State Capitals Southwest word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

State Capitals Southwest word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Southwest states and capitals puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our geography unit. The kids could name a few states like Texas and Arizona, but they had no idea what cities like Austin, Phoenix, or Santa Fe were, or that the Southwest region has only four states but they're huge and have a lot of history. 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 four capitals of the Southwest region: Austin (Texas), Phoenix (Arizona), Santa Fe (New Mexico), and Oklahoma City (Oklahoma).

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 "Phoenix" (that tricky "oe" always gets them) or whether Santa Fe is actually the oldest capital city in the United States (it is—founded in 1610). The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've looked at a Southwest 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 four capitals on a classroom map. The kids actually ask for these now.