Journalism and News Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puz

Students practise journalism terms such as byline, headline and attribution through a crossword, scramble and word search.
Grades
Grades 5–8, Elementary, Middle School
Pages
6
File type
PDF
Answer key
Included

Updated Jun 06, 2026

Subject
ELA, Language Development, Vocabulary, Writing
Topic
Journalism Vocabulary, News Writing
Resource types
Worksheets & Printables, Worksheets, Word Searches, Crosswords Puzzles
Answer key
Included
Standards
L.6.6

Product description

From the author

Journalism and News Vocabulary Word Puzzles

This set contains a word search, word scramble and crossword using the same fifteen terms: headline, byline, lead, inverted pyramid, source, quote, attribution, editor, fact, opinion, editorial, press, embargo, scoop and wire service.

Three two-page PDF files each contain a puzzle and its answer key, for six pages total. Use the clue-based puzzles to discuss word meanings and the word search for recognition practice.

The creator describes using the puzzles with fourth and fifth graders during a media unit. They can be used independently or with partners; an optional extension is writing a headline for a made-up story.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Define 15 core journalism terms (e.g., byline, embargo, attribution) from a one-line clue.

  • Spell each journalism term correctly by unscrambling its letters in the word scramble.

  • Locate each of the 15 journalism terms within a word search grid.

Teaching tips

  • Start with the crossword, since its one-line clues (e.g., "First paragraph" for lead) double as quick definitions before students meet the scrambled or hidden versions of the same words.

  • Use the word scramble as a spelling check after the crossword, since unscrambling removes the letter-order support a crossword grid gives.

  • Save the word search for review, since it only asks students to recognize the 15 terms rather than define them.

Skills covered

  • Journalism vocabulary definition — students match one-line clues like "Delay publish" and "Credit to source" to terms such as embargo and attribution in the crossword.

  • Spelling reinforcement — students unscramble letters to correctly spell each of the 15 terms in the word scramble.

  • Word recognition — students locate all 15 journalism terms hidden in a 20-by-20 word search grid.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

Do all three puzzles use the same set of words?

Yes — the crossword, word scramble, and word search each cover the identical set of 15 journalism terms, so students see every word practiced in three different formats.

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Curriculum

Standards, concepts & topics

Standards

  • L.6.6

Core concepts

  • Journalism vocabulary

  • News writing terms

  • Word puzzles

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