Brain Benders: Word Play and Puzzles focuses on extending students’ vocabularies and arousing an interest in the formation and use of words. Some of the more open-ended worksheets can be used simultaneously by students of different ability levels as the students will be able to respond to the activities at different levels of sophistication.

The worksheets from both sections may be used singly as one-time activities that fit in with the teacher’s planned course of study. Alternatively, a selection of sheets from Section 1 may form a good resource of activities for an in-depth unit of study on words and language. The worksheets in Section 2 are word puzzles of varying levels of difficulty and are based around popular themes.

These worksheets can be used as homework sheets, extension work for early finishers, small-group work, individual contracts, learning-center activities or whole-class work.

Answers have generally been provided only for those worksheets with one definite right answer (page 46). Possible solutions have also been provided for the Word Square puzzles and lipograms to prove that they are not impossible! Sometimes providing a sample answer can give students renewed incentive to keep trying to come up with their own solution.

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Grades 3–5.