News Article Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

News Article Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this news article vocabulary puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our media literacy unit. The kids could read a newspaper but had no idea what words like headline, article, or caption meant when we talked about the parts of a news story. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like headline, article, caption, byline, date, source, quote, fact, and opinion. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the news article 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 indoor recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether a fact and an opinion can appear in the same article. The crossword I use for partners or as a review. I added a couple simple newspaper, microphone, and magnifying glass drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write their own headline for a made-up news story on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.