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End of the School Year Word Search (free printable)

A free end-of-the-school-year word search with twenty-two words (graduation, yearbook, autograph, diploma, scrapbook), a word bank and an answer key for the last week.

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

End of the School Year Word SearchEnd of the School Year Word SearchNameDateGKUYPPTSSUMMERYOFRRYFEEPARTYEMOLMCFIFFAIHWAATDOCERTIFICATEDSBCLOIHUGSYHFWIDYKMVEMSGNKNECNIEEGCNAELOOTCRGPMRCEDFUOIRWJBKLWBULSVBTODOEOKOBZBEWPAPOLEOALMQSBBAUEWNGBSOEAREYRDROKARRTHRXVACATIONAROAEOOASRTDLNEXHDWPYWFGEELKYOPTESWHCFIND THESE WORDSGRADUATIONYEARBOOKAUTOGRAPHDIPLOMACERTIFICATEMEMORIESVACATIONGOODBYESUMMERAWARDSPARTYLOCKERCUBBYSCRAPBOOKTEACHERFRIENDSPHOTOSLIDESHOWCELEBRATEREADINGREPORTHUGSPuzzle 71753Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
End of the School Year Word Search: answer keyEnd of the School Year Word Search:answer keyEvery word to find is circled.GKUYPPTSSUMMERYOFRRYFEEPARTYEMOLMCFIFFAIHWAATDOCERTIFICATEDSBCLOIHUGSYHFWIDYKMVEMSGNKNECNIEEGCNAELOOTCRGPMRCEDFUOIRWJBKLWBULSVBTODOEOKOBZBEWPAPOLEOALMQSBBAUEWNGBSOEAREYRDROKARRTHRXVACATIONAROAEOOASRTDLNEXHDWPYWFGEELKYOPTESWHCPuzzle 71753Free 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 words for the last week of school, in a 15 by 15 grid. The answers are the traditions (yearbook, autograph, diploma, certificate, graduation, awards, party, slideshow), the places and things in the room (locker, cubby, scrapbook, photo, teacher, friends) and the feelings (memories, goodbye, celebrate, hugs), together with the summer words (summer, reading). Graduation, certificate and scrapbook are the long finds, and cubby, photo and awards are quick ones. It works as a calm activity while you pack the room, write report cards or run a field-day rotation, and the answer key is on page two.

Grades: 1st to 6th grade. Best in: May, June.

The words to find

Graduation · Yearbook · Autograph · Diploma · Certificate · Memories · Vacation · Goodbye · Summer · Awards · Party · Locker · Cubby · Scrapbook · Teacher · Friends · Photo · Slideshow · Celebrate · Reading · Report · Hugs

How to use it: five ideas

  1. Packing-up task: leave the puzzle on desks while the class clears cubbies, so there is something quiet to do when they are done.
  2. Memory writing: students pick three words and write one memory from the year for each.
  3. Yearbook helper: students find autograph and yearbook, then practice writing a kind note for a classmate on scrap paper.
  4. Thank-you note: students use words from the puzzle in a short card to a teacher, aide or librarian.
  5. Quiet field-day break: keep a stack in the shade for students who need a rest between events.

Related

Questions

Is this too young for sixth grade?

Choose Hard and a 20 by 20 grid, add your school’s own words (the name of the middle school students are moving to, the talent show) and it becomes a puzzle for the end of sixth grade.

Can students sign the puzzle like a yearbook?

You can print the answer-key page and leave it blank for signatures, or print extra copies and let students pass them around. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

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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