Catch Up Fast: Must-Have Workbook Series to Help Students Get Back to Grade Level 

Whether it’s summer learning loss or unfinished learning from prior years, many students arrive in class with academic gaps that slow their progress. As teachers, we know how powerful the right kind of practice can be—especially when it’s consistent, targeted, and engaging.

Creative Teaching Press offers a variety of workbook series that are perfect for helping students catch up and build confidence. Below find teacher's favorite resources organized by series—not grade—so you can find exactly what fits your students’ needs.

⏱️ Math Minutes Series

Grades 1–8

A favorite for math fluency and quick-hit review, this series offers 100 daily "minute" activities, each with 10 short, spiraled math problems. It’s perfect for daily warm-ups, exit tickets, or homework practice.

Why It Works:

• Encourages speed and accuracy

• Covers a broad range of grade-level topics in small bites

• Builds confidence through repetition and progress tracking

Examples:

• Grade 2: Reinforces addition/subtraction fluency, skip counting, and early multiplication.

• Grade 4: Covers factors, multi-digit multiplication, early fractions, and geometry.

• Grades 6–8: Focuses on expressions, equations, ratios, and pre-algebra essentials.

Use Tip: Do one “minute” daily and use results to group students by skill for focused intervention. Students love racing their own previous times!

✍️ Grammar Minutes Series

Grades 1–6

Quick, consistent grammar practice can make a world of difference—and this series delivers. With 100 brief, skill-focused lessons, Grammar Minutes helps students master writing conventions in under 10 minutes a day.

Why It Works:

• Covers essential grammar skills like parts of speech, punctuation, and sentence structure

• Keeps grammar fresh between writing blocks

• Builds strong sentence writers over time

Examples:

• Grade 1: Introduces nouns, verbs, capitals, punctuation, and simple sentences.

• Grade 3: Tackles compound predicates, verb tense, dialogue punctuation, and more.

• Grade 5: Expands into clauses, possessives, and tricky usage—great test prep!

Use Tip: Use as morning work or ELA warm-ups. Extend select prompts into journal writing or grammar notebooks.

💪 I Can Do It! Workbooks

Grades PreK–1

These confidence-boosting workbooks are perfect for young learners who need extra practice in early math, phonics, handwriting, or sight words. The short, focused tasks and reward system make them student favorites.

Why It Works:

• Focuses on one key skill per book

• Built-in reward charts motivate students

• Clear visuals and repetition support struggling learners

Examples:

• First Grade Math: Boosts counting, operations to 20, and story problems.

• Phonics: Builds decoding skills through short vowels, digraphs, and blends.

• Sight Words: Great for readers needing multiple exposures to high-frequency words.

Use Tip: Great for take-home folders, fluency centers, or Tier 2 RTI groups. Use the sticker charts to celebrate milestones!

🧠 Power Practice Series

Grades 1–8

Each workbook in this series offers deep, focused practice on one subject—perfect for targeted review or intervention. Topics range from reading comprehension to writing skills and even pre-algebra.

Why It Works:

• Helps students master one domain at a time

• Provides meaningful repetition and application

• Great for test prep, tutoring, or independent work blocks

Examples:

• Reading Comprehension: Includes fiction/nonfiction passages and leveled questions.

• Writing Skills: Covers sentence fluency, punctuation, and paragraph structure.

• Pre-Algebra (Grades 5–8): Scaffolds variables, equations, and integer operations.

Use Tip: Perfect for once-a-week skill blocks, pull-outs, or small-group reinforcement. Ideal for students who need a second look at core concepts.

🧮 Ultimate Advantage Workbooks

Grades K–6

This all-in-one series is designed to support complete math mastery for students who need to catch up fast. With over 140 reproducible pages per book, it's a powerhouse tool for spiraled review and reteaching.

Why It Works:

• Each book is organized by skill strand (operations, measurement, fractions, etc.)

• Provides deep, meaningful practice—not just surface review

• Visuals and clear instructions make it easy to assign independently

Examples:

• Grade 1: Strengthens number sense, early addition/subtraction, and shapes.

• Grade 3: Covers multiplication/division fluency, place value, rounding, and fractions.

• Grade 5: Offers rigorous practice in decimals, long division, and order of operations.

Use Tip: Assign 2–3 pages per skill strand weekly. Great for reteaching, take-home review, or building custom RTI packets.

🤝 Why These Workbook Series Work Together

• ✅ They spiral and scaffold learning, so students retain what they’ve practiced.

• ✅ They’re bite-sized and flexible, fitting into your daily schedule without causing burnout.

• ✅ They’re ideal for centers, homework, tutoring, or small-group intervention.

Whether you're working with a 2nd grader catching up on number bonds or a 7th grader learning algebraic expressions, these workbook series help rebuild confidence and close the gap—quickly and effectively.

🎯 Final Thoughts: Start Small, Stay Consistent

You don’t need to reteach the entire year. You just need the right tools, structured support, and a little consistency. These workbook series from Creative Teaching Press are designed by educators to meet students where they are—and help them move forward fast.

📚 Explore all CTP workbook series now. and build your classroom catch-up toolkit today. 

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