English Language Arts Teaching Resources
Explore English Language Arts (ELA) activities, worksheets, games and more teaching resources created by teachers for teachers just like you! You'll find ELA resources aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and ELAR resources that align to TEKS.
This collection of teacher-created resources for elementary and middle school teachers was designed with students and teachers in mind, including differentiated activities and worksheets ready to print and add to your lesson plan.
Each game, activity and more have undergone a careful review by a member of our ELA teaching team to ensure it's classroom — and student — ready.
What Is ELA in Education?
In most educational instances, ELA stands for English Language Arts, the subject that encompasses reading, writing, speaking, listening and language skills development in American schools.
ELA curriculum standards vary from state to state and even school district to school district, but they typically include instruction in the following areas:
1. Reading
In ELA classes, students learn to read, understand and interpret a variety of texts, including fiction and non-fiction. They develop reading comprehension skills such as identifying main ideas and making inferences while building their understanding of vocabulary.
2. Writing
As they progress through elementary and middle school, students learn the skills they need for effective written communication by learning to create types of texts — such as narratives and persuasive essays, research papers, and descriptive pieces.
They also learn to organize their ideas, use proper grammar and punctuation and refine their writing through revision and editing.
3. Speaking and Listening
While English instruction in the US was once heavily focused on grammar and reading comprehension, education experts saw a call to move toward a more student-centered means of teaching that paved the way to today's ELA curriculum ... and to the inclusion of oral communication as a focus in the curriculum.
Through speaking and listening activities, kids learn to express themselves clearly, listen actively, ask questions, participate in discussions and deliver presentations. They also learn to articulate their thoughts and understand different perspectives while developing their critical thinking abilities.
4. Language
Finally, students study grammar, vocabulary and syntax to enhance their understanding of English and how it should be used.
The curriculum includes proper sentence structure, word choice, spelling and punctuation rules. Language instruction also includes figurative language, idioms and understanding context.
ELA as English Language Acquisition
You may have noticed that we said ELA stands for English Language Arts in most educational instances. So, what else can it stand for?
In some schools, ELA is the abbreviation used for English Language Acquisition, and it's the name given to programs created to help English language learners as they tackle the language.
This form of ELA has marked similarities with the ELA described above, as it focuses on helping students build oral, reading and writing skills. However, there are distinct differences as one focuses on educating native speakers and the other on ELL students.
English vs. Language Arts — Why Is English Called Language Arts?
Some of your students may have parents who remember attending English classes as children but are unfamiliar with the concept of English language arts.
How do you explain the difference to them?
The fact is, some districts may well use the term English for what another district terms "English language arts." In other places, the two refer to very different concepts. In many areas, English is the name for courses taught on a high school level, while English language arts applies to elementary level work.
To explain why their children are enrolled in language arts coursework, it may be helpful to break down the various components of language arts — as we have done above — and their role in students' literacy growth.
What Is ELAR?
ELAR stands for English Language Arts and Reading. While much of the country's schools follow an ELA curriculum, ELAR is unique to Texas, where ELAR is an integrated subject that combines the study of language arts skills with the development of reading abilities.
This collection includes hundreds of ELAR activities, aligned directly with TEKS standards to ensure Texas teachers have everything they need for their lesson plans.
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Possessive Nouns PowerPoint
Use this Possessive Nouns PowerPoint to teach students how to identify ownership and correctly form singular, regular plural and irregular plural possessive nouns.
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Greek and Latin Roots Vocabulary Notebook
Enhance vocabulary containing Greek and Latin roots with a Google Slides interactive vocabulary notebook, also available in print format.
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Read and Draw a Story Worksheets
Practice reading comprehension with kindergarten and first-grade students with a set of Read and Draw comprehension worksheets.
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Benjamin Franklin - Constructed Response Worksheet
Learn facts about Benjamin Franklin with an informational reading and writing activity focusing on the constructed response format.
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Possessive Nouns - Interactive Clipcards
Provide digital possessive noun practice activities for your learners with a Google Interactive activity.
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Character Analysis Task Cards
Get your students to perform a character analysis for any fictional character using this set of 20 task cards.
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Alphabet Google Interactive — Letter A
Engage learners with an innovative approach to learning the Letter A with a Google Slides Interactive Activity.
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Elements of Plot Teaching Presentation
Teach them to your students with a Plot Elements Teaching presentation.
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Adverbs Match-Up
Skip those comparative and superlative adverb worksheets and try out an adverb matching game.
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Prefixes PowerPoint
Use this Prefix PowerPoint to help students understand what prefixes are and confidently use common prefixes related to opposites, time, place and position, numbers and size.
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R-Controlled Vowel Posters
Supplement your phonics curriculum with an R-controlled vowel poster display.
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Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences Sorting Activity
Practice reading, identifying and writing simple, compound, and complex sentences with a sorting activity.
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Nonfiction Comprehension Worksheet Pack for First Grade
Integrate science, social studies, and first grade reading comprehension skills with a group of ten nonfiction reading comprehension worksheets.
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CVCC Word Study Worksheet Pack
Provide extra practice reading, spelling, and writing CVCC words with a set of 30 CVCC Word Study Practice Worksheets.
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The Pony Express Worksheet- Comprehension Passage
Teach your students how to write a constructed response paragraph and integrate grade level Social studies concepts with a free Pony Express worksheet and ten-question comprehension assessment.
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Declaration of Independence- Constructed Response Passage Worksheet
Blend reading, writing, and historical concepts with the Declaration of Independence worksheet.
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Greek and Latin Roots Anchor Chart Pack
Encourage vocabulary development with a set of 24 Greek and Latin Roots anchor charts.
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Find What Doesn’t Fit: Relevant Details Worksheet
Practice determining what details are relevant and irrelevant to a topic while providing a purposeful context.
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Point of View Task Cards - Beginner Set
Use these colorful, fun task cards to help your beginning reader identify first, and third-person point of view (POV)
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Creature Creator - Verb Tense Task Cards
Create a mystery creature using past, present and future tense verbs.
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Verb Tenses Sorting Activity
Explore verb tenses through an engaging, hands‑on sorting activity that helps students confidently identify past, present and future tense sentences.
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Contractions Practice Worksheets
Reinforce the concept of contractions with eight worksheets designed for primary learners.
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Idioms Bingo Game
Build vocabulary and have fun with a classroom game of Idiom Bingo.
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Contractions SLAP IT! Card Game
Play a contraction matching game to enhance grammar and spelling skills in the classroom.
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Google Interactive CVCC Word Building Activity
Practice building, reading, and writing words with consonants, vowels, blends, and digraphs while spelling CVCC words.
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Read, Find, and Color – CVC Words
Practice decoding CVC words with this set of five "search and find" worksheets.
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Capitalization Task Cards (Grades 4-5)
Practice capitalizing less frequently occurring words (historical periods, events, languages, races, nationalities, and more) with 28 text task cards.
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Write a Short Story – The Tale of Transformation
Get your students analyzing and writing a story with a lesson with this engaging and fully scaffolded writing project booklet.
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Ruby Bridges – Comprehension Task
Review our profile on 6-year-old civil rights figure Ruby Bridges, and answer questions to reinforce understanding.
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Find It! - Sight Word Worksheets
Make your sight word instruction fun with this word search puzzle.
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Types of Sentences Sorting Worksheet
A cut and paste sorting worksheet to practice identifying the four types of sentences.
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Explanatory Essay Template
Use this explanatory essay template to help your students correctly structure their explanatory writing.
- English Language Arts Worksheets
- English Language Arts Games
- English Language Arts Templates
- English Language Arts Posters
- English Language Arts Flashcards
- English Language Arts Word Walls
- English Language Arts Projects
- English Language Arts for Pre-K
- English Language Arts for Kindergarten
- English Language Arts for 1st Grade
- English Language Arts for 2nd Grade
- English Language Arts for 3rd Grade
- English Language Arts for 4th Grade
- English Language Arts for 5th Grade
- English Language Arts for 6th Grade
- English Language Arts for 7th Grade