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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World War I Comprehension Packet
Blend reading and social studies content with a printable set of World War 1 Reading Passages and accompanying question sets.
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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 List - Soft G Words & Hard G Words
Practice reading and spelling soft g words and hard g words with a list of 50 words.
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Word Study List - Silent Letters
Introduce and explore words containing silent letters with this extensive list of words.
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Helen Keller Comprehension Passage - Tasks
Uncover facts about Helen Keller with a reading passage and worksheet pack to practice comprehension, character analysis, and sequencing.
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Label a Turkey Worksheet
Bring Tom Turkey and animal studies into your Thanksgiving lesson plans with a turkey labeling worksheet.
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First Responders Reading Passage - Comprehension
Celebrate and learn about the American heroes known as first responders with a reading passage and comprehension questions.
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Word Study List - CCVC Words
Introduce and explore words containing the consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant pattern with this printable list of CCVC words.
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Characteristics of an Environment – Worksheet
Enhance your students’ comprehension and science skills by learning about the physical characteristics of different environments and how they support populations within an ecosystem.
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Christmas Math Worksheets - Addition and Subtraction Mazes
Navigate these Christmas math mazes with addition and subtraction facts to keep those minds active!
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Fall Worksheet - Parts of Speech Cut and Paste
Have a bit of fall fun identifying parts of speech by sorting fall-themed nouns, verbs, and adjectives with a cut and paste worksheet.
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Halloween Division Worksheet - Riddles
Have a bit of spooky mathematical fun with our riddle-based Halloween sheets for intermediate division.
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Equations, Tables, and Graphs, Oh My! – Differentiated Worksheets
Use these differentiated worksheets to practice using equations to create patterns within input-output tables and graphs.
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The Women's Rights Movement Worksheets - Comprehension
Read, write, and discover facts about the women’s rights movement with a reading passage and comprehension worksheet pack.
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Graphing Using Input-Output Tables – Differentiated Worksheets
Use data from input-output tables to graph points with this set of differentiated worksheets.
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The New England Colonies - Graphic Organizer
Organize your students’ thoughts and knowledge of the original thirteen colonies with a graphic organizer.
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Social Studies Story Map - The French and Indian War
Combine literary plot diagrams and Social Studies standards with a French and Indian war story map worksheet.
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Pumpkin Possessives Worksheet
Practice identifying possessive nouns with this fall-themed worksheet.
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Living or Nonliving? Color by Code Worksheet
Practice identifying living and nonliving things with this color by code worksheet.
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Read and Draw a Story Worksheets
Practice reading comprehension with kindergarten and first-grade students with a set of Read and Draw comprehension worksheets.
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Thanksgiving Build-a-Sentence Worksheet
Build and write sentences about Thanksgiving with a cut-and-paste Thanksgiving worksheet for kindergarten and first grade.
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Daily Dolch Drills — Pre-Primer Weekly Homework
Practice weekly sight words to strengthen letter-sound recognition, spelling, and reading fluency with six weeks of sight word homework worksheets.
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Sojourner Truth Constructed Response Worksheet
Learn facts about Sojourner Truth with an informational reading passage and writing activity for third grade and up.
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Goods and Services Worksheet
Determine examples of goods and services with an economics worksheet.
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Major U.S. Rivers Brochure Template
Research the major rivers in the United States with a brochure project.
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Countries of North America Sort
Practice identifying North American countries' locations, flags, and symbols with a quick and easy sorting worksheet.
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Identifying Community Helpers Worksheets
Engage kindergarten and first-grade students in identifying community helpers with a pair of worksheets.
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School, Home, and Community Jobs Worksheet
Introduce preschool, kindergarten, and first grade students to jobs performed at school, home, and in the community with a cut and paste worksheet.
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Labeling Texas Regions Worksheet
Supplement your Texas Social Studies curriculum with a region of Texas map labeling worksheet.
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U.S. Land Features Matching Worksheet
Apply knowledge of the major U.S. rivers, mountains, and land features with a matching worksheet.
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Pioneer Vocabulary Worksheets
Practice and review vocabulary associated with the American pioneer using a vocabulary review worksheet pack.
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Character Traits, Motivations and Feelings Worksheet
Analyze character traits, feelings and motivations with this two-page worksheet.