American Symbols word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

American Symbols word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this American symbols puzzle set for my 2nd and 3rd graders during our social studies unit. The kids knew the flag and the bald eagle but had no idea about the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, or Mount Rushmore . So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like flag, eagle, Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, White House, Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore, anthem, pledge, stars, stripes, freedom, and symbol . I also threw in a few like "Uncle Sam" and the "Great Seal" because they kept coming up in our class discussions about what it means to be an American . Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the famous symbols finally stick.

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about how many stars are on the flag or whether the Liberty Bell is still in Philadelphia (it is) . The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple flag, eagle, and bell drawings but nothing too busy . I also made sure to include a few key terms like "Great Seal" and "Uncle Sam" because they're part of the conversation too .

Works for 1st through 4th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers draw one US symbol on the back and name it . The kids actually ask for these now.