Any who! I've been thinking about activities for the first week back to school and remembered one I used to do when I taught 5th grade. It think I'm going to use it again this year!
Have you ever heard of the website Discovery Education? It's really cool and it has lots of free resources for Teachers, Parents and Students! I'll share the link later. ;)
Before I go any further, let me just say that I am NOT being paid to promote this site. I do not take credit for any resources on this site. My main goal is to share ideas and resources I have used in my teaching career in hopes that it will help someone, somehow.
Now, onward!
One of the resources I love to use on this site is Word Search. It's found in the Puzzlemaker section. It's great for introducing vocabulary at the beginning of each unit. It get students familiar with the words they are going to be hearing and using. However, it's also great for introducing students to each other in the classroom! It's also SUPER EASY!!!! We all like SUPER EASY don't we. There is nothing better that we like than that. No wait. Yes we do! Did I mention that it was FREE!!!!! We all LOVE FREE!!!!
So here is what I do.
First go to http://www.discoveryeducation.com/. Click HERE to get there quicker. ;)
You will see a Login button on the upper right hand corner, but quite honestly, I have never needed to use it.
Next, scroll all the way to the bottom. You will see this.
Look under Free Teacher Resources and click on Puzzlemaker. They are circled in yellow.
It will then take you to this page.
Look at that list of resources. Amazing! Right? So much you can use that they have to offer!!! Now click on Word Search.
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| Step 1. Type in the title you want to give your word search. |
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| Step 2. I leave this as is but you can change it. I've done 20 by 20 word searches before. |
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| Step 3. Puzzle options. I select share letters occasionally. Just to keep words spread out on the word search. You can choose the option you are more comfortable with. |
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| Step 4. I leave it as is, but of course the choice it up to you. Don't you just love options!!! |
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| Step 5. Type in your list. It gives you three different options to use. I use the last option. |
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| Step 6. Click on the Create My Puzzle! button and VOILA! That's it! |
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| Here it is! Now just print your word search and have your students find their name and their classmates names. |
If you scroll down further, you will notice a Solution button. However, you do have to be registered to be able to get this. I'm okay with out it though. :)
Students LOVE to find and see their name on this word search! It's the first one they look for. Then they continue to find the rest of the names on the list. I do let my students work with a partner or two, or three. I allow it because it becomes an bit of an ice breaker. It gets them to talk to each other. This is great for me since I do have them talk a whole lot to each other during activities throughout the school year. So it's good that they get use to it early on.
I hope you get to go back a see some of the other things that this site has to offer! I've used the crossword puzzle before with vocabulary and definitions. It's a really good tool.
Oh! I almost forgot! Be sure to try Hidden Message! It's a word search as well, but after students are done, they read the letters that were not used to reveal a "hidden message". Isn't that cool?! The last time I used this one, I used "I hope you have an amazing summer" as the hidden message. As you can tell, it was at the end of the school year.
I hope this was helpful. The site definitely has many resources that you can use in any classroom and any grade level.
I know this is mostly a math blog, but please share this with teachers that teach other subjects. I'm sure they will appreciate it.
By the way, the link is http://www.discoveryeducation.com/
Be sure to bookmark it! ;)
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!!!
