Native American Traditions word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Native American Traditions word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Native American traditions puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our social studies unit. The kids could name a few tribes but had no idea what words like powwow, tipi, or moccasin meant when we talked about the rich cultures of Indigenous peoples. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like tradition, culture, tribe, clan, chief, elder, shaman, powwow, ceremony, legend, totem pole, kachina, dreamcatcher, cradleboard, moccasin, wampum, petroglyph, parfleche, pemmican, lacrosse, travois, and wigwam. 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 whether a tipi and a wigwam are the same thing (they're not — tipis are cone-shaped and used on the Plains, while wigwams are dome-shaped from the Northeast). The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've looked at pictures of different tribal traditions. I added a couple simple feather, tipi, and drum drawings but nothing too busy.

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