Review World Deserts and Desert Life with three differentiated, print-and-go crossword puzzles for Grades 5–6. The Easy, Medium and Hard levels use clear, factual clues, so you can give every student the right amount of challenge, and each puzzle is followed by a complete teacher answer key. Students practice 32 key terms in all, from Sahara and Gobi to Aeolian.

What students practice

• Easy (10 answers, word bank): Sahara, Gobi, Mojave, Atacama, Oasis, Cactus, Dune, Arid, Camel, Mirage. Sample clues: Sahara (Earth’s largest hot desert, covering much of North Africa); Gobi (Large desert in northern China and southern Mongolia); Mojave (Desert of the southwestern United States that includes Death Valley); Atacama (Very dry desert along the Pacific coast of South America).
• Medium (10 answers, word bank): Kalahari, Sonoran, Namib, Patagonia, Nocturnal, Succulent, Evaporation, Xeriscape, Rain Shadow, Saguaro. Sample clues: Kalahari (Large sandy desert and savanna region in southern Africa); Sonoran (North American desert that spans parts of Arizona and Mexico); Namib (Coastal desert of southwestern Africa along the Atlantic Ocean); Patagonia (Cool desert and steppe region of southern Argentina and Chile).
• Hard (12 answers, no word bank): Regs, Hamada, Playa, Inselberg, Estivation, Crepuscular, Xerophyte, Halophyte, Alluvial, Bajada, Pediment, Aeolian. Sample clues: Regs (Stony desert plains covered with gravel and pebbles); Hamada (A bare, rocky desert highland with little sand); Playa (A flat, dry lake bed in a desert basin); Inselberg (An isolated rocky hill rising abruptly from a desert plain).
• Reading each clue carefully, spelling place names and geography terms correctly, and fitting answers into the grid (spaces are omitted in multi-word answers)

What’s included (6 pages)

• Easy crossword (1 page): grid, Across and Down clues, and a word bank, with Name / Date / Class lines
• Easy answer key (1 page): the solved grid with all 10 answers, numbered by clue
• Medium crossword (1 page): grid, Across and Down clues, and a word bank, with Name / Date / Class lines
• Medium answer key (1 page): the solved grid with all 10 answers, numbered by clue
• Hard crossword (1 page): grid, Across and Down clues (no word bank, for extra challenge), with Name / Date / Class lines
• Hard answer key (1 page): the solved grid with all 12 answers, numbered by clue

How to use it in class

1. Pick a level for each student or group: Easy and Medium include a word bank, Hard does not.
2. Print the puzzle pages (the answer key follows each puzzle, so keep those pages for yourself).
3. Use it as a warm-up, independent practice, a geography center, homework, sub plans or a review before a quiz on World Deserts and Desert Life.
4. Check answers quickly with the solved grids, then discuss any terms students found tricky.

At a glance

• Grades: 5–6
• Subject: Social Studies (Geography)
• Pages: 6 (3 puzzles + 3 answer keys)
• Format: Printable PDF, US Letter (8.5 × 11 in); instant digital download after purchase