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Ocean Animals Word Search (free printable)

A free ocean animals word search with twenty-two words (dolphin, octopus, jellyfish, narwhal, plankton), a word bank and an answer key for a unit on sea life.

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

Ocean Animals Word SearchOcean Animals Word SearchNameDateEAEOSPCRABSYAWOUNETHOFCFHGROYCHASWALRUSEALTTTWAIGROOINPLWTLOITPLKUFPAADREFPNADLIRILRLOARDUCIOTARNOWNLRJTSNIYTENCBHCPUEMTCESSDFKSAPHZLAIGSRQTURTLEIQLNNTHNUUNDEOFNBYAGANEIALKRZNNTFTRYNEDOEUAEXEAIEAWHALEHSEAHORSEYEYTRCLOWNFISHZNFIND THESE WORDSWHALEDOLPHINSHARKOCTOPUSSQUIDJELLYFISHSTARFISHSEAHORSETURTLECLOWNFISHSTINGRAYCRABLOBSTERWALRUSOTTERCORALKELPPLANKTONNARWHALMANATEEORCASEALPuzzle 62145Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
Ocean Animals Word Search: answer keyOcean Animals Word Search: answer keyEvery word to find is circled.EAEOSPCRABSYAWOUNETHOFCFHGROYCHASWALRUSEALTTTWAIGROOINPLWTLOITPLKUFPAADREFPNADLIRILRLOARDUCIOTARNOWNLRJTSNIYTENCBHCPUEMTCESSDFKSAPHZLAIGSRQTURTLEIQLNNTHNUUNDEOFNBYAGANEIALKRZNNTFTRYNEDOEUAEXEAIEAWHALEHSEAHORSEYEYTRCLOWNFISHZNPuzzle 62145Free 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 from under the sea, from short ones every first grader can find (crab, seal, kelp, orca) to long ones that reward a careful look (jellyfish, clownfish, plankton, manatee). The list moves from the big animals (whale, dolphin, shark, walrus) through the odd ones (narwhal, octopus, squid, stingray, seahorse, starfish) to the places and food of the ocean (coral, kelp, plankton). The words run across, down and diagonally on a 15 by 15 grid, which makes it a real puzzle for second and third grade. Turn on Backwards and a 20 by 20 grid and it becomes a fifth-grade challenge.

Grades: 1st to 5th grade. Best in: April, May, June.

The words to find

Whale · Dolphin · Shark · Octopus · Squid · Jellyfish · Starfish · Seahorse · Turtle · Clownfish · Stingray · Crab · Lobster · Walrus · Otter · Coral · Kelp · Plankton · Narwhal · Manatee · Orca · Seal

How to use it: five ideas

  1. Sort after solving: students put the animals into mammals, fish and animals with no backbone, using a book or a wall chart for help.
  2. Draw one: each student picks the animal they know least about, looks it up and draws it with two labeled facts.
  3. Size order: students put five of the animals in order from smallest to largest and defend their order to a partner.
  4. Partner race: two students get the same puzzle (same layout) and race to find all twenty-two words first.
  5. Early finishers: print a stack and keep it in an “Ocean unit” folder next to the library books on sea life.

Related

Questions

How hard is this puzzle?

It is set to Medium: words run across, down and diagonally, but not backwards. Choose Easy for across and down only, or Hard to add backwards words.

Can I make a version with only fish?

Yes. Delete the lines you do not want from the box, such as the whales and the seal, and the puzzle rebuilds at once. A shorter list on a 12 by 12 grid suits first grade.

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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