Grade 7 Civics and Government word search, scramble and crossword puzz

Grade 7 Civics and Government word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this civics and government puzzle set for my 7th graders during our social studies unit. The kids knew the three branches from earlier grades, but they had no idea about the deeper vocabulary like federalism, checks and balances, or judicial review when we started looking at how the government actually functions. They also kept mixing up the roles of the House and Senate and didn't understand what a veto does. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like constitution, amendment, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, executive, legislative, judicial, veto, override, impeach, judicial review, bill, law, and citizens . I also included a few like "civics" and "responsibility" because they kept coming up in our class discussions . 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 "federalism" (it's a tricky one) or whether a veto and an override are the same thing (they're not—they always have opinions about it) . The crossword I use for partners or as a review, and I usually have a branches of government diagram nearby for the kids who need the visual support to see the structure and the checks . I added a couple simple building and scale drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 7th through 8th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers name one check the president has on Congress on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.