Review Rotation and the Pattern of Day and Night with 3 printable crossword puzzles for students. Students read the Across and Down clues and fill in the matching terms using the word bank on each puzzle page. Each puzzle is followed by a complete teacher answer key. Students practice 31 key terms in all, from Axis and Day to Westtoeast.

What students practice

• Puzzle 1 (11 answers, word bank): Axis, Day, Apparentmotion, East, Night, Rotation, Sunrise, Sunset, Time, Zone, West.
• Puzzle 2 (11 answers, word bank): Angle, Clock, Time, Direction, Curvedsurface, Directsunlight, Horizon, Length, Midday, Shadow, Sphere.
• Puzzle 3 (10 answers, word bank): Lamp, Cycle, Darkness, Daylight, Globe, Model, Observer, Pattern, Star, Westtoeast.
• Reading each clue carefully, spelling the terms correctly, and fitting answers into the grid

What’s included (6 pages)

• Crossword puzzle 1 (1 page): grid, Across and Down clues, and a word bank with 11 terms, with Name / Class / Page lines
• Crossword puzzle 2 (1 page): grid, Across and Down clues, and a word bank with 11 terms, with Name / Class / Page lines
• Crossword puzzle 3 (1 page): grid, Across and Down clues, and a word bank with 10 terms, with Name / Class / Page lines
• Answer keys (3 pages): a solved grid follows each puzzle

How to use it in class

1. Print the puzzle pages (keep the answer keys for yourself).
2. Use it as a warm-up, independent practice, a vocabulary center, homework, sub plans or a review before a quiz on this topic.
3. Check answers quickly with the solved grids, then discuss any terms students found tricky.

At a glance

• Subject: Science
• Standards: Virginia SOL 6.3b
• Pages: 6 (3 puzzles + 3 answer keys)
• Format: Printable PDF, US Letter (8.5 × 11 in); instant digital download after purchase