Although it may feel as if winter is here with all of the holiday decorations, music, cheer, and early December festivities, plus the snow that some of you may have already experiencing, the last day of Autumn isn’t until Thursday, December 21st!

Image courtesy of Pixabay. 

As we teachers approach winter break, which is sometimes a high-stress time for us and our students, why not give our students the chance to unwind with a fun word scramble!

While a word scramble, may not be standards based in and of itself, it can be used to hit many ELA Standards (English Language Arts). In Pennsylvania, this word scramble would lend itself perfectly for the PA Core Standard: C.C.1.4 Narrative Writing: “Students write for different purposes and audiences. Students write clear and focused text to convey a well-defined perspective and appropriate content.” It would also fit well with various grade levels. Below I provide you with 5 ways to use this word scramble in your classroom. 

Image courtesy of Google Images.

Five Ways to Use this Word Scramble in the Classroom

1. Have students brainstorm words that they think of when it comes to fall or Thanksgiving. Create a word bank with their list. Add to it as necessary so students yield success. (Team building as well.)
2. Have students unscramble the words, and then use them to create a story. (Adapt by allowing the students to choose the number of words but no less than 1/2 (or five of the words.) Provide the students with a standard’s based rubric when writing.
3. Once students have completed the word scramble, allow them to draw a picture or poster including the items. (This would be great as an extension for the story, or just as an outlet for those students that are artistically gifted or simply love to draw.)
4. Hide the items or pictures of the words in your classroom and allow students to search for them. Once the students have found the items/pictures, they will then use them to unscramble the words. (This allows for those more kinesthetic learners to release some energy.)
5. Provide a word bank, and allow students to complete the word scramble if they finish other assignments early. (We all have those few students that complete everything quickly.)

I hope this word scramble and these activities allow you some respite from your day-to-day and week-to-week planning that must be done.

Here is your free resource from Education.com: word scramble and answer key

As we continue to learn and grow together, I wonder what other activities can be used to incorporate this word scramble into the classroom. If you have some cool and/or creative activities, please share them in the comments.

For more reading activities, go to Education.com.

Thank you for reading!

Until next time, Happy Teaching!

Krystal L. Smith, The RenewED Teacher