Survival Story Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Survival Story Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this survival story vocabulary puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our reading and writing unit. The kids loved adventure stories but had no idea what words like survival, shelter, or rescue meant when we talked about characters trying to stay alive. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like survival, shelter, rescue, wilderness, food, water, fire, tools, shelter, and map. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the survival vocabulary finally stick.

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess or indoor recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether finding water is more important than finding food. The crossword I use for partners or as a review. I added a couple simple tent, fire, and compass drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write a short survival story using three words from the puzzle on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.