Harlem Renaissance Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzz

Harlem Renaissance Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Harlem Renaissance puzzle set for my 4th and 5th graders during our social studies and literacy unit. The kids had heard of Langston Hughes and jazz but had no idea what words like renaissance, Great Migration, or jazz meant when we talked about this burst of African American culture and pride. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using key vocabulary like renaissance, migration, jazz, blues, improvise, Harlem, identity, pride, culture, art, poetry, community, nightclub, Great Migration, New Negro, stereotype, segregation, integration, and activist. Nothing fancy—just puzzles to help the core concepts 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 as a quick intro to the unit. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about what the "New Negro" actually meant or whether jazz was invented in New Orleans or Harlem (it's complicated). The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've read a few short biographies of figures like Zora Neale Hurston and Duke Ellington. I added a couple simple music note, book, and star drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 4th through 6th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick one word and write a sentence about what it means to them on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.