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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Narrative Text Type Poster With Annotations
Display this narrative text with annotations to help students identify the structure of a narrative.
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How to Stay Healthy – Procedural Writing Project
Get your students writing high-quality procedure texts with this fun “How to Stay Healthy” procedural writing project.
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How to Plant a Garden – Procedural Writing Project
Get your students writing high-quality procedure texts with this fun “How to Plant a Garden” procedural writing project.
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Compound Words Tarsia Puzzle
Match the compound words with their matching word parts to solve this Compound Word Tarsia Puzzle.
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Compound Words - Word Search Pack
Search, find, and spell compound words with a fun set of Compound Word Word Search Puzzles!
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Writing with Compound Words Worksheet Pack
Practice using compound words in context with a pack of printable Writing With Compound Words Worksheets.
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Combining Words - Compound Word Worksheets for Kids
Combine word parts to build compound nouns with a printable compound word worksheet.
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Compound Words Interactive Clip Cards
Build compound words and engage your students with a drag-and-drop digital learning activity.
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5th Grade ELA Standards Tracker - CCSS
Track the status of your curriculum completion with a handy set of 5th-grade ELA Standards Trackers for CCSS.
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Compound Word Quiz
Assess your students’ abilities to read, spell, and use compound words with a Compound Word Quiz.
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Compound Words I Have, Who Has? Game
Play a whole-class game to review common compound words and their meanings.
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L-Blends Blending Flashcards
Practice blending l-blends with this set of blending l word cards.
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Write the Room - Compound Word Literacy Center
Read, write, spell, and use compound words with a printable Compound Word - Write the Room Literacy Center.
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Compound Words Fortune Teller
Make a compound word fortune teller to engage your students and have fun learning how to combine two words into one!
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S-Blends Blending Flashcards
Practice different s blends with this set of flashcards.
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Compound Words Seek and Find Interactive
Seek and find examples of compound words with an engaging Google Slides Interactive activity.
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Build a Calendar - Following Instructions Worksheets
Practice following directions and using a calendar with a pack of 12 printable calendar worksheets.
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Compound Words Teaching Slides
Teach your students to identify, combine, and read compound words with an interactive Compound Words teaching presentation.
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Compound Words Self-Checking Digital Game
Make putting words together to form compound words into a game with a self-checking Google Interactive activity.
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Compound Words Digital Learning Activity
Use a digital learning activity to help your students practice identifying, reading, and creating compound words.
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Compound Words Four in a Row Game
Practice identifying and reading compound words with a printable Four-in-a-Row game for small-group reading instruction.
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Compound Word Worksheets for Big Kids
Boost your students' vocabulary knowledge with printable Compound Word Worksheets for upper grades.
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1st Grade Spelling Words - Weekly Lists
Create successful spellers with printable weekly spelling word lists for 1st grade.
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ELA Common Core Standards Checklists - 1st Grade
Track your ELA curriculum coverage with a set of printable 1st Grade Common Core ELA Standards Checklists.
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3rd Grade Reading Fluency Passages
Assess student fluency with a printable pack of reading fluency passages for 3rd grade.
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Fluency Reading Passages - 5th Grade
Assess student fluency with a printable pack of reading fluency passages for 5th grade.
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Consonant Digraph WR Interactive
Engage students in practicing their learning around the consonant digraph of ‘wr’ with this fun building site-themed interactive activity.
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Dual Language Labels - Spanish Classroom Objects
Label objects in the classroom in Spanish and English with printable classroom equipment labels.
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Building Compound Words - Puzzles
Practice building compound words with this set of 20 puzzles, each with three pieces—two smaller words and the compound word they form.
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Spelling Test Template Pack
Make those Friday spelling assessments easier with a pack of printable Spelling Test Templates!
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I Am Poem Template
Get to know your students and create back-to-school poems with a printable ‘I Am… Poem template.
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Procedural Writing Prompt Task Cards
Need some procedural writing ideas? Download these task cards to use as a writing center activity during your procedure writing unit.
- 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