The World News Crossword - July 22nd, 2018 is a 6-page PDF document made up of 4 puzzles based on the events of last week’s news. What’s in this week’s document? (1) A crossword based on the events of last week’s news, (2) A crossword all about Japan (which signed a free trade agreement with the EU and also experienced a devastating heatwave), (3) A crossword all about Libya (which closed its border with Tunisia and also did not approve the EU proposals to set up a refugee/migrant processing centre - did you know Libya has no permanent rivers?) and (3) A crossword all about Mother Teresa, whose orphanages in India were being inspected by authorities after accusations that staff had sold babies for adoption. (This puzzle is taken from our soon-to-be-released book, ‘Women who changed the world’.) **What happened in last week’s news? ** The EU fined Google for being very naughty and also signed a free trade agreement with Japan making trade easier. Libya closed its border with Tunisia, making trade impossible. Tourists were hurt by falling lava in Hawaii. Others drowned when their tour boat capsized in Missouri. China’s President went to Africa and the first commercial flight between Eritrea and Ethiopia occurred. Two Dutch men were arrested when they were caught on a boat with 2 tonnes of cocaine in the English Channel and French man was released from an Indonesian prison after 18 years for drug-smuggling. It turns out that Omega-3 won’t keep us safe from strokes and heart attacks, Cristiano Ronaldo is moving to Italy, and New Zealand beat France in the women’s rugby sevens world cup final.

The World News Crossword - September 2nd, 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: The World News Crossword, a crossword on Germany, a crossword on India, and a crossword on Japan. So, what happened last week? Coca-Cola bought Costa Coffee and South Korea banned the sale of coffee in schools. The US banned a railway between South and North Korea and India will help Nepal build a railway. NAFTA talks failed and Brexit talks are still failing. Lana Del Ray cancelled her Israel concert and U2 cancelled their Berlin concert. An oil-refinery explosion in Germany and in Chemnitz, there was an explosion of protests against immigrants. Amsterdam’s city council asked civil servants and Syrian immigrants with teaching experience to help resolve the teacher shortage. And a New Zealand town announced a ban on domestic cats.

The World News Crossword - May 27th, 2018 is a simple pdf made up of a crossword based on the events in last week’s news a search & cloze activity that explains Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a search & cloze activity that gives background information about North Korea a crossword all and only about the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And the solutions are included, of course. Excellent for Geography, Economics, English, SEN, PSHE… In the news crossword… The leaders of North and South Korea met, but not with he who shall not be named. North Korea blew up some of its research facility. Ebola cases were confirmed in DRC and 4000 trial vaccines were distributed. Switzerland’s trains were declared the world’s best. A Polish author won the Man Booker International Prize and a Swedish Court said no to a new Nobel Centre. Real Madrid won the Champions League (what a goal). A German bank announced 7000 job cuts and German police can now stop parents at airports with children during school time. Lava continued to flow on Hawaii and a hurricane swept into Oman. A UK man had to be cut out of a children’s swing, but we didn’t put that into the crossword because like him, it wouldn’t fit.

The World News Crossword - June 3rd, 2018 This resource pack will help your students review some of last week’s news stories. If you have students work in small groups they’ll get excited about being the first to finish, but more importantly, they’ll discuss the news stories and ask why these events happened. They will also learn that their smartphone can be used for something other than Facebook. In last week’s news… Prince William announced he will visit Israel, Palestine and Jordan in the summer. Israeli tanks shelled the Gaza Strip. And a volunteer paramedic was shot and killed as she ran (with her hands in the air) to help a wounded protester. The EU announced a plan to reduce the amount of plastic food and drink containers in use. In Thailand, a whale died after consuming more than 80 plastic bags. Rare, tropical Australian fish were found around New Zealand after an unusually hot summer warmed the Tasman Sea. Residents in Shimla, in India, asked tourists to stay away because of water shortages being caused by a heatwave in Punjab, which also caused more than 60 deaths in Pakistani Punjab. Just a little further north, a 21 year old Kashmiri was killed when he was run down by an Indian army vehicle. Further south in India, 14 people died because of the Nipah virus. 8 more cases of Ebola virus were reported in Democratic Republic of Congo, in Africa. Immigrants from Africa have found an easier and cheaper route to Europe - from Morocco to Spain. A Malian immigrant rescued a small child who was hanging dangerously from an apartment balcony in Paris. More than a million French smokers quit cigarettes last year. And so we’ve included a bonus crossword about France in this week’s resource pack. As well as The World News Crossword, there are 2 Search & Cloze puzzles that will give a little more information about stories that have persisted for several weeks or months. This week these backgrounder puzzles are on Trade Wars and Immigration.

The World News Crossword - October 7th, 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 Myanmar, (3) a crossword about Yemen, and (4) a crossword about Marie Curie (from our new-release, ‘Women who changed the world’). What happened last week? The New South Wales government insisted the Sydney Opera House be used as a giant billboard to advertise horse-racing. Tokyo’s Fish market was closed to be moved to make room for the Olympic Games. San Marino followed Argentina’s example and approached the IMF for a huge loan. A French criminal who escaped from jail using a helicopter was recaptured after 3 months on the run. A 5.9 earthquake shook Haiti. And. Pakistani ice-cream seller who lives in a slum discovered he had about 14 million UK pounds in his bank account.

The World News Crossword - April 8th, 2018, is a crossword based on events in last week’s news. (And there are 3 more crosswords that can be used any time to support students’ knowledge of the world around them.) A huge cargo ship smashed into a house on its way from Russia to Saudi Arabia. Government forces in Syria appear to have used chemical weapons again. More Palestinians were killed by Israeli gun fire. Monkeys fought off would-be thieves in Wellington’s zoo in New Zealand. A Japanese man was arrested for licking his violent son in a cage for more than 20 years. A football club suspended most of its players for an argument they were having on… Facebook. I have the students work on the News Crossword in small groups and they compete to be first finished. But they usually get side tracked discussing the events in the news, mostly asking, ‘why?’ Why was China’s space-lab left to crash into the Earth? Why is there so much plastic pollution in the sea near UK? Why are the US and China imposing tariffs on each other’s exports? Why was Prince Charles made an honory chief in Vanuatu? (And why is it ‘honorary’ and not ‘honourary’?) And at what stage do we tell Facebook that our personal information belongs to us and not them?

A one-page crossword based on events in last week’s news. An excellent resource for encouraging students to read last week’s news. Better than that is the discussion that follows. Why did these events happen? Did Facebook contribute to hate crimes?Why is there trouble brewing (again) in the Gaza Strip? Why did an Australian kayak over a 20 metre waterfall? Did a Fox News presenter taunt one of the victims of the Florida school shooting? There are THREE more one-page crosswords included in the resource - focused on UK, Egypt, and Austria - very handy for substitute lessons. Yes, the solutions are included for all the crosswords.

The World News Crossword - April 15th, 2018 is a simple crossword based on the events in last week’s news from around the world. We create a new puzzle every week so it can be built into a weekly PSHE, Geography, Economics, English, or Social Studies lesson. These crosswords have been used with significant success in with both GATE and SEN students. The puzzles can be used at all levels of high school and middle school, as homework activities or as in-class, small-group activities. Each week there are three bonus puzzles. This week’s download includes two puzzles on climate change and a puzzle on the Amazon Basin. And of course, all the solutions are included. What happened last week? The CEO of the world’s largest advertising agency resigned suddenly. An Australian company advertised for ‘Anglo-Saxon’ staff. A forest fire resulted in evacuations around Sydney. Two Indian athletes were sent home from the Commonwealth Games because needles were found in their accommodation. Indian police rescued 70 children who were working in a jewelry factory. A Russian-built military plane crashed in Algeria killing all passengers and crew. And the US, UK, and France attacked military installations in Syria in response to a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government. It’s less about what happened around the world and more about why. Why did the prime minister of Hungary get re-elected for a third term? Why did the US, UK and France attack Syria because of chemical weapons, but not because of ‘ordinary’ bombs? Why were 11 lions killed in a national park? Why did the New Zealand government announce that it will not issue any new permits to oil exploration companies? Why did the UK government deny entry to an Austrian and a Hungarian?

The World News Crossword document is a one-page crossword based on the events of last week’s news. There are also two one-page ‘Search and Cloze’ puzzles: Facebook users’ personal data and What started the Syrian civil war? These extra puzzles give students the opportunity to learn a little more about two recent news events. The crossword includes questions the EU ban on an insecticide that’s been killing bees for years, Japan’s objection to the mango mousse at the North and South Korea summit, and the really big news about the Tasmanian devils. There was also big news that Australia’s government is spending 500 million dollars to rescue the Great Barrier Reef and a university in Melbourne was evacuated because of a toxic gas leak (which turned out to be stinky rotting fruit in a library cupboard). But it’s less about what happened last week around the world and more about why. That’s the discussion that students will create among themselves as they complete this crossword. Why are India and China having a border dispute? Why did Myanmar’s sort-of leader contact the UN and not just lead her country? Why is a virus killing indigenous Australians? Why is Facebook making so much money? Or how? Why is Saudi Arabia at war with Yemen? What does the rodent population in New Zealand have to do with climate change? The World News Crossword is an excellent homework activity because it encourages students to watch or read the news. It’s an excellent group-activity for home room because it encourages students to use their IT for research. It’s an excellent activity for encouraging problem-solving skills.

The World News Crossword - February 18th, 2018 is a crossword based on the events of last week’s news. It’s a simple PDF sop it downloads quickly, is easy to print, and can be stored on a USB drive for use later. (There are 3 bonus crosswords - Egypt, China, and Japan, in the PDF and all of the answers are included too.) Of course, this activity is less about the events around the world and more about why and the discussions and debates that come from asking why. Why have so many orangutans died in the past 10 years? Why would people in Japan pay to go on a virtual-reality trip to Paris? Why are suicide bombers in Nigeria killing people in a fish market? And what’s so important about discovering new antibiotics? What did happen in the world in the last week? Australia’s PM and Deputy PM had a spat. Poland’s PM got a telling off. South Africa’s president resigned. And The Netherlands’ foreign minister resigned too. And so did Ethiopia’s PM. A plane crashed in Iran and a helicopter crashed in Mexico. There was an earthquake in Mexico and one in England and wales too. An Iranian wrestler threw a match so that he’d not have to wrestle against an Israeli. In India a woman pretended to be a man and duped two women into paying to marry him. And an Indian tycoon is on the run having duped a bank out of about $1.8 BILLION!! US scientists discovered a whole new family of antibiotics while Canadian scientists discovered a Picasso painting was a painting on top of another painting.

The World News Crossword - April 22nd, 2018 is a simple document containing a one page crossword based on last week’s news events. There are three bonus crosswords (Canada, China, and Australia). The World News Crossword - April 22nd, 2018 can be used in Geography, English, SEN (excellent for concentration, logical thinking skills, research skills and handwriting), PSHE/homeroom, Economics, Business… and of course it’s a lot less about what happened and a lot more about the discussions that begin with ‘why…’ Why did China impose a tariff on US sorghum? Why are people protesting in Nicaragua? Why will KitKat lose its trademark protection in the EU? Why are 11,000 Vanuatau residents being evacuated from Ambae Island? The solutions are included.

The World News Crossword - October 1st, 2017 is a one-page crossword based on the events in last week's news. Puerto Ricans seemed to get a telling off from their president, by Twitter of course. China to North Korean businesses operating in China to shut down and get out. Ian Poulter probably thought the same about spectators and their phone cameras. Video of Boris rattling off an offensive colonial-era poem was released and Theresa was asked if he's unsackable. The Catalans tried to vote for independence. The West Papuans also sought independence but the UN didn't want to hear about it. More than 20 Mumbai people were killed in a stampede at a train station and more than 60 Rohingya people were drowned when their boat capsized as they fled the Myanmar Army. Oxford took stern action and put her photo into storage. French soldiers shot and killed a man who stabbed two people in the train station in Marseilles. And a bowl sold for $18 million in Hong Kong. There are THREE bonus puzzles attached to the news crossword - crosswords that focus on Afghanistan, Australia, and Bolivia. Did you know Bolivia and Afghanistan are both landlocked? Elon Musk is building. huge battery in Australia. Bolivia's capital city is Sucre, which is sweet.

The World News Crossword (September 17th, 2017) is a simple crossword based on last week's news events. There are THREE more FREE crosswords based on cities and countries around the world. The World News Crossword (September 17th, 2017) is a great activity for supporting literacy, logic, and research skills. It quietly helps students with handwriting issues and it sneakily encourages students to learn more about their word and to discuss why... Why? Why did the UN impose more sanctions on North Korea? Why did Russia suggest UN peacekeepers for Crimea? Why are Australian landowners encouraging Australians to eat kangaroos? And why is Amsterdam's government wanting to discourage tourism? These are just some of the discussions that will pop out of this week's crossword. Or maybe they'll ask where? Where is Lahore? Sri Lanka? New Zealand? South Africa? Myanmar? North Korea? Paris? Barcelona? Crimea? It's a pdf so it can be downloaded quickly, saved to a flash drive, opened and printed quickly for use at a moment's notice.

Where on Earth? (Book 1) TEN crossword puzzles (and few extras as freebies). Download them and put them onto a flash drive on your keyring. That's TEN very cool and interesting and educational lessons in your pocket. An excellent small group activity, homework, or even for the speedy kids who finish an activity early. Very very good for the kids with messy handwriting. Or those with concentration issues. A simple pdf booklet with some simple and fun crosswords about the world's countries, capitals, well known landmarks (and food). It's quick to download. Store it on a flash drive and have some simple, easy to administer resources at hand in case you have a substitute lesson or a bunch of rowdy kids in your classroom at lunchtime or you're near the end of a unit and waiting for that other class to catch up or a bazillion other situations where you want to occupy the students with a good, simple learning activity. Where do they eat haggis? Where's Vienna? What's the capital of South Africa? Who said Rabat? That's Morocco. Is it one r or two? Morocco... I was on holiday there once and... oh, the food. Food? Who said Lebanon? Baklava? Sushi? That's from Vietnam, right? Where's Vietnam? Is there a map in the room? A globe? What's Uluru? Is it a mountain in New Zealand? Oops, that might start an argument in the staffroom. Can we get back to the food? Tiramisu and pain au raisin - at the same time? Where to in the next holiday? Hvar? Dubrovnik? Mauritius? Banff National Park? Christchurch? Koh Samui? Colombo? There are a few extra puzzles just for fun too. Nonsense Rhymes Crosswords... if you like Dr Seuss, you'll love these. They're just fun to do on the bus on the way home from school.

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 - May 20th, 2018 is a teaching and learning activity based on the events of last week’s news. There is a crossword on last week’s news events, there are two background/explainer search and cloze puzzles (The Venezuela crisis and Jerusalem), and there is another crossword based on a country mentioned in the news crossword (this week it’s Comoros). What happened in last week’s news? India inaugurated a hydro-electric dam that prompted protests from Pakistan because it affects water flowing into the Indus River. Ebola cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 4000 vaccine doses arrived in Kinshasa. Comoros’ ex-president was arrested on charges relating to selling citizenship. Malaysia’s ex-PM’s residence was raided of bags of cash and jewelry. A mountain lion killed a mountain biker in the US. Hawaii’s volcano erupted, prompting more evacuations. Australia and the US were the only countries to vote against a UN investigation into the Israeli killings of Palestinians in Gaza. The two background/explainer puzzles aim to teach more about ongoing news stories. This week there is an explanation of why Jerusalem is central to the Middle East troubles. There is also an explanation of Venezuela’s economic and human crisis. These puzzles are excellent for driving students’ research skills. When students work in small groups they learn cooperation and team work. They help with concentration and, of course, handwriting. But best of all, these puzzles generate real-world discussions. The students leave the less asking questions like, ‘Why would North Korea even want nuclear weapons and why does the US care?’ ‘Why does China want a military base in the South China Sea?’ ‘Why have some UK supermarkets added a ‘plastic-free’ label on some products?’

The World News Crossword - May 6th, 2018 is 4 word puzzles in one easy-to-download and save PDF. The first puzzle is a crossword based on last week’s news events. Lava flowing in Hawaii. Women allowed in Japan’s bull-fighting rings. People traffickers intercepted leaving Sri Lanka. Protests in France and Russia. An election in Lebanon after 10 years. A game keeper attacked by a lion in South Africa. A crack in the core of a nuclear reactor in Scotland. The next two puzzles and Search & Cloze puzzles - an extended passage with words removed and put into a word search grid. The first of these two puzzles is a Brexit explainer, and the second is a discussion about data protection. The fourth puzzle is a crossword about climate change. All of these puzzles encourage research skills, logic and problem solving skills, and even handwriting skills. More significantly each of the puzzles will prompt discussion about the events in the puzzles. Who owns our personal data? Why aren’t firms like Facebook and banks fined when they lose our personal information? Why don’t they even apologise? The Syrian war has been going longer than World War 2. And MH370 is still missing - after 4 years of high-tech. searching, can an airliner still be missing? Why is Russia so concerned about simple street protests? These are xxcellent activities for Business, Economics, Geography, Social Studies, PSHE, ESL, and SEN.

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 1st, 2015 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It is a simple PDF document so it is quick to download and print for your class. (The solution is included.) This activity sheet 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 puzzle… Who won the Rugby World Cup? What did Rome's city councillors do? What did six people in NIgeria tried to sell? Where was the earthquake last week? Australia's Labour Party promised to what to the voting age? And more. 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 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 class discussion. This week's BONUS puzzle reworks the same clues with a different grid and different answers. Have the students do the bonus puzzle later in the week as a 'what did you remember?' activity. 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 15th, 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. So many things happened last week that there are THREE different puzzles in this week's download. The Russian athletics drug problem. The New Zealand schoolboy's end of year speech. Pakistan's 'ghost' schools. And the Paris tragedy. These crosswords are ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. They 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 let's have our students use their smartphones for a positive learning activity. 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. 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?