Profiles in Courage Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puz

Profiles in Courage Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this profiles in courage vocabulary puzzle set for my 5th graders during our biography unit and social-emotional learning block. The kids could describe a brave person, but they kept mixing up "brave" and "fearless," and they had no idea what words like integrity, conviction, or resilience meant when we read stories about people who stood up for what was right in the face of danger. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like courage, conviction, integrity, resilience, sacrifice, justice, truth, suffering, challenge, decision, leadership, compassion, and bravery . I also made sure to include "uncommon valor" because it appears in the Medal of Honor citation and always sparks good discussion about what makes an act "uncommon."

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 courage is the absence of fear or acting despite it (they always land on acting despite it, especially after we read about figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy). The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've read a few short biographies. I added a couple simple star, medal, and brain drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 5th through 7th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick one word from the puzzles and write a sentence about a person they admire who showed that quality on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.