🔬 Vocabulary word searches for science and ESL

How to use this vocabulary word search

A word search will not teach what photosynthesis means, but it does get students to look closely at long, unfamiliar spellings before and after the real lesson. That makes it useful for science units and for English language learners meeting new words. The sample list covers common upper elementary and middle school science terms, from habitat and erosion to hypothesis and precipitation. Photosynthesis has 14 letters, and 28 long terms need room, so the sample uses an 18×18 grid.

1. Paste your unit's vocabulary list. Terms with spaces, such as food chain, are fine.
2. Pick a grid at least as wide as your longest word. The page tells you if a word does not fit.
3. Print the puzzle and the answer key, or save a PDF for your class website.

Teacher tips

• Hide the word bank and give definitions instead: students must work out each word before they can find it.
• After the puzzle, have students sort the words into Earth, life and physical science.
• For English language learners, read each word aloud and use it in a sentence before starting.
• Science vocabulary bingo and ESL vocabulary bingo on BingoSheet turn the same idea into a whole-class game.