Worksheets for Teachers
Did someone say printable worksheets? From year 1 maths worksheets to reading comprehension worksheets to printables 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 primary year levels.
Explore printable activities, free worksheets, homework sheets and more — all aligned to the Australian curriculum and 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 individualised instruction was gaining traction, and educators recognised 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 individualised 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, practising 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 pens 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 pens!
- Use digital worksheets. Allow students to fill out their worksheets on classroom tablets as a means to add an extra level of engagement.
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 — early years students can work on their fine motor skills with our mini books, cut-and-paste worksheets and more while their upper years peers get pulled into the fun of vocabulary fun with word searches and crossword puzzle worksheets. Printable puzzles that engage students in the form of a brain game and colour by worksheets that bring art elements into maths 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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Comparing Mass With Balance Scales Worksheet
Practise comparing and contrasting the mass of objects as shown on balance scales with this set of mass measurement worksheets.
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Verb Tenses Quiz Worksheet
Assess your students' knowledge of verb tenses with this 5-question quiz.
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I Can Count To Ten – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Use this set of counting worksheets to help your students sequence numbers from 0 to 10.
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What Is Climate Change? Comprehension Worksheet
Teach your students about the perils of climate change with this comprehensive article with accompanying comprehension questions.
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Earthquake - Tectonic Plates Diagram & Worksheets
Introduce students to plate tectonics with a labelled diagram and worksheet set featuring different types of volcanoes, layers of earth and landforms.
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Dealing With Direct Speech - Worksheet
Use this worksheet when teaching students the rules for punctuating direct speech using double quotation marks.
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Using Speech Marks in Direct Speech Task Cards
Practise adding double quotation marks to direct speech with printable quotation mark task cards.
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Changing Indirect Speech to Direct Speech Worksheets
Practise converting indirect speech to direct speech with this worksheet.
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Year 5 Maths Test - Multi-Digit Multiplication
Assess your students' skills with multiplying whole numbers using a printable Year 5 Multiplication Test.
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Operations with Fractions – Maths Mats
Use these maths mats when reviewing fraction operations with your students.
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Build a Calendar - Following Instructions Worksheets
Practise following directions and using a calendar with a pack of 12 printable calendar worksheets.
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Unit Fraction Spin and Colour Activity
Read and colour unit fractions in this fun spin and colour activity with your students.
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Today Is…Calendar Worksheet
Start your day with a morning calendar review using our printable daily calendar maths template.
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Characteristics of Living Things - Science Worksheets
Identify the characteristics of living things and animal classes with a pack of printable Animal Class Characteristic Worksheets.
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12/24 Hour Time Conversions - Practice Sheets
Review how to convert between 12 and 24-hour times with a set of printable Year 5 Maths worksheets.
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Telling Time in 24 Hour Format Worksheet
Practise converting between 12 and 24-hour clock times with a printable Year 5 time worksheet.
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Measurement Conversion Worksheets - Units of Time
Use a set of printable measurement conversion worksheets to practice converting units of time.
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Converting Units of Time Test Pack
Assess your students’ abilities to convert units of time with a set of differentiated time conversion tests.
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What Day Is It? Calendar Math Worksheet
Engage students in daily maths review lessons with a printable ‘What Day Is It’ Calendar Maths Worksheet.
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Dogs Make The Best Pets - Reading Comprehension Test
Assess reading comprehension skills with printable Reading and Writing Comprehension worksheets.
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Places I Belong Cut-and-Paste Worksheet
Encourage students to think of the different places they feel a sense of belonging at school and in the home environment.
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Hours, Seconds & Minutes - Estimating Time Sort
Estimate activities that take about a second, minute, hour, and week with a printable units of time sorting activity.
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Cursive Alphabet Worksheets – Letter Groups
Use printable cursive writing worksheets PDF files to learn how to write in cursive.
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Cursive Writing Worksheets PDF - Alphabet
Practise writing the alphabet in cursive with a pack of printable cursive alphabet writing worksheets.
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Reading a Calendar – Worksheets
Practise locating information on a calendar with a printable Calendar Worksheet.
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Rainforest Animal Printables — Adaptation Trading Cards
Discover rainforest animal adaptations and display your learning with miniature rainforest animal report templates.
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Months of the Year Worksheets - Ordering
Use these Months of the Year printables to help your students with the months of the year.
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Australian Animal Adaptations Trading Cards – Forest Biome
Discover the adaptations of animals in the forests and woodlands of Australia with printable animal trading card templates.
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Telling Time Worksheets - Differentiated Maths
Practise using analogue clocks with this set of differentiated tell-the-time clock worksheets.
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Using Persuasive Devices Worksheet
Use this persuasive devices worksheet to help your students create persuasive device examples based on a specific topic.
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Label the Ant Diagram Worksheet Pack
Learn about the anatomy of an ant with a printable reading passage and ant labeling worksheets.
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4-Digit Number Riddles Cut and Paste
Use these 4-digit number worksheets to help students practise matching numbers up to 10 000 with their word and expanded forms.