Foreshadowing and Flashback word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this foreshadowing and flashback puzzle set for my 4th graders during our reading unit. The kids could enjoy a story but had no idea what words like foreshadowing, flashback, or clue meant when we talked about how authors drop hints or show the past. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like foreshadowing, flashback, clue, hint, remember, past, predict, author, and mystery. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the literary device 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 flashback and a memory are the same thing. The crossword I use for partners or as a review. I added a couple simple clock, magnifying glass, and before and after drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 4th through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write a sentence using foreshadowing on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.