Templates provide teachers with a starting point as we design lessons or activities for our students. Templates can also give students a way to organize information and focus on showing what they know. Here are lots of templates and lesson ideas for you to use in your class.
Sometimes just getting started with a task is the hardest part. Where do you begin? How do you organize all of your ideas in a way that others can understand?
Templates can help with that.
Templates can guide teachers as they design great lessons or activities. They are also powerful tools to use with students, helping them organize their thoughts and ideas.
So where are the best places for finding great templates for teachers? And how can we use templates with our students?
During a weekly #DitchBook Twitter chat, we discussed these questions and more. The #Ditchbook community did not disappoint as they shared tons of great templates and ideas for using them in your classroom.
22 must-have templates for teachers
Below you will find 22 must have templates for teachers and students. Be sure to check out our templates library to see tons of our Ditch That Textbook templates along with our Templates Pinterest board full of even more resources.
HyperDocs are powerful designed digital lessons. Nadine Gilkison shared her HyperDoc templates for primary and intermediate students. You can also find many more at HyperDocs templates.
Shared by: Nadine Gilkison
Did you know that Google has many ready-to-use templates for Docs and Slides available? Check out this student certificate template that you can use for any class or subject! In addition to templates for education, there are lots of others for work or even for your personal life. Just go to docs.google.com/document or docs.google.com/presentation and click on “template gallery” for lots more.
Shared by: Evan Mosier
3. Iron Chef and Cyber Sandwhich EduProtocol templates
“EduProtocols are designed so that teachers can insert any curriculum from across subjects to help guide students into a deeper understanding of the content.” EduProtocols.com
In addition to meaningful yet fun, EduProtocols like Iron Chef and CyberSandwich Jon Corippo and Marlena Hebern have included lots of templates on their website EduProtocols.com.
Shared by: Brian Rozinsky
4. Caption This template
Caption This can be used in any subject area to add an extra layer of critical thinking. Create your own simple template in Google Drawings or Slides and share with your students for a fun, deep thinking activity.
Shared by: Laura Steinbrink
We want to connect with our students and know how they are doing every day. But it can be difficult to check-in with every student in every one of our classes. This daily check-in Google Form template created by Mari Venturino makes it simple and easy to get started connecting with all of your students.
Shared by: Karly Moura created by Mari Venturino
Add a little gamification to any subject area with a favorite board game and task cards with this Clue template.
Shared by: Stephanie Howell
Bring history into the modern day world with this fictional Twitter chat template created by Ryan O’Donnell. Students can use this template to create profiles for fictional characters in a book, for historical figures and more. Check out Ryan’s blog post for more ideas and examples on how to use this template.
Shared by: Joe Marquez created by Ryan O'Donnell
Use these templates from Tom Spall to create your own digital menus for your students. You can leverage the popularity of the latest video game craze with his Fortnite themed choice menu template or adapt it to fit your students’ interests.
Shared by: Tom Spall
Graphic organizers are helpful tools in any subject. National Geographic has tons of graphic organizers that you can print, download or photocopy to use with your students.
Looking for more? Check out 25 FREE Google Drawings graphic organizers — and how to make your own
Shared by: James Varlack
Ryan has a whole collection of incredible templates on his website creativeedtech.com. Some crowd favorites are his Time and National Geographic magazine templates. These can be adapted and used in almost any subject area.
Shared by: Ryan O'Donnell
Parent communication is much easier if you have a template for your newsletter. Check out this website created by Sarah Kiefer and Beth Kingsley for tons of templates including quite a few options for newsletters that can be used by teachers or students.
Shared by: Sarah Kiefer
Nate Ridgway shared an interactive, shareable and customizable vocabulary puzzle template. These puzzles work for any age or subject area. Create them for your students or have your students use the templates to create their own!
More templates from Nate:
Shared by: Nate Ridgway
Add some seasonal fun, and teach the basics of Google Slides, with these templates from Eric Curts. Students can build a jack-o-lantern during Fall or build a snowman during Winter. A fun and engaging way for students to practice their writing skills by describing or writing about their creation.
Shared by: Sean Fahey created by Eric Curts
14. Resume templates
A great way to provide students with the real-life experience of building their own resume is with a well-designed template. Canva has a huge directory of templates available to use for free on their website.
Looking for more ideas? Karly Moura wrote a blog post sharing 20 ways to use Canva’s templates with your students.
Shared by: Karly Moura
Summarize current events with this CNN template created by Steve Bassi. This event summary template works perfect with CNN10 current events news for kids.
Shared by: Amanda Pasley created by Steve Bassi
Kids love choice boards and who DOESN'T love Baby Yoda??? This Mandalorian style choice board template, created by Donna Marie Schies, is a fun way to give students lots of options to show what they know.
Shared by: Donna Marie Schies
This Google Slides template , created by Mandi Tolen, is based on the old children’s game “Memory”. Mandi has awesome examples of how to use it in math but you can use it to create review games across any content areas.
See MORE of Mandi's exit ticket templates here!
Shared by: Mandi Tolen
Wrap up your week with this Jamboard template created by Karen Stepic. In this exit ticket students will reflect on the highlights of the past week including their light bulb moment.
Shared by: Amanda Pasley created by Karen Stepic
If you follow Amanda Sandoval on Twitter then you know that what she shares is GOLD (and if you don't then do yourself a favor and follow her right now). With this game board template you can just add hyperlinks and essential questions use it with your class!
Shared by: Amanda Pasley created by Amanda Sandoval
Stacy Yung created a template using Google Slides for annotations that you can use with DBQs or apply to any document for analysis. Stacy also share an example showing how students can identify their annotations with icons.
Shared by: Amanda Pasley created by Stacy Yung
Give students a focused way to analyze a Ted Talk with this listening guide template created by Carrie Smith. This template works perfectly with the resources provided through TedEd.
Shared by: Amanda Pasley created by Carrie Smith
Another amazing creation from Amanda Sandoval! If you are looking for an engaging, meaningful, FUN way for your students to review what they have learned then this unit review template is a MUST addition for your template toolbox. Students roll the dice (by clicking a digital die) to determine which task they will complete.
Shared by: Amanda Pasley created by Amanda Sandoval
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These templates helps me. I am a student and I love Ted Talk Template very much.
Using Canvas, how do you use jamboard as an exit ticket? Can you just do the “copy” trick?
Great resource for teaching
Seems like great resources.
[…] of your site makes it simple and easy to get started connecting with all of your students. Find an example Google Form check-in template […]