I'm a teacher too.
All of these resources are simple and quick to download. They can be stored on a flashdrive, attached to a keyring and then they live in your pocket as easy and as ready to use as a hanky when a sneeze is coming on.
Try the Nonsense Rhymes Crosswords. If you like Dr Seuss, you'll love these (and so will your students). The World News Crossword is published every Sunday evening. It's prefect for prompting discussion about current events.
I'm a teacher too.
All of these resources are simple and quick to download. They can be stored on a flashdrive, attached to a keyring and then they live in your pocket as easy and as ready to use as a hanky when a sneeze is coming on.
Try the Nonsense Rhymes Crosswords. If you like Dr Seuss, you'll love these (and so will your students). The World News Crossword is published every Sunday evening. It's prefect for prompting discussion about current events.
The World News Crossword - November 25th, 2018 - a crossword based on the events of last week’s news from around the world.
A crossword based on the events of last week’s world news.
A crossword about Germany which has featured in the news over the past few weeks,
A crossword about the UK which has also featured in the news - when will Brexit ever end?, and
A crossword about women musicians and singers.
So, what were some of last week’s news events?
The UN called for a truce in Yemen, but everyone ignored that. There was probably another gas attack in Syria. There was a suicide attack in north-west Pakistan, another in Afghanistan, and an attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi. Protests in France about fuel prices continued. The new Maldives government has no idea how much the country owes to China. A storm in Australia closed airports. And the Italian government ordered a rescue ship to be confiscated because migrant’s clothes may have been infected with tuberculosis, meningitis, and HIV. (No, you don��t catch these diseases from clothes!)
The World News Crossword - November 11th, 2018 - a crossword based on the events of last week’s news from around the world.
There are 4 puzzles in this downloadable PDF document:
(1) The World News Crossword,
(2) a crossword on France where a building collapsed killing 6 people,
(3) a crossword on Guyana where an Fly Jamaica Boeing 757 made an emergency landing, and
(4) a crossword on Agatha Christie (from our newly-released ‘Women who changed the world’ book).
So, what happened in last week’s news?
Italians rallied in support of an Italy-France train link. 6 people died when a building in France collapsed. New Zealand beat England in a rugby game. A New Zealand space-rocket company launched a rocket with some satellites aboard. Uganda vaccinated health workers against Ebola. Norway stopped selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the US said it will stop refueling Saudi-coalition planes attacking Yemeni rebels. The air pollution in Delhi was off the scale bad and the chief minister took his family away for a holiday. World leaders gathered in France to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War 1. There were wildfires in California, an earthquake near Tonga, and flash floods in Jordan.
The World News Crossword - November 4th, 2018
A one-page crossword based on the events of last week’s news stories.
A crossword about India which was in the news for air pollution that was 6 times greater than the acceptable limit, a man-eating tiger was shot, the world’s tallest statue was unveiled, and a curfew was imposed on people living in Jammu & Kashmir,
A crossword about Yemen where civil war fuelled by Saudi Arabia and Iran is causing catastrophic famine, and
A crossword about Angela Merkel, Germany’s Chancellor and Europe’s longest-serving national leader.
So what happened in last week’s news?
A bus crashed off a bridge in China, a passenger plane crashed into the Java Sea, and a Russian fighter plane crashed in Egypt. Air pollution in and around Delhi reached levels 6 times greater than the acceptable limit and politicians blamed politicians. Turkey will not be exempt from US-imposed sanctions against Iran. The Secretary-General of the UN said the civil war in Yemen will cause catastrophic famine. Storms resulted in deaths in Italy. Palau announced it will ban sunscreen because of its toxic effect on coral. Estonian traffic police handed out fines to speeding drivers, and brochures relating to organ donation and Russia’s traffic police announced that 5 million traffic tickets were incorrectly issued because of ‘a technical glitch’.
The World News Crossword - September 30th, 2018 is a crossword based on the events of last week’s news from around the world.
There are 4 puzzles in this downloadable PDF document:
(1) The World News Crossword,
(2) a crossword about Ghana which is in a news article about preventing cocoa smuggling,
(3) a crossword about Denmark, which is in a news article about closing bridges to Germany and Sweden during a hunt for 3 kidnappers, and
(4) a crossword about Leaders in Sport (from our new-release, ‘Women who changed the world’).
Natural disasters in Indonesia are in the news again. A major earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami which may have killed thousands of people. A teenager was swept out to sea on his fishing raft/hut and was rescued 49 days later by a passing ship.
Air force planes crashed in Nigeria and the USA. A passenger jet overshot a runway in New Guinea and ended up in a lagoon. And a light plane became tangled in a zip-line at a tourist resort in South Africa.
Bananas are in the news too - boxes of them donated to a Texas prison (with cocaine stashed in the boxes too) and Saudi Arabia telling Canada not to treat it like a banana republic.
Argentina is in the news too. Their rugby team lost to New Zealand’s rugby team. The government received a massive IMF loan (more than $50 billion!) and a nationwide search has begun to find an 11-year-old boy’s mobile phone which he lost while with his grandmother at the bank because the phone has photos and videos of his mother who recently died of cancer.
The World News Crossword - May 13th, 2018 is a simple PDF document that contains:
A crossword based on the events of last week’s news,
A Search & Cloze puzzle that explains the plastic pollution problem,
A Search & Cloze puzzle that explains the Rohingya Crisis, and
A crossword about Climate Change.
(The answers are included.)
So what happened in last week’s news?
Rohingya refugees were killed by wild elephants in the refugee camps in Bangladesh. The US-imposed tariffs on imported Canadian newsprint has raised the cost of US newspapers’ newsprint. A Pakistan court ruled that a US diplomat who allegedly killed a motorcyclist while driving drunk does not have diplomatic immunity. Iraq and East Timor held elections. Moldova’s government ruled out reunification talks with Romania. Poland’s government cut its politicians’ salaries and Zimbabwe’s government raised the pensions and salaries of war veterans and government workers. Israel won the Eurovision song contest, the sea off San Diego glowed blue, and India’s prime minister opened a hydro-electric construction project in Nepal.
But it’s less about what happened and more about why. Why are a million Rohingya people living in squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh? Why did US air force planes intercept Russian bombers of the Alaskan coast and why did Chinese air force planes fly around Taiwan? Why is the US president meeting the North Korean leader? Why did Malaysia elect a 92 year old prime minister? Why are Africans still dying of hunger and Ebola?
These puzzles are a simple and effective teaching tool for research skills (finally, they can use their smart-phones for something useful), for collaborative learning (because these puzzles work really well when students work in pairs or small groups), for reasoning skills and handwriting skills… We’ve had positive feedback from teachers using the puzzles with ADHD students and with GATE students, in PSHE / homeroom lessons, in English, Economics, Geography, Business… (some teachers even say they make staff meetings bearable - cheeky, eh?)
A new World News Crossword resource is published every week.
The World News Crossword - March 18th, 2018 is a 30-45 minute crossword activity based on last week’s news events. There are. 3 additional crosswords in the download (one each on France, New Zealand, and Australia).
The World News Crossword encourages accurate and neat handwriting, logic and problem-solving, and research skills.
Perhaps it’s less about the crossword and more about the discussion about the news events. Who is Robert Mugabe and why does he refer to a military coup in Zimbabwe? How could a plane drop 200 bars of gold on the runway as it was taking off? Why are only 400 Rohingya people allowed to return to their homes in Myanmar? Why would Saudi Arabia want nuclear weapons? Why would the president of USA tell lies to the prime minister of Canada? And why did the government of Bali block the internet on mobile phones for a whole day?
A simple PDF document that contains a crossword based on last week’s news, and three bonus crosswords (France 1, France 2, and Egypt). The solutions are included.
So what happened last week? Russians doping at the Olympics, 6 Brazilian footballers being red-carded, and a protest at the Olympics by South Korean politicians. Suicide bombers in Aden, kidnappers in Nigeria, and bribery in Greece, maybe. 17 people killed when a rubbish pile in Maputo collapsed, a plea to ban palm oil to save forests, an Asian toad invasion in Madagascar, and a whole lot of people volunteer to clean up the beaches and rivers in Bali. And finally, a ceasefire in Syria (perhaps).
Crosswords are excellent for prompting discussions about the news events. Why are these events happening? What would you do, if you could? What can we do?
Crosswords are good for encouraging research, neat handwriting, and correct spelling.
This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happened in their world during the last week or so.
The puzzles are excellent for a lively and informative home room period or even a substitution lesson when the absent colleague hasn't left enough work. You save your precious time and the students get to learn about last week's news events...
India launched a communications satellite that may be able to find some rats that drank the banned alcohol. Mark Selby won the world snooker championships and Always Dreaming won the Kentucky Derby and Eliud Kipchoge didn't quite break the 2 hours for the marathon. An Argentinean was rescued from Canadian mountain and an 85 year old Nepali man died on Mount Everest. Wolves returned to Denmark and rhinos returned to Rwanda. The Pope doesn't approve of a bomb being called the mother of all bombs. Bombs were defused in Hannover. France held presidential elections and also passed a law requiring fashion models to produce a medical certificate to prove they're healthy. Schoolgirls were hospitalised after a gas leak in India and some of the more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls were returned by Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Of course, this puzzle activity is not about getting the crossword completed correctly. The real goal os to get the students asking about the stories in the news. Why did Nike sponsor the sub 2 hour mile attempt? Why were there bombs in Hannover?Why did Venice ban new fast food outlets?
Download and then print the simple and easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next Economics, Geography, Business, or PSHE lesson.
This week, there are 2 BONUS crossword puzzles: one is about Asia's countries and capitals and the other is about Africa. These are handy to print and have ready for emergencies.
What happened in our world? November 14th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events.
Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting). See which department's teachers are the smartest.
In this week's puzzle… A massive earthquake hit New Zealand. Scuba divers rescued. Nimrud retaken by the Iraqi Army. The Germans remembered, the British remembered, and the French remembered. Some of the people detained on Manus Island will be relocated to the US.
This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. What causes earthquakes? Why was there a second peace deal in Colombia? What was the story behind ISIS and Nimrud? Why have people been detained on Manus Island? Why were the Germans, the British, and the French all remembering last week?
As a bonus, there are TWO more crosswords. One asks students to identify countries' capitals and the other bonus puzzle asks students about well-known landmarks like the Great Wall of China, The Arc de Triomphe, and the Burj Khalifa.
What happened in our world? October 31st, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events.
Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare). See which department's teachers are the smartest.
In this week's puzzle… Another severe earthquake in Italy. Three astronauts touched down in Kazakhstan. Police fired tear gas in Islamabad. An American Airlines plane caught fire in Chicago. Two London-bound trains were delayed because of a souvenir. And a Russian blogger may go to jail for five years for playing 'that game' in a church.
These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why did Prince Charles talk about soil? Why did the Saudis bomb a Yemeni prison? Why did the Croats and Slovenes feel an earthquake and why were a famous Italian poet's manuscripts moved to Bologna? What's wrong with WhatsApp giving users' information to Facebook?
As a bonus, there are TWO more crosswords. One asks students to identify the countries in which well-known landmarks are located. Where are Ben Nevis, K2, The Eiffel Tower, the Brandenburg Gate, The Great Barrier Reef, and Machu Picchu? The other bonus puzzle is for the scientists and asks students simple questions about physics, biology, chemistry, a little about the history of science.
What happened in our world? October 1st, 2016 is a crossword puzzle that explores and plays with news events that happened last week.
The resource is a six-page PDF so it's quick to download and print. (Note that the resource will be discounted to £1.50 from Tuesday onwards.)
What was in the news last week? Prince William refused to greet Justin Trudeau.The Ryder Cup teed off. Turkey shut down 20 radio and television stations. The Rosetta probe was deliberately crashed into a comet. Hurricane Matthew stormed into the Caribbean. Shimon Peres died. Two Van Gogh paintings were recovered 14 years after they were stolen. And Boris Johnson said he has a beautiful washing machine.
Of course it's not so much about what happened, but why. Hopefully as the students complete this crossword, they'll ask 'why?' Why was electricity cut in an entire Australian state? Why has the African elephant population fallen so quickly? Why will lorries be banned from inner London? Why is the Swedish government reinstating compulsory military training? And why has the UN still not done anything substantial to end the war in Syria?
There are three more crosswords attached to this news crossword, all of which can be used in substitute lessons, time-out rooms, homeroom classes… One is simply about pairs… mothers and father, brothers and sisters, left and right, chocolate and teachers. Another bonus puzzle asks students to identify countries' capitals. What's the capital of Samoa, Australia, Croatia, Japan, Eritrea, Morocco… (and where would be good for an adventure?) The last of this week's bonus puzzles is all about Africa.
I find these puzzles work best when solved in small groups or pairs. They're good for homework too. They work very well when I have to substitute for an absent colleague. (And a few of my colleagues say they enjoy doing the puzzles during staff meetings.)
What happened in our world? August 29th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It's a low-calorie, high-fibre, high-interest, and Donald Trump-free learning resource.
Three crosswords in one easy to download and print pdf document.
a. What happened in the world?
b. Name the countries.
c. The Olympics.
In this week's news crossword puzzle… a Czech lost in the New Zealand wilderness for a month, the earthquake in Italy, Stephen Harper announced his retirement from politics, A Japanese airline grounded its Dreamliner fleet, the All Blacks beat the Wallabies and many more...
These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world - Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected?
There are TWO bonus crosswords. One asks students to identify the countries in which cities, mountains or other features are located. (Do you think they know where Mauritius is? Perhaps they'll ask to see it on a map. Perhaps they'll ask to go there in the next holiday.) And another crosswords on The Olympics. Who won the men's 1500m bronze medal (and how old was he)? What is the motto for the Olympics?
Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare).
And don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for more crosswords.
What happened in our world? July 10th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events.
In this week's puzzle… A beer pipeline was opened and the Dutch released a beer made only from rainwater. Greyhound racing was banned, a lynx escaped, and a giant spider invaded a camper van. Lewis won the Grand Prix, Andy won the tennis, and Serena won the tennis - twice. Over a thousand words were added to the Oxford English Dictionary and one word, gullible, was removed. And three thousand people in Hull took their clothes off and painted themselves blue.
This crossword is fairly simple. Students could use their smartphones to look at the news and so they'll learn that iPhones are more than just social media things. They'll hopefully ask about he news too, like how could a lynx escape from a zoo, did the police help the French tourists with the big spider problem, and why did 3000 people take their clothes off and paint themselves blue - why?
As a BIG bonus - there's another crossword that asks students about well known couples, and pairs, and twins, and dynamic duos such as Romulus & Remus, Batman & Robin, Bread & Butter, Bacon & Eggs, and Romeo and...
What happened in our world? June 12th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It's low-calorie, high-fibre, high-interest, and nothing at all to do Donald Trump.
In this week's puzzle… A new tourist attraction was discovered in Cambodia. UEFA threatened to disqualify England and Russia because of their fans' bad behaviour. Solar Impulse flew over New York - at night. THere was bad flooding in the UK. Someone paid $3.5 million to have dinner with Warren Buffett (would that be an all-you-can-eat dinner?) Batemans Bay (with an e) was overrun with bats. Germany's president resigned. Facebook's founder had his Twitter account hacked. Walmart in Canada will stop accepting Visa. And most people in Europe and the US can't see The Milky Way because of light pollution (anyway, many of them think it's just a chocolate bar). Oh and ABBA performed again. (Your kids won't know who ABBA is so take a CD along to class. Or Youtube them on the big screen and call it Technology in the Classroom).
These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world - Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected? Who was affected by ABBA? Who wasn't!
As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students about fruit and veggies. You may have to take some of these along to class too.
Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare).
Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being enjoyed by you and your students.
What happened in our world? June 6th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It's a pdf document so it's simple and quick to download and print. And the answers are included in the same file.
In this week's puzzle… Novak beat Murray and Garbine beat Serena in France. Japanese officials raided Suzuki. Mitsubishi apologised for using Chinese workers in wartime. The Tokyo Governor apologised for lavish spending. And the lost Japanese boy was found safe and well. A huge storm attacked Australia's east coast and sharks attacked the west coast. Where should Nikola Tesla's remains be held? (It's a 'current' and 'alternating' debate in Serbia.) A monkey robbed a jewellery store in India and a Delhi hospital was busted for a kidney transplant racket. A concert in Germany was cancelled because of bad weather and the Seine rose 6.5 metres above normal. (By the way, if you dip your feet in the Seine and then take them out, were you temporarily insane?)
These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected?
Use the crossword in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare).
You can 'follow' us to receive an email when a new puzzle is uploaded. But you can also just check every Sunday night or Monday morning.
What happened in our world? May 22nd, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It's low-calorie, high-fibre, high-interest, and nothing at all to do with SATs or Brexit.
In this week's puzzle… This week... An earthquake rattled Australia’s Northern Territory, an Aussie teenager reached the top of Mt Everest and Mt Something Else erupted in Indonesia. Killing bulls was outlawed in some Spanish towns, Barcelona’s footy fans are allowed to wave the Catalan flag - if they want to - and Manchester United is probably waving goodbye to Louis. Naughty Nick overheated in the tennis again, as did some Indians when their temperature hit 51C. The World Bank set aside $500 million for pandemics. Brazil’s Zika is now in Africa and Africa’s Nile crocodile is being nasty in Florida’s Everglades while tarantulas were nasty in a plane going to Canada. Cyprus and Austria held elections. Seriously… this is not a crossword you want to miss out on (or deny your students the pleasure of).
These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world - Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected?
As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to name some of the elements in the periodic table. (If that's too boring, download last week's file because the bonus puzzle last week was a bit of fun with fruit and veggies).
Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare).
Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being enjoyed by you and your students.
What happened in our world? March 6th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events.
In this week's puzzle… The ceasefire in Syria is holding. Russia might be up to something with regards to the refugee situation in Germany. British people are applying for Irish passports. FIFA's gone hi-tech. The tsunami warning buoys didn't shout out anything when the earthquake struck. An Australian won one of the world boxing titles. South African gold miners won compensation for lung diseases. And police cracked down on protestors in Istanbul.
As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to name the country in which a city is located.
These are simple crosswords aiming to make our students talk about what's happening in their world, why it's happening, to whom - and where.
Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (or even in a staff meeting if you dare).
Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being used in your school.
What happened in our world? November 29th, 2015 is TWO crosswords based on last week's news events. The document is a simple PDF so it is quick to download and print for your class (and the solution is included). This activity is suitable for middle and high school students and will encourage students to discuss and learn about their world's current events.
In this week's puzzles… Where was Pope Francis last week? What did Belgians do during their capital city's lockdown? Why did seven men sew their mouths shut? More than a year's worth of what fell in Qatar in just a few hours? Why did the Zagreb goal keeper not play against Arsenal? What was the story with the gigantic gingerbread house in San Francisco? And that red panda that escaped from the California zoo… eureka! It was found.
This crossword is ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. It can be completed individually or in small groups or as a week-long homework activity, or even as a time-out activity. Samsung and Apple spend a fortune convincing our students to use smartphones so now we can make good use of that. Maybe you could start up a lunchtime news and current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics.
Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague when the kids have nothing or not enough to do? Print some of these puzzles and have them in your classroom or in your bag ready for a vibrant class discussion.
Don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for next week's 'What happened in our world?' puzzle - ready and waiting for Monday morning.
What happened in our world? November 8th, 2015 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It is a simple PDF so it is quick and easy to download and print. (The solutions are included, of course.)
These activities are suitable for middle and high school students and will encourage students to discuss and learn about their world's current events. In this week's puzzle… Russia condemned Charlie Hebdo. Planes crashed in South Sudan and Sinai. The US unemployment rate fell and Candy Crush's parent company sold for $US5.9 billion (which is crazy).
This crossword is ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. It can be completed individually or in small groups or as a week-long homework activity, or even as a time-out activity. Samsung and Apple spend a fortune convincing our students to use smartphones so we teachers don't stand a chance! Here though is something more educational than Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja (and Candy Crush) for the students to use their smartphones for.
Maybe you could start up a lunchtime current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics.
Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague when the kids have nothing or not enough to do? Print some of these puzzles and have them in your classroom or in your bag ready for a vibrant (that's good-noisy) class discussion.
This week there are TWO bonus puzzles. The first simply reworks the same clues with a different grid and different answers. Have the students do this puzzle later in the week as a 'what did you remember?' activity. The second bonus puzzle asks questions about the news items, for example, Where is Burundi?, What is Charlie Hebdo?, and What competes for the Melbourne Cup? These can be given as a follow-up activity to either of the main news crosswords.
Don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for next week's 'What happened in our world?' puzzle - ready and waiting for Monday morning.
Please feel free to post feedback about the puzzles. How did you use them with your students? What discussions followed?
A pdf booklet containing 10 crosswords based on microeconomics topics. Suitable for GCSE, IGCSE, A Level, IB Diploma, or AP Economics.
One puzzle per page so they are simple and quick to print and have ready for an emergency review / revision activity or for when a colleague is absent. Solutions are included.
Topics:
Introduction
Demand
Supply
Equilibrium 1
Equilibrium 2
Equilibrium 3
Elasticities
Government intervention
Summary 1
Summary 2