Worksheets for Teachers
Did someone say printable worksheets? From 2nd-grade math worksheets and 4th-grade reading comprehension worksheets to Common Core worksheets 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 elementary grade levels.
Explore printable activities, free worksheets, homework sheets and more — 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 individualized instruction was gaining traction, and educators recognized 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 individualized 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, practicing 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 markers 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 markers!
- Use digital worksheets. Allow students to fill out their worksheets on classroom tablets as a means to add an extra level of engagement.
- Focus on rigor. It's important to differentiate instruction, and the worksheets assigned to students should be appropriate to their needs — but they should not just be busy work. Ensure there's a challenge at hand to hold kids' attention!
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 — primary-aged students can work on their fine motor skills with our mini book, cut and paste worksheets, and more while their older elementary peers get pulled into the fun of vocabulary fun with word searches and crossword puzzle worksheets.
Printable puzzles engage students in the form of a brain game, and color by worksheets bring art elements into math 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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Do-a-Dot Rainbow Worksheet
Build fine motor skills and color recognition with a printable rainbow dot art activity.
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Part Part Whole Word Problem Task Cards and Worksheet
Explore these animal-themed part-part-whole word problems that will open discussions with your young mathematicians.
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Desert Food Chain - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Create a desert food chain to show how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Plant and Animal Adaptations - Comprehension Worksheets
Boost reading comprehension skills with a comprehension passage, with questions, about structural, behavioral and physiological adaptations.
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How About This Weather? - Worksheet
A worksheet that explores different types of weather and subsequent observable changes.
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Short and Long Vowels Activity Pack
Segment and sort these words into their vowel sounds.
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Why Plant a Tree? Infographic Analysis Activity & Posters
Teach about Arbor Day or Earth Day with an infographic poster and a cloze note-taking worksheet about the importance of trees in our environment.
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Area of a Triangle – Worksheet
Practice applying math formulas with this area of a triangle worksheet.
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Super Synonyms List
Boost your students’ vocabularies with a synonyms list to reference in their daily writing lessons.
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Equivalent Fractions on a Number Line – Differentiated Worksheets
Practice placing equivalent fractions on a number line with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Fraction Flags Worksheet – Differentiated
Create fraction models with different flags by partitioning rectangles and coloring them according to the guide.
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5th Grade Math Review – Test Prep Packet
Encourage your students to work through 8 pages of 5th-grade math problems while charting their progress to measure their success.
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Black Leaders in History - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Dive into learning about influential black history leaders with a cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Is It Half? Differentiated Fractions Coloring Sheet
Introduce your students to the concept of halves as well as equal and unequal parts with this fractions coloring sheet.
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All About the Sun – Comprehension Worksheet
Integrate science and reading while learning about the Sun with this comprehension worksheet.
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Hickory Dickory Dock - Story Elements Worksheet Pack
Demonstrate learning about the parts of a story with a printable set of Hickory Dickory Dock worksheets.
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Civil War Comprehension Pack
Read across the curriculum with a printable set of Civil War Reading Passages and accompanying question sets.
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Morning Affirmations for Kids - Writing Worksheets
Complete and read aloud these positive affirmations for kids.
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I Can Draw 100 Shapes Worksheet — 100th Day Activity
Celebrate the 100th Day of School in the classroom with printable 100th Day of School Math worksheets.
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100 Grid Color by Number — 100th Day of School Activities Pack
Follow the color-coded number guides to fill in the hundreds chart square and reveal 3 special 100th Day of School mystery pictures.
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Phases of the Moon – Comprehension Worksheet
Analyze different moon phases and how their visual appearances change over time with this reading comprehension worksheet.
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Converting Percentages – Worksheet
Practice converting a percent to a decimal or a fraction with this worksheet.
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Word Study List - Suffixes
Introduce and explore common suffix examples with this extensive list of words.
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Area Worksheets
Practice finding the area of different shapes with this set of 4 worksheets.
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Free Character Traits List
Teach your students to analyze characters more effectively by providing them with a list of character traits.
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Using Cardinal and Intermediate Directions Worksheet
Use cardinal and intermediate directions to determine locations around the United States with a map reading worksheet.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals – Differentiated Mystery Image Worksheets
Have students practice adding and subtracting decimals with this mystery image worksheet.
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Groundhog Day Mini Book
Uncover the American tradition known as Groundhog Day with an informational mini-book.
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Boston Massacre Passage and Writing Prompt Worksheet
Learn facts about the Boston Massacre with an informational reading passage and an informational writing prompt for fourth grade.
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Checks and Balances - RACES Writing Prompt Worksheet
Practice using the RACES writing strategy and unravel the mysteries of the U.S. Government system of checks and balances with a passage, organizer, and prompt.
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Greek and Latin Roots Practice Worksheet Bundle
Practice using vocabulary containing Greek roots and Latin roots with 24 weekly root word practice worksheets.
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Identifying Community Helpers Worksheets
Engage kindergarten and first-grade students in identifying community helpers with a pair of worksheets.