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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Lab Safety Reflection Sheet (4-6)
Reflect on Lab Safety knowledge and behaviors with a printable Lab Safety Reflection Sheet.
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Time-Lapse Observation Charts for Science Inquiry
Track scientific changes over time with a set of printable Time Lapse Observation Charts.
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Sources of Light Worksheet Pack (K)
Shine a light on light energy with a pack of printable Light Worksheets for kindergarten.
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Diphthong Phoneme Spotter Stories
Use this set of decodable texts featuring various graphemes that make diphthong 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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Halloween Writing Prompt Worksheet Pack
Inspire spook-tacular story writing with our printable Hallowing Writing Prompt Worksheet pack.
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Sentence Fluency Reading Cards Set
Make fluency practice engaging with our Sentence Fluency Reading Cards Set.
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Multiplication Equal Groups Worksheets
Share these multiplication equal groups worksheets with your students to give them practice modeling and solving multiplication problems.
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Estimating and Measuring Angles With a Protractor Worksheet Set
Assign our estimating and measuring angles with a protractor worksheet set to your students for tiered practice with a variety of angle types.
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Topic Sentence Worksheet Pack
Use this topic sentence worksheet pack to teach your students about how to structure clear and cohesive paragraphs using strong opening statements.
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Animals That Live in Groups - Animal Behavior Worksheet Pack
Explore how animals survive and thrive in social groups with a printable Animal Behavior Worksheet pack.
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Fact Families Multiplication and Division Worksheets
Download these fact families multiplication and division worksheets to help your students visualize fact families with arrays.
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Signs in the Community Worksheet Set
Help young learners recognize and understand the world around them with these Signs in the Community Worksheets.
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Money Word Problems Addition and Subtraction Worksheet Set
Use our money word problems addition and subtraction worksheet set to give your students differentiated practice modeling a variety of one and two-digit word problems.
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Modeling Addition Word Problem Worksheets
Encourage modeling with these addition word problem worksheets that provide practice with real-world addition scenarios.
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Reading and Constructing Timelines Worksheets
Practice reading and constructing timelines with a pair of printable timeline worksheets.
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What Are Pollinators? Worksheet Pack
Introduce your students to the world of plants and pollination with a printable Pollinators Worksheet Pack.
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Passport To My Heritage - Project Poster
Celebrate your students’ diverse cultural heritages with a printable Heritage Project Poster Template.
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Writing Compound-Complex Sentences Worksheet
Use a Compound-Complex Sentences Worksheet to help your upper elementary and middle school students learn to use advanced sentence structures in their writing.
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Combining Sentences Worksheet Pack
Download and use our combining sentences worksheet pack to help your students learn to combine sentences in various ways.
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Identify Sentence or Fragment Worksheet Pack
Use an Identify Sentence or Fragment worksheet to help your students build their sentence writing skills.
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Using Commas in a Series Anchor Chart & Comma Handouts
Use a printable Commas in a Series Anchor chart & Comma Handouts to teach your students correct comma punctuation when listing items in a sentence.
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Subject Verb Agreement Compound Subjects Worksheets
Enhance student understanding with subject-verb agreement compound subjects worksheets that provide various activities using compound subjects.
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Worksheet on Capitalization of Months, Days, Holidays, Titles, Places
Use a worksheet on capitalization of months, days, holidays, titles, and places to help your students practice common capitalization rules.
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2nd Grade Comma Quiz - Commas in a Series
Assign a 2nd Grade Comma Quiz to assess your students’ ability to use commas in a list.
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Drawing Parallel Lines and Perpendicular Lines Worksheet Set
Utilize this drawing parallel lines and perpendicular lines worksheet set to give your students practice drawing line types on their own and on 2D shapes.
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Identifying Parallel and Perpendicular Lines in Shapes Worksheet Pack
Present this parallel and perpendicular lines in shapes worksheet pack to your students to give them practice identifying attributes of 2D shapes.
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Using Context Clues Handout
Assign a Context Clues Handout to help your students determine the meaning of unfamiliar words based on the surrounding text.
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Differentiated Volume of Rectangular Prism Worksheet Set
Differentiate instruction with this volume of rectangular prism worksheet set that offers three levels of volume problems.
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Finding Word Meaning In Text - Context Clues Activity Sheet
Practice using context clues to determine word meaning in text with a printable Context Clues Activity Sheet.
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Volume Activities for Sixth Grade and Fifth Grade
Bring math to life with these volume activities for sixth grade and fifth grade students that will have them building prisms, going on a scavenger hunt, and estimating volumes!
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Making Predictions – Kindergarten Worksheet Set
Explore the comprehension strategy of prediction using these prediction worksheets created specifically for the early years classroom.