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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Types of Weathering – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Use this cut-and-paste worksheet when classifying examples that show mechanical, chemical, or biological weathering.
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Inflectional Endings - Spelling with Suffixes Worksheets
Spell words with the inflectional endings -ed, -ing, -s, -es and -ies with a pack of printable practice worksheets covering inflected endings.
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What is Cooperation? Cut and Paste Worksheet
Explore the difference between cooperative and non-cooperative behavior with this cut and paste worksheet.
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Rounding to the Nearest Ten, Hundred, and Thousand - Worksheet
Review rounding concepts with a worksheet covering rounding to the nearest ten, hundred, and thousand.
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Food Chains – Worksheet
Use this worksheet to identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain.
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Equivalent Fractions – Worksheet Pack
Use fraction models, strip diagrams, and number lines to determine equivalent fractions with this worksheet pack.
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Why Plant a Tree? Infographic Analysis Activity & Posters
Teach about Arbor Day or Earth Day with an infographic poster and a cloze note-taking worksheet about the importance of trees in our environment.
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Amazon Rainforest Facts - Reading Passage
Read and learn about conservation with a reading passage and comprehension worksheet on the Amazon Rainforest.
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Moon Phases – Cut and Paste Activity
Create a diagram showing the different moon phases and their names with this cut-and-paste activity sheet.
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CVC Word Chain Ladders - Worksheets
Build word chains with CVC words using this set of printable phonics worksheets.
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U.S. Symbols Reading Comprehension - Differentiated
Boost reading comprehension skills and knowledge of United States’ symbols with differentiated comprehension worksheets.
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Forest Biome Food Web – Worksheet
Challenge students to create a food web and explain how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Multiplying Mixed Numbers – Word Problem Worksheet
Solve a variety of word problems with this multiplying mixed numbers worksheet.
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Who Works in Our Community? - Community Helper Worksheet
A worksheet to use when learning about community helpers.
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Verb Tense Worksheet
Provide students with additional verb tense practice with a past, present, and future tense worksheet.
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Soccer Stats - Mixed Operation Problem Solving Worksheets
Practice multiplication, division, fractions, and problem-solving skills with a high-interest soccer-themed math task
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Christmas Gingerbread House Craft Template
Introduce your students to one of Germany’s most popular Christmas traditions with a printable gingerbread house craft template.
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Using Tape Diagrams to Find the Whole From a Percent – Worksheet
Calculate the whole from a percent by using tape diagrams with this worksheet.
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Silent Letters Worksheet Pack
Use these 5 ghost letter worksheets for practicing the use and identification of silent letters in words.
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Silent Letters Worksheets - Read, Find, and Color
Identify letters that are silent with this set of three find and color worksheets.
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Understanding Positive & Negative Numbers – Worksheet
Explore positive and negative numbers by plotting integers on a number line and identifying opposites with this worksheet.
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The Industrial Revolution - Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Integrate reading, writing, and American history with an Industrial Revolution passage, questions, and additional activities.
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Inner vs. Outer Planets – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Sort inner and outer planets with this cut-and-paste science worksheet.
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Relating Decimals and Fractions Worksheet
Practice matching fractions with a denominator of 10 and 100 to decimals and vice versa.
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Free Character Traits List
Teach your students to analyze characters more effectively by providing them with a list of character traits.
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The French and Indian War - Passage and Graphic Organizer
Reveal another chapter in American History with a reading passage and graphic organizer worksheet on the French and Indian War.
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Thanksgiving Mini Book
Celebrate Thanksgiving in the classroom with a printable Thanksgiving activity book.
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Bill of Rights - RACES writing response
Practice using the RACES writing strategy and discover the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with a passage, organizer, and prompt.
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U.S. Mountains and Rivers Worksheets
Locate rivers and mountains on a U.S. physical map with two labeling worksheets.
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Forms of Energy (Heat, Light and Sound) Worksheet
Identify different forms of energy with this cut and paste worksheet.
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The Pony Express - Comprehension Passage Worksheet
Teach your students how to write a constructed response paragraph and integrate grade level Social studies concepts with a free Pony Express worksheet and ten-question comprehension assessment.
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Changes to the Environment Worksheet
Learn about environmental changes and how they affect living things with this worksheet.