Graphic Organizers: Concept Circles

Concept circles (or concept maps) are a terrific, versatile graphic organizer that can be used with any age group.

Commonly, they are used to determine "which item doesn't belong." Using the board, an educator writes a word on the line below the circle. Within the circle's four quarters, the educator writes three words that are related to the main word, and one word which is unrelated. Students then determine which of the four words within the circle is unrelated to the main word.

Another use for concept circles is for students to create their own definitions of words, or clues that remind them of the word's meaning.

Concept circles are also useful for social studies. A concept circle might use "France" as the main term. Teachers instruct students to fill in the quarters of the circle with things associated with France (Paris, cheese, wine, etc.). Likewise, the concept circle can be a "which one doesn't belong activity" (circle quarters with terms like cheese, Paris, and wine, along with a doesn't-belong term such as Ural Mountains).

Be creative, involve the students, and have fun!

Click here for a page full of free printable concept circles.

Final Exams Word Search Puzzle

E X R Q U X K Q O E S O B P S T N P R O C T O R P
K S L E S R R N V X P P M J S S R X T D X P W O Q
O T S N C J B I O E E M E A Y X E O F F E E H Q M
O R S A S A T K N W J V F C E L C U L I A F R P U
B U K N Y C L B Y M R K C N F O G A G N Y M Z Q L
D V X U E Q O L S H A R P E N E D P E N C I L S T
E A R J M O U S I E G F J C W M A T S M V D A K I
S T B E K X L E R N E U E H A S T B M A N V C Q P
O O E G A W P B S R G N A O S I E M B F X I A P L
L S I E U D Y N O T T G N I R E B M E M E R D O E
C C R F H H I C O R I A W W E K S Q X U T D E S C
M T H A T S S N A I P O N S T B E G I N M T M S H
Q T N L S W E T G S T Y N E Y A T F Z Q O F I Q O
W J A O K F E L W U R S V S U N O W G B P L C Y I
X E K D S F E E B U Q C E R C S N O J H E W F J C
H E I V C S O C M B Z T Z U B W C R B D N C G G E
C V Y S L U L A W I U M H O Q E E A D C O M E L N
Q Q H J I U L R E B R B R C D R R L X I J Q G W M
F W E G E Y L I T M C P E R N O T A L K I N G F K
O K S S H J G N I M M A R C A C U Y G Q E D A R G




Terms:

ACADEMIC
ANSWER
BEGIN
BUBBLE SHEET
CLOSED BOOK
CLUES
CONCENTRATE
COURSES
CRAMMING
ESSAY QUESTIONS
FAIL
GRADE
GUESS
HEALTHY BREAKFAST
KNOW
MULTIPLE-CHOICE
NO TALKING
NOTES
OBJECTIVE
OPEN BOOK
ORAL
PASS
PROCTOR
QUESTION
READING
RECALLING
REMEMBERING
SCORE
SHARPENED PENCILS
WRITTEN


Click here for a printable version of this puzzle and the answer key.

Word Search Puzzle: The Growth of Democracy in England

E N G L I S H B I L L O F R I G H T S I T M L R S
P U R I T A N R E V O L U T I O N B S M E A I A T
H A B E A S C O R P U S U L S T E R Q K S G M W U
D G H B E U C A V A L I E R S U H Q C O Y N I L A
L T E G R L A C I G R K A N Z H Y O P C T A T I R
N O I T U L O V E R S U O I R O L G U S S C E V T
R O T C E T O R P D R O L P U N S I R D A A D I D
L X R O N K H U B I V K X F H J L W I A N R M C Y
F A A U Q H D N A L E R I O W O U W T E Y T O H N
G H Y M F D P H U X A B J U I X C O A H D A N S A
F P E I F C P K J W U V N I W K L A N D R V A I S
Y H C R A N O M L A N O I T U T I T S N O C R L T
O L I V E R C R O M W E L L R J W L N U D B C G Y
Q Z N O U S B V T N E M A I L R A P J O U A H N L
T H G I R F O N O I T I T E P E I M E R T A Y E D




Terms:

CAVALIERS
CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
ENGLISH BILL OF RIGHTS
ENGLISH CIVIL WAR
GLORIOUS REVOLUTION
HABEAS CORPUS
IRELAND
JOHN LOCKE
LIMITED MONARCHY
LORD PROTECTOR
MAGNA CARTA
OLIVER CROMWELL
PARLIAMENT
PETITION OF RIGHT
PURITAN REVOLUTION
PURITANS
ROUNDHEADS
STUART DYNASTY
TUDOR DYNASTY
ULSTER


Click here for a free printable copy of this (and the answer key).

Word Search Puzzle: Global Absolutism

L O U I S X I V J N U D Z K D B K R Y D Y C W T J
C S E B B O H T A E R G E H T R A B K A R L E A U
S H C R A N O M E T U L O S B A K T L K Z Y S E N
S U L E I M A N T H E M A G N I F I C E N T T R K
T H E L E V I A T H A N Y D K Q V A C B I S E G E
U S U B I V A N T H E T E R R I B L E O I R R E R
T S A R T L W A R T C E E B O S N V M S P A N H C
K B V T X V H P D W W T P B O T W G X S I Y I T L
M S I C I T P E K S A V U L S U I P H U L O Z R A
W B C L S W N S L T K G U U N G R R O E I B A E S
U J U I R J U G S F A T J D U O B B R T H M T T S
S G N I K F O T H G I R E N I V I D O E P W I E H
P A R T I T I O N S O F P O L A N D F N T F O P J
B R X K W Q A L M Z U L O W U L S A T S S V N H G
N O I S S E C C U S H S I N A P S E H T F O R A W


Terms:

ABSOLUTE MONARCHS
ABSOLUTISM
AKBAR THE GREAT
BOSSUET
BOURBONS
BOYARS
DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS
HOBBES
IVAN THE TERRIBLE
JUNKER CLASS
KING
LOUIS XIV
PARTITIONS OF POLAND
PETER THE GREAT
PHILIP II
SKEPTICISM
STATE
SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT
TERRITORY
THE LEVIATHAN
TSAR
WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION
WESTERNIZATION


Click here for a free printable version (.pdf) of this puzzle (plus the answer key).

News for June, 2010

The end of the school year approaches! We hope that you have enjoyed this academic year as much as we have.

Our plan is to keep as busy as possible. Currently, we are working on quizzes and other fun stuff to keep kids mentally engaged throughout the summer. You might want to link students and parents to our site and blog so that they can enjoy the puzzles and interactive activities that we will be adding throughout the summer.

Have fun and stay safe and sane!

Word Search Puzzle: Leading Figures in the Age of Exploration

K K M N P U N R S N E L L A S A L T N Y U A J D Z
T E I L O J D N A E T T E U Q R A M I C O Y R A F
C R X I Z E S K C L Y A B M U A K R A B A A O Z V
H U E M R N L A O Q E M C O R T E Z L Z K B R F T
U T O B A C R E R S U I U Y N I Z A P E O L R H Y
D J J V L T P V D L W B G C P W B F M W N A R A W
S T R Z I I W Z O E G O F H I W M P A J A M R L L
O S J E L Y G C A E C M W H Z K H E H L S A A J B
N T R R H B V N W I E N C Z A S F L C R U G X T K
Q C L R X I Z U P J D P O X R U M U F O L A B A L
G R L Q N Q D T P G H Z M P R J U Y I P X D M E A
A D P V N E D R E V J P S R O W D I L W N B U O L
R T G T O Y J O E M Z N G S D N Y R H L N H T F W
I T G T B P V M A G E L L A N Y T W E U Y G H Y G
I L L E U S W K T V X K L C H V A B L Q X R C J X


Explorers:

BALBOA
CABOT
CABRAL
CARTIER
CHAMPLAIN
COLUMBUS
CORTEZ
DA GAMA
DIAZ
DRAKE
GILBERT
HUDSON
LASALLE
MAGELLAN
MARQUETTE AND JOLIET
PIZARRO
PONCE DE LEON
RALEIGH

Word Search Puzzle: West Africa during the Age of Exploration

E W U A R E R A S T B Y T I N U M M O C
R A U I X O E W I L E A E S E N F L V N
C R O V S D T L D N W E A L T H E M A G
T A S O A R G U O H I E I A K O N G O H
Y H L R N O G N O K I N A M E A X N E A
J A T Y K R U V I L L A G E S R O O I N
S S O N G H A I T Z L B N E T A E I Y A
H E R D I N G S N D L O G R I U W T O I
T J L N K E N P A R A N E Q M S I I O C
O I H E A I I E V N I L I T B S R D Z U
G N I T N U H Q A M U R V S U T V A L N
L T S S R U S O R I S M E P K T A R E B
L N A E M A I A A E A I E O T D U T R S
E Y L I M A F A C L O T H E U N U L T A
U I T O U N R G I T S O T F L N I N E B



Terms:

Benin
caravan
cloth
community
Ewuare
family
farming
fishing
Ghana
gold
herding
hunting
Islam
ivory
Kongo
Mali
manikongo
oba
Sahara
salt
Songhai
Timbuktu
trade
tradition
villages
wealth


Click here for a free printable version of this puzzle (and the answer key).