State Capitals Northeast word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

State Capitals Northeast word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Northeast states and capitals puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our geography unit. The kids could name a few states like New York and Massachusetts, but they had no idea what cities like Albany, Augusta, or Montpelier were, or that the smallest state capital in the country is Montpelier, Vermont . 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 11 capitals of the Northeast region : Hartford (Connecticut), Dover (Delaware), Augusta (Maine), Annapolis (Maryland), Boston (Massachusetts), Concord (New Hampshire), Trenton (New Jersey), Albany (New York), Harrisburg (Pennsylvania), Providence (Rhode Island), and Montpelier (Vermont) .

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 the spelling of "Harrisburg" (one R? two? they always debate it) or whether "Montpelier" sounds like it should be in France instead of Vermont. The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've looked at a Northeast 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 11 capitals on a classroom map. The kids actually ask for these now.