Grade 5 Persuasive Writing word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Grade 5 Persuasive Writing word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this persuasive writing puzzle set for my 5th graders during our writing unit. The kids could state an opinion but had no idea what words like claim, evidence, or counterargument meant when we started learning how to write a persuasive essay. They also kept mixing up "opinion" and "fact." So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like opinion, claim, reason, evidence, fact, example, persuade, convince, audience, counterargument, rebuttal, conclusion, powerful, and call to action . I also included a few like "thesis" and "hook" because they kept coming up when we talked about how to start an essay . Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the 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 independent practice. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about the spelling of "counterargument" (it's a long one) or whether a claim is the same as an opinion (it's a statement, but the kids always have opinions about it) . The crossword I use for partners or as a review, and I usually have a persuasive writing anchor chart nearby for the kids who need the visual support to see the structure of a persuasive essay . I added a couple simple speech bubble and megaphone drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 5th through 6th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write a claim about a school topic and one reason to support it on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.