Periodic Scrambled Maze#10( ) |
Looking for fun, interactive and challenging lesson plan activities/resources for acadmeic chemistry? This periodic table of elements word maze puzzle, with scrambled letter word clues, activates students' problem solving skills. List of 20 periodic elements' letter paths create an intricate maze-like structure within the grid, because the letter paths cross each other. Letters in the word clues travel in all 8 directions: right, left, up, down, and diagonally. To solve the puzzle, letters first need to be unscrambled.
Solve the puzzle:
1. UNJUMBLE the letters to discover the words hidden in the grid. To support ease of solving the puzzle make sure to record the correct spelling.
2. LOCATE the circled letter (in this case, the letter |A|). This is where the maze starts.
2. TRACE the letter path of the first word. Remember that letter paths travel in all 8 directions, so the word paths will cross!
3. Word paths track continuously from beginning to end, one word after the other.
4. Students ENGAGE critical thinking and problem solving skills to determine the next word, based on letter clues and the number of words starting with the same letter!
5. TRACK progress by checking off the word clues as they are found. This makes puzzle solving easier.
Resource ideas:
1. ENCOURAGE student creativity: provide blank word search grids, located here: blank word search grids. Students CREATE unique word search puzzles to share with others to solve. Students can decide from the table of periodic elements which, and how many, words to include.
2. CHALLENGE students to create other puzzle types: cryptolists, crosswords/freeform/crosspatch puzzles, scrambled letters puzzle lists, cryptograms. Encode cryptogram using either: 1) a letter for letter substitution, or 2) an alphanumeric substitution.
3. ENGAGE students' problem solving/critical thinking skills: CREATE an organized list of elements by: 1) stability/instability of elemental isotopes, 2) toxicity levels (least to most/most to least), 3) atomic number/weight/mass, 4) period, 5) group, 6) ancient/modern, 7) other categories?
Benefits of including puzzles in the classroom:
1. activates problem solving strategies
2. engages critical thinking skills
3. engages the brain
4. fosters independent and self-directed learners
5. supports brain health