome Food Web - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Challenge students to create a food web and explain how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Tundra Biome Food Web - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Challenge students to create a food web and explain how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Desert Biome Food Web - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Challenge students to create a food web and explain how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Main Idea Nonfiction Worksheets
Use these main idea nonfiction worksheets to help students confidently identify key ideas and supporting details in engaging, real-world texts.
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Multiplication Color By Number Worksheet Pack
Use this set of multiplication color-by-number worksheets to help your students learn these important number facts.
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Lab Safety – Interactive and Printable Cloze Reading Activity
Demonstrate an understanding of lab safety rules and expectations by completing a cloze reading activity.
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Properties of 3D Shapes - Poster Set
Help your students identify the names and properties of common 3D shapes with this set of five classroom posters.
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Integer Number Sentences - Tarsia Puzzle
Practice solving addition and subtraction number sentences involving integers with a printable Tarsia puzzle!
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Inflectional Endings - Spelling with Suffixes Worksheets
Spell words with the inflectional endings -ed, -ing, -s, -es and -ies with a pack of printable practice worksheets covering inflected endings.
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Plural Nouns Worksheet Pack
Download this plural nouns worksheet pack to help students confidently identify and apply the plural suffixes -s, -es, -ies and -ves when spelling plural nouns.
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Suffix Worksheet: -less
Build vocabulary skills with a suffix worksheet featuring the suffix -less.
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Time Order Words - Transition Words Word Wall
Help your students demonstrate the passage of time in their writing with 35 time-order transition word cards.
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Rounding to the Nearest Ten, Hundred, and Thousand - Worksheet
Review rounding concepts with a worksheet covering rounding to the nearest ten, hundred, and thousand.
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How About This Weather? - Worksheet
A worksheet that explores different types of weather and subsequent observable changes.