Worksheet to WOW: 10 ways to upgrade your worksheet

Worksheets have been embedded in classrooms for years. For decades. FOREVER.

The reasons we use them are pretty clear …

1. We want students to get repetitions with new content. Repetitions make permanent, right? And we hope that the more stuff that students do with new content, the more likely it’ll stick in our brains.

2. They’re ready to use. Most of our textbooks come with pre-made worksheets. Photocopy them. Hand them out to students. The work is done … and we didn’t have to think too much in the process.

3. They’re easy to grade. Students turn them in. We usually grade them en masse. Stick em in the grade book and return them to students.

But w want to do better than the old standard photocopy worksheet, right?

(I mean … you’re here on a post about upgrading worksheets for a reason, aren’t you?)

1. They’re boring. Let’s be honest … and recall that meme I’ve seen all over social media: “Thanks for that great worksheet” said no student ever. Kids usually hate them.

2. How much learning actually comes from them? Sometimes, they’re mindless busywork … and when they’re mindless, the mind isn’t really turned on. Hence, very little learning.

3. There’s little or no creativity or personality. This makes it really hard to get motivated to complete worksheets. Usually, grades are the motivation to complete worksheets … students want to get good grades. 

So … can we do better?

Can we turn a worksheet into a “WOW” experience?

We’re about to find out! Here are 10 ways your classroom technology can help transform your worksheet to “WOW” …

💡Share your ideas: How would you transform a worksheet to WOW? Share your ideas in a comment below!