State Capitals Midwest word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

State Capitals Midwest word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Midwest states and capitals puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our geography unit. The kids could name a few states like Illinois and Ohio, but they had no idea what cities like Springfield, Indianapolis, or Pierre were, or that the Midwest is often called the "Heartland" of America . They also kept mixing up which capital belonged to which state, so I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using the 12 capitals of the Midwest region : Springfield (Illinois), Indianapolis (Indiana), Des Moines (Iowa), Topeka (Kansas), Lansing (Michigan), St. Paul (Minnesota), Jefferson City (Missouri), Lincoln (Nebraska), Bismarck (North Dakota), Columbus (Ohio), Pierre (South Dakota), and Madison (Wisconsin) .

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess, and the scramble gets them talking because they argue about how to spell "Springfield" or whether "Pierre" is pronounced like the city in France or like a pair of shoes (the South Dakota one is pronounced like "peer"—the kids always debate it). The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've looked at a Midwest region map . I added a couple simple state outline and compass drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick one capital from the puzzles and write its state on the back, or try to find all 12 capitals on a classroom map. The kids actually ask for these now.