Plant Cell vs Animal Cell word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Plant Cell vs Animal Cell word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this plant cell vs animal cell puzzle set for my 4th graders during our life science unit. The kids kept mixing up which parts belong to which cell, especially the cell wall and chloroplasts. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like plant cell, animal cell, cell wall, cell membrane, nucleus, mitochondria, cytoplasm, chloroplast, vacuole, shape, rectangular, round, photosynthesis, storage, and organelle. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the differences finally click.

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 animal cells have a cell wall. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple drawings of a rectangular plant cell and a round animal cell but nothing too busy.

Works for 4th through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers list two differences between plant and animal cells on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.