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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Changes to the Environment – Worksheet
Learn about environmental changes and how they affect living things with this worksheet.
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How is Plastic Recycled? – Recycling Worksheets
Explore the process of recycling plastic with a printable recycling worksheet.
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Using Number Lines - Worksheet
Check your students' number line skills with a printable number line formative assessment.
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Synonyms - Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle
Boost vocabulary skills with a fun synonym crossword puzzle.
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Equivalent Fraction Wall – Blank
Encourage students to create their own equivalent fraction chart with this printable maths template.
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NAPLAN-Style Reading Magazine – Year 5
5 reading texts with multiple choice questions for NAPLAN Reading Year 5.
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CVCC and CCVC Word Chain Ladders - Worksheets
Build word chains with CVCC and CCVC words using this set of printable phonics worksheets.
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Understanding Positive and 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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Earth Day Build a Sentence Worksheet
Build and write sentences about Earth Day with a cut-and-paste Earth Day worksheet.
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CVC Phoneme Manipulation Worksheets - Short E
Manipulate the individual phonemes in ‘short e’ CVC words to create new words with this set of differentiated worksheets.
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Word Study List - Suffixes
Introduce and explore common suffixes with this extensive list of words.
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Rotation vs. Revolution – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Demonstrate an understanding of rotation vs. revolution with this cut and paste worksheet.
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Building Compound Words - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Cut, paste, and write to form open and closed compound words with a word-building worksheet.
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Positive and Negative Coping Skills – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Explore the difference between positive and negative coping skills with this cut and paste worksheet.
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Changing Direct Speech to Indirect Speech – Differentiated Worksheet
Convert direct speech to indirect speech with this worksheet.
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Adjectives and the Senses – Worksheet
A sorting worksheet where students organise adjectives into the most appropriate sense.
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Colour by Number - Mixed 1 - 12 Multiplication
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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Positional Language Worksheet – The Bridge
A worksheet to use when teaching younger students about positional language.
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Colour by Number - 5 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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Letter to the Editor: Social Media – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a persuasive article about social media.
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Spot the Stretchy Difference – Worksheet
A spot the difference worksheet designed to help students recognise materials that have been stretched.
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Letter to the Editor (Sugary Snacks Ban) – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a letter to the editor from the Year 5 magazine (Issue 3).
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The Birthday Ride – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a narrative from the Year 1 magazine (Issue 3).
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How Does Water Get to Our Taps? – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for an information report from the Year 2 magazine (Issue 2).
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Pre-Writing Pencil Control Tracing Sheets
A set of four animal-themed pre-writing tracing worksheets.
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Grammar and Punctuation Assessment Tool – Year 4
A set of 5 grammar and punctuation assessment tools suited to Year 4 students.
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Continents and Oceans Worksheet
A worksheet to practise identifying the 7 continents and 5 oceans.
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Making 10 Number Bonds - Worksheet
A worksheet to practise the addition strategy of making 10.
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Operations of Four Maths Machine Worksheet
A worksheet to use when practising addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
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What is NAIDOC Week? – Comprehension Task
A comprehension task to use in the classroom when learning about NAIDOC Week.
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States of Matter Properties Worksheet
A cloze worksheet about the properties of solids, liquids and gases.
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States of Matter Properties Venn Diagram
A cut and paste activity that explores the properties of solids, liquids and gases.