Biography of a World Explorer word search, scramble and crossword puzz

Biography of a World Explorer word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this biography of a world explorer puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our social studies unit. The kids could name a few explorers like Columbus but had no idea what words like voyage, route, or discovery meant when we read about their journeys. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like explorer, voyage, route, discovery, map, compass, and journey. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the explorer biography vocabulary finally stick.

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess or indoor recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether a voyage is different from a journey. The crossword I use for partners or as a review. I added a couple simple ship, compass, and map drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write one fact about an explorer they have studied on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.