Grade 5 Literary Elements word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this literary elements puzzle set for my Grade 5 students during our reading unit. The kids could tell me what happened in a story but had no idea what words like plot, setting, or theme meant when we started using the vocabulary. They also kept mixing up "theme" and "main idea." So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like plot, setting, theme, conflict, protagonist, antagonist, exposition, rising action, falling action, and irony . I also included a few like "symbolism" and "mood" because they kept coming up in our discussions . Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the literary terms finally stick.

The set is six pages. Three puzzles plus an answer key page for each. The word search works well for quiet time after recess or independent practice. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about the spelling of "antagonist" (it's a tricky one) or whether the protagonist is always the good guy (they always have opinions about it) . The crossword I use for partners or as a review, and I usually have a literary elements anchor chart nearby for the kids who need the visual support to see the definitions and examples . I added a couple simple open book and magnifying glass drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for Grades 5 through 6. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers name the protagonist and antagonist of their favourite book on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.