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Black History Month Word Search (free printable)

A free Black History Month word search with twenty-two names and words (Tubman, Parks, Douglass, Juneteenth, Harlem), a word bank and an answer key.

22 words. “Polar bear” becomes POLARBEAR. Add a clue after a colon (“snow: white flakes”) to put clues in the bank.
Grid size
Difficulty
Up to 40 letters. They fill the first leftover squares, so the letters nobody circles spell it. On the board it flies into place when the last word is found.
Sort and find: the look-alikes hide in the grid and the word bank too, so children decide which to circle.

Use this list in: bingo cards

Black History Month Word SearchBlack History Month Word SearchNameDateHARLEMATFREEDOMJAZZPBRIDGESVDPIOLYABMDLYDYTBQNEHTRISMHBODPOYVMLNKWTZRPUAITKESJLSGRTDOGGIDSNOTUIOOJLGLLCCPTJUMNNNEHBAGROOOOBABEGTJUSIOUERUMRCNTTQESKBRTRRASAAAEOYMYIAYHNNHALRRENNINGREENASXIVENISSEOYRELHUGHESTFOOITEMLDFXVERHHNENFIND THESE WORDSTUBMANPARKSDOUGLASSBRIDGESCARVERROBINSONANGELOUHUGHESMARSHALLJOHNSONJEMISONJUNETEENTHFREEDOMEQUALITYCOURAGEHARLEMJAZZARMSTRONGELLINGTONSOJOURNERINVENTORPOETPuzzle 85786Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
Black History Month Word Search: answer keyBlack History Month Word Search: answerkeyEvery word to find is circled.HARLEMATFREEDOMJAZZPBRIDGESVDPIOLYABMDLYDYTBQNEHTRISMHBODPOYVMLNKWTZRPUAITKESJLSGRTDOGGIDSNOTUIOOJLGLLCCPTJUMNNNEHBAGROOOOBABEGTJUSIOUERUMRCNTTQESKBRTRRASAAAEOYMYIAYHNNHALRRENNINGREENASXIVENISSEOYRELHUGHESTFOOITEMLDFXVERHHNENPuzzle 85786Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key ·

To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.

All 22 words are in the grid, and each one appears once.

About this set

Twenty-two names and words from the people and events that classes study in February: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, Ruby Bridges, George Washington Carver, Jackie Robinson, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Thurgood Marshall, Katherine Johnson and Mae Jemison, with Juneteenth, freedom, equality and courage. Use it after reading about some of the people, and have students say who each name is before they circle it. The puzzle is set to Medium on a 15 by 15 grid, and the answer key is page two. Add your class’s own subjects by typing them into the box.

Grades: 3rd to 8th grade. Best in: February.

The words to find

Tubman · Parks · Douglass · Bridges · Carver · Robinson · Angelou · Hughes · Marshall · Johnson · Jemison · Juneteenth · Freedom · Equality · Courage · Harlem · Jazz · Armstrong · Ellington · Sojourner · Inventor · Poet

How to use it: five ideas

  1. Who is it? After circling a name, students write one sentence about the person from memory.
  2. Choose one: each student picks a name from the puzzle and prepares a short fact card.
  3. Match the work: students match each name to what the person is known for (inventor, poet, athlete, astronaut).
  4. Timeline: put the people in order by when they lived on a class timeline.
  5. Make it yours: add the names of people your class has read about this month and press Make another.

Related

Questions

Why are only last names used?

Word searches work best with a single word. Most entries are surnames or a single name, and the word bank shows what each one is. You can type full names; spaces are dropped in the grid.

Is there a bingo version?

Yes. The Black History Month bingo card set has the full names and the events, with a caller list.

Can I change the words or the difficulty?

Yes. Edit the 22 words in the box, choose Easy, Medium or Hard, pick a grid size from 8 to 25 and a shape, and add a secret message if you like. The puzzle rebuilds as you change it, and any word that cannot fit is listed.

Can we play it on the board?

Yes. Press “Play on the board”: the class finds words by dragging across them or tapping the first and last letters, each find plays a note, and H gives a hint. Press F to fill the projector.

How do I save it as a PDF?

Press Print and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. The puzzle is page one and the answer key is page two.

How do I get a different layout?

Press “Make another”. The same words are placed in a new arrangement, which is handy when neighbors should not have the same puzzle.

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