Students love these cooperative learning, hands on vocabulary puzzles! With this activity, students match famous black Americans with their professions and / or noteworthy achievement as they assemble 4 x 4 puzzles. Sample professions / noteworthy achievements are abolitionist, activist, educator, writer, statesman, philanthropist, engineer, judge, poet, sociologist, and playwright. Examples of famous black Americans are Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, Colin Powell, Maya Angelou, George Washington Carver, W.E.B. Du Bois, and B.B. King. Some names and words are repeated which makes the puzzle more challenging. There is a list of professions / noteworthy achievements alongside puzzle. Students can write names of famous black Americans next to these an an extension activity. Also included is a page of tips and suggestions for using the puzzle. There are 2 designs of puzzles to allow for differentiation: A more challenging puzzle with names on the outside border. An easier puzzle without words on the outside border. Also included is a written activity puzzle. For this, students must write a profession and/or noteworthy achievement next to each famous person. Just photocopy enough for class sets (1 for every 2 students if working in pairs, or 1 per student if working alone), cut and fasten with a paperclip. Distribute to students and challenge them to reassemble the puzzles as quickly as possible. Created by Sue Summers Please click here for the Spanish version of this activity. Customer Tip: ***Click on the green star next to my picture to become a follower. You will receive email updates about new product launches and upcoming sales.*** pair work, hands on activity, cooperative learning