Poetry Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Poetry Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this poetry vocabulary puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our poetry unit. The kids loved hearing poems but had no idea what words like stanza, rhyme, or repetition meant. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like poem, poet, stanza, line, verse, rhyme, rhythm, beat, repetition, imagery, metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, and free verse. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the poetry terms 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 a haiku has to rhyme. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple quill and notebook drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write a two-line rhyming couplet on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.