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.
- Plus Plan
Anzac Day Word Search – Upper
A word search containing vocabulary associated with Anzac Day.
- Plus Plan
Sequence an Information Report – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Use these information report examples to teach your students about sequencing facts in a logical order.
- Plus Plan
Number of the Day Worksheet
Explore 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6-digit numbers using this number of the day worksheet with your students.
- Free Plan
Identifying Informative Language Worksheets
Explore the types of language found in informative writing using this set of three information reports on a variety of age-appropriate topics.
- Plus Plan
Information Report Examples and Analysis Worksheet
Use these information report examples with accompanying analysis worksheets to teach your students about the purpose, structure and language features of informative writing.
- Plus Plan
Animal Information Report Project
Get your students to create a high-quality animal information report with accompanying text features with this engaging and fully scaffolded writing project booklet.
- Plus Plan
Anzac Day Word Search – Lower
An Anzac Day-themed word search.
- Plus Plan
Fractions on a Number Line Worksheets
Represent fractions greater than zero and less than or equal to one with a pack of fraction number line worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Split Strategy Addition Worksheet Pack
Practise using the split strategy with this worksheet set.
- Plus Plan
Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences Worksheet Pack
Use this set of five grammar worksheets to teach about the structures of simple, compound and complex sentences.
- Plus Plan
Country Information Report Project
Get your students to create a high-quality country information report with accompanying text features using this fully scaffolded writing project booklet.
- Free Plan
Season Handwriting Sheets
Use these handwriting sheets to help your students to learn about the seasons of the year and the structure and process when it comes to handwriting.
- Plus Plan
Anzac Day Flip Book Template
Learn about the importance of Anzac Day with this engaging flipbook template.
- Plus Plan
Equivalent Fractions Chart – Differentiated Worksheets
Use a fraction wall to practise finding equivalent fractions and comparing fractions with this set of differentiated worksheets.
- Free Plan
Writing the Alphabet Chart - Tracing
A chart to assist students when learning how to form letters.
- Plus Plan
Addition and Subtraction Colour by Number Worksheets
Combine math and art with our addition and subtraction colour by number worksheets that feature problems with solutions up to 20.
- Plus Plan
18 Editing and Proofreading Worksheets – Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation
Use these editing and proofreading worksheets to add daily editing practice to your lesson plans.
- Free Plan
Free Telling Time to the Minute Worksheets
A worksheet for telling time to the minute and converting between analogue and digital times.
- Plus Plan
Symmetry Drawing Worksheet Pack
Teach your students about symmetry using this series of drawing worksheets where they must copy an image symmetrically using grid lines for reference.
- Plus Plan
Jump Strategy: Subtraction on a Number Line – Worksheets
Practice subtracting two-digit numbers with regrouping using a number line and the jump strategy with a pack of differentiated worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Penguin Adaptations - Year 3 Reading Comprehension
Explore the fascinating world of penguins and their adaptations with our set of printable Year 3 Reading Comprehension worksheets.
- Free Plan
Mother's Day Acrostic Poem
Create a special keepsake for mum, grandma, aunt, or another special lady with a Mother’s Day acrostic poem template.
- Plus Plan
Counting and Ordering Numbers Worksheet Pack
Support counting and ordering numbers with this handy worksheet pack that helps students build early numeracy skills quickly and confidently.
- Free Plan
Odd and Even Properties Worksheet
Predict and confirm if the product of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing sums is odd or even.
- Plus Plan
Multiplication and Division Speed Drill Worksheets – Mixed Facts
A set of worksheets to help students develop fast and accurate recall of the multiplication tables.
- Plus Plan
Adding and Subtracting Fractions Worksheets
Use these adding and subtracting fractions worksheets to enable your students to practise this important skill.
- Plus Plan
Year 6 Fractions, Decimals and Percentages Worksheets
Use these fractions, decimals and percentages worksheets in your Year 6 classroom for independent practice or as an assessment activity.
- Plus Plan
Addition and Subtraction Minute Maths Booklet
A maths warm-up booklet with ten pages of addition and subtraction questions.
- Plus Plan
Sequence an Example Persuasive Text – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Use this example persuasive text pack to teach your students about sequencing arguments in a logical order.
- Plus Plan
Differentiated Elapsed Time Worksheets for Beginners
Download a pack of differentiated Elapsed Time worksheets to help your students learn to calculate elapsed time in hours, half hours, and minutes.
- Plus Plan
Note-Taking Practice Worksheets
Use this set of note-taking practice worksheets to help your students identify key facts, details and vocabulary when researching information.
- Plus Plan
Jump Strategy Addition Worksheet Pack
Practise using the jump strategy with this worksheet set.