Martin Luther King Jr word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Martin Luther King Jr word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Martin Luther King Jr. puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our Civil Rights unit. The kids knew his name and "I Have a Dream" but had no idea what he actually fought for or how he made change happen. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like King, dream, peace, equality, justice, speech, march, boycott, nonviolent, protest, civil rights, freedom, leader, Nobel, and memorial. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the facts finally stick.

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether his famous speech was in Washington or somewhere else. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple podium and dove drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write one sentence from his "I Have a Dream" speech on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.