Grade 5 Civil War word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Grade 5 Civil War word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Civil War puzzle set for my 5th graders during our social studies unit. The kids had heard of the war but had no idea why it was fought or what words like union, confederacy, or abolition meant. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like Civil War, Union, Confederacy, slavery, abolition, Lincoln, Davis, soldier, battle, Gettysburg, emancipation, freedom, north, south, and reconstruction. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the key vocabulary finally click.

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 whether the Civil War was about states' rights or slavery. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple cannon and hat drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 4th through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write one fact about Abraham Lincoln or one cause of the war on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.