Women in Math word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Women in Math word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this "Women in Math" puzzle set for my 4th graders during our biography unit and Women's History Month. The kids could name a few famous mathematicians like Newton or Pythagoras, but they had no idea about the incredible women who have shaped mathematics for centuries—from Hypatia in ancient Alexandria to Katherine Johnson, whose calculations sent astronauts to the moon. They kept asking questions like "Who was the first woman to do math?" or "Did girls really get to study math back then?" So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using names like Hypatia (one of the earliest known female mathematicians), Maria Agnesi (the first woman to write a mathematics handbook and become a university professor), Sophie Germain (who worked on number theory and elasticity, even though her parents tried to stop her from studying math at night), Ada Lovelace (considered the first computer programmer), Sofia Kovalevskaya (the first woman in modern Europe to earn a doctorate in mathematics), and Emmy Noether (whose groundbreaking work in abstract algebra is still celebrated today).

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 how to spell "Kovalevskaya" or whether "Ada Lovelace" and "Lady Ada" are the same person (they are). The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've watched a few short biographies. I added a couple simple pi symbol, calculator, and equation drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 4th through 6th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick one mathematician from the puzzles and write one fact about her on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.