Famous American Inventors word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Famous American Inventors word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this famous American inventors puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our social studies unit. The kids knew about Edison and the light bulb but had no idea about other inventors like Bell, Ford, or the Wright brothers. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like Edison, light bulb, Bell, telephone, Ford, automobile, Wright brothers, airplane, Franklin, bifocals, Carver, peanut, Whitney, cotton gin, and invention. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the names and their creations 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 who invented the telephone. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple light bulb and airplane drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick one inventor and write what they invented on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.