Japanese Culture Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Japanese Culture Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Japanese culture vocabulary puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our global studies unit. The kids had heard of sushi and karate, but they had no idea what words like kimono, origami, or tatami meant when we looked at pictures of daily life in Japan . So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like kimono, obi, origami, bonsai, tatami, samurai, ninja, sumo, kendo, ikebana, haiku, manga, anime, sushi, ramen, sake, koi, kabuki, kami, onsen, kotatsu, and bento. I also threw in a few like karaoke, tsunami, and kanji because they kept coming up in our conversations .

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 how to spell "kimono" or whether "tatami" is a floor mat or something else . The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've looked at pictures of Japanese art, food, and clothing . I added a couple simple origami crane, cherry blossom, and lantern drawings but nothing too busy .

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick one word from the puzzle and write a sentence about what it is on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.