World War I word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

World War I word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this World War I puzzle set for my 4th graders during our social studies unit. The kids had heard of the war but had no idea why it started, who fought, or what words like trench or alliance meant. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like World War I, trench, alliance, Allied Powers, Central Powers, Europe, battle, soldier, weapon, tank, plane, submarine, armistice, peace, and veteran. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the key vocabulary finally click.

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about what made World War I different from earlier wars. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple trench and helmet drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 4th through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers name one new weapon used in WWI on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.