The World News Crossword - September 10th, 2017 is a pdf containing a crossword based on the events in last week's news. There are three more BONUS crosswords based on world geography that can be used at any time - substitute lessons, homework activities, time-out sessions, staff meetings (yes, really). Crosswords are good for encouraging neat handwriting and literacy. These crosswords are good for encouraging research on current world events. More than that, these crosswords will encourage discussions about the stories behind the news events, for example... almost 30,000 weapons were handed in in Australia during an amnesty. A German gun manufacturer promised not to sell weapons into war zones and to corrupt governments. And the UK arms manufacturers reported record profits from soaring sales. The UK government condemned North Korea's missile programme. Irma, Kim Jong-un, and Aung San Suu Kyi... Why was so much news time devoted to a hurricane when an entire ethnic group were being persecuted by the Myanmar military? Previously extinct tigers in Kazakhstan, plastic in the ocean and now in the food chain, and three mega-hurricanes. Are these related? Six farmers in the Amazon were murdered by gangs who want to steal the land to farm palm oil. What's palm oil used for? An artist who donated some of (but not all?) of his prize money because the competition was sponsored by BP (er, why did he enter?) Bad behaviour by German football fans in Prague and 50,000 people protested in London against Brexit.

Suitable for Key Stage 3 Geography, GCSE/IGCSE, or A Levels/IB Diploma. Bonus puzzles: European capitals, African capitals, Asian capitals. Each crossword makes an excellent group or individual activity and can be used as a revision/reinforcement activity. In-class or for homework. These puzzles are great for stashing away to be used when colleagues are absent. Answers included.

Climate Change Crosswords is a pdf document containing 5 crosswords that focus on the greenhouse effect, global warming, and climate change - and what we can do about it. There isa bonus puzzle about the Amazon Basin - perhaps the most significant region in terms of climate change. There's another crossword on The Might Mi__i__i__i River. (And then some more on Africa, Asia and Europe - for a rainy day.) Climate change is real, it’s here, and it’s getting worse, but there’s hope. That’s the message of these crosswords. Climate change is happening because of global warming which is happening because humans burn too much fossil fuel, cut down way too many trees, use cars instead of bicycles, throw away too much food, and farm too many animals. The glaciers are retreating. The ocean is warming. The polar ice masses are melting. The sea level is rising. More extreme weather events are occuring. And the worst affected are the poorest people because they tend to live near the edges of rivers and the sea. What can we do about it? Each puzzle includes suggestions. Hopefully these crosswords educate students about what is happening to the earth’s climate and its people. Hopefully they’ll learn why it’s happening and how climate change can be stopped, or mitigated. There’s something a little sneaky and tricky about crosswords. Kids feel compelled to finish them. Try them.

Geography: Map skills A set of TWO crosswords: Map skills 1 and Map skills 2 and TWO bonus puzzles: The India Region and the Australasia Region Suitable for Key Stage 3 Geography, GCSE/IGCSE, or A Levels/IB Diploma. Each crossword makes an excellent group or individual activity and can be used as a revision/reinforcement activity. In-class or for homework. These puzzles are great for stashing away to be used when colleagues are absent. Answers included.

Geography: Weather & Climate Crosswords A set of TEN crosswords: The Water Cycle, Weather, Rain, Anti-cyclones and Depressions, Climate, and Micro-climates. And Climate Change. Suitable for Key Stage 3 Geography, GCSE/IGCSE, or A Levels/IB Diploma. Each crossword makes an excellent group or individual activity and can be used as a revision/reinforcement activity. In-class or for homework. These puzzles are great for stashing away to be used when colleagues are absent. Answers included.

Geography: Tectonic Processes Crosswords The Earth, Boundaries, Volcanoes, Eathquakes and 3 bonus puzzles (USA & Canada, Central America, South America). Suitable for Key Stage 3 Geography, GCSE/IGCSE, or A Levels/IB Diploma. Each crossword makes an excellent group or individual activity and can be used as a revision/reinforcement activity. In-class or for homework. These puzzles are great for stashing away to be used when colleagues are absent. Answers included.

The World News Crossword (May 21st 2017) is a simple crossword based on last week's news events. This week there are THREE BONUS puzzles (The Mighty Mississippi, USA's states, and a puzzle all about Climate Change). These puzzles are engaging and interesting learning activities. The World News Crossword enthuses students to discuss news events around the world. The US president met Turkey's president and it didn't go so well. The US president then flew to Saudi Arabia where he'll attend a meeting also attended by a leader wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. Why did North Korea's leader fire another missile? The leader in the Philippines banned cigarette smoking in public. France inaugurated its president and he flew first to meet Germany's chancellor and then to meet French troops in Africa. And Ukraine's president banned the country's two most popular social media sites. The News puzzle can be used with young or old students, individually or in small groups, in class or for homework. The three bonus puzzles can be used when substituting for absent colleagues or during rainy lunch times.

The World News Crossword (June 4th, 2017) is a pdf document so it's quick and easy to download / save to a flash drive on your keyring. Then you have a simple and very worthwhile lesson activity in your pocket. Brilliant!! The primary puzzle is a crossword based on last week's news events. There are TWO more puzzles: one is all about Japan and the other is all about China. Answers are included. There's anther puzzle, taken from the Climate Change Crosswords booklet, also included.

The World News Crossword (June 11th 2017) is a simple crossword based on last week's news events. This week there are TWO BONUS puzzles (Canada and Brazil). These puzzles are engaging and interesting learning activities. The World News Crossword sparks students to discuss news events around the world. The UK election. The Qatar embargo. A Facebook post in Thailand and a documentary in Cambodia with similar consequences. China's One China Policy and now a One-Dog policy. Solar panels on the Mexico-US wall? Crowdfunding's a good idea - to start up a chocolate factory in New Zealand. Homo sapiens are at least 300,000 years old now, not the 200,000 previously thought, which is nowhere as old as the 115 million year old fossilised mushroom found in Brazil. The News puzzle can be used with young or old students, individually or in small groups, in class or for homework. The three bonus puzzles can be used when substituting for absent colleagues or during rainy lunch times.

The World News Crossword (August 20th, 2017) is a simple resource made up of a crossword (with answers) based on last week's news events - and THREE bonus crosswords. This week's bonus puzzles focus on Argentina, China, and New Zealand. The World News Crossword is reasonably simple to complete because its purpose is to engage students with their world and some of the many events that affect them. A two-week-old wildfire in Greenland. A terror attack in Barcelona. A baby dolphin killed because of tourists' curiosity. Venezuela went from bad to worse. 3000 Syrians returned home from Lebanon. Saudi Arabia negotiated to rebuild Iraq's cities. The US president used Twitter, again. Floods affected millions of people in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. A tortoise escaped in Japan. But it's less about what happened last week than why and hopefully, if students work in groups to solve these puzzles, they'll chat among themselves about the stories in the puzzle. Why did Rwandans vote their president back for a third term? Why should Zimbabwe's Grace Mugabe escape prosecution for assaulting a model in a hotel in South Africa? Why is the US investigating China's intellectual property policies? And what's so wrong with an Australian politician holding dual-citizenship?

The World News Crossword (September 3rd, 2017) is a interesting and very engaging resource for students from age 10 or so upwards (all the way up to teachers in staff meetings). It's a crossword based on the events in last week's news. There are three more crosswords in the resource based on countries - Bhutan, Belgium, and Bangladesh. The resource is ideal for PSHE, SEN, Geography, Economics, English... and for when you're substituting a class that doesn't have enough work. The World News Crossword works very well as small group activities because it's not really about solving the puzzle - it's really bout the discussion that occurs about the news. Why is North Korea firing missiles and making threats to the US and Japan? Why recall half a million pacemakers for weak cybersecurity (who would attack a pacemaker)? Why would Croatia's capital remove the name of Josip Tito from it's central plaza? And what's so important about the Taj Mahal? It's a pdf document so it's quick to download and print. Store it on a USB drive and you have several excellent lessons and homework in your pocket. Brilliant! Over 1200 people died in flooding across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. About 50 people were killed in flooding in Texas. (Trump continues to deny climate change.) Mo Farah won his last 5000 metre race in Zurich. Spain beat Italy and Wales beat Austria in their World Cup footy qualifiers. New Zealand beat England in the Women's World Cup Final. Serena Williams had a baby girl. Fabio Fognini was kicked out of the US Open for abusing the umpire. Germany opened a facility that houses the world's most powerful x-ray laser in an underground bunker near Hamburg and Kim Jong-un announced he has a nuclear bomb that can be attached to an ICBM. And almost half a million pacemakers were recalled in the US because of weak cybersecurity. Government archaeologists told a court in India that the Taj Mahal is a Muslim mausoleum not a Hindu Temple. Kenya's Supreme Court ruled the recent presidential elections invalid. A malaria parasite crossed from howler monkeys to humans in Brazil. Turley's president accused Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya people.

The World News Crossword - February 11th, 2018 is a simple pdf document so it's easy to download and easy to print (or save to a USB for later). The World News Crossword is a crossword based on the events in last week's news. (And there are two more BONUS puzzles.) Norway's Winter Olympic team's chefs ordered 13,500 too many eggs. (They could've made a HUGE pavlova cake.) Justin Trudeau got in trouble for suggesting peoplekind instead of mankind. Germany's police investigated a teenager being burnt at a witches' festival. Formula 1 announced it will replace its grid girls, with grid kids, (but is that better or worse?) Paris' Eiffel Tower was closed because of snow. China's police started using sunglasses with cameras and face recognition software, to find criminals. An Indian woman accused her husband and brother in law of stealing her kidney. It wasn't all silly though... last week police in Scotland were called to a farm where a tiger was reportedly on the loose. That was serious. Oh but it was a big fluffy toy tiger on the loose.

What happened in our world? May 1st, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… a 12 year old girl is released from jail in Israel and a Louisiana man is released from jail after 41 years. A magazine editor was murdered in Bangladesh. 21 Pakistanis died when they ate sweets that were tainted with poison. India's drought has result in a ban on daytime cooking. The Duchess of Cambridge will appear on the cover of the UK edition of Vogue. And Pope Francis told teenagers that they won't find happiness by downloading an app or behaving like a movie star. As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to match cities with their countries. These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students ask about what's happening in their world - what happened in the world? Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected? 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 by you and your students.

What happened in our world? October 18th, 2015 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It is a simple PDF 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. It will encourage students to learn about their world's current events. In this week's puzzle... Typhoon Koppu, the UK man who cut off his ears to make himself look more like his five pet parrots (really!), Barbie dolls, The Man Booker Prize, heavy rainfall in California, the 5.9 earthquake in Argentina, what did Nick Kyrgios do last week? And more. This crossword is ideal as a Monday morning writing and reading activity, individually or in small groups, as a week-long homework research activity, 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. Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague and 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. Maybe you could start up a lunchtime current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics. This week's BONUS puzzle simply 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? January 31st, 2016 is THREE crosswords based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzles… A vulture from an Israeli nature reserve was captured and detained in Lebanon on suspicion of spying, but was later found not guilty and released. According to the World Health Organisation, there are now 41 million obese children aged under five. McDonald’s announced that it will add french fries smothered in chocolate sauce to its menu in Japan. UNICEF warned that about 25,000 North Korean children need immediate treatment for malnutrition. And at long last… negotiations aiming to find a solution to the Syrian civil war began in Geneva. These are simple crosswords aiming to make our students talk about what's happening in their world, why it's happening, where, and to whom. Use them in in your home room class, in for subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom.

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?

What happened in our world? October 25th, 2015 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It is a simple and quick to download and print and the solution is included. This puzzle is suitable for middle and high school students and depending on the way it's used could take 30-60 minutes to complete. It will encourage students to learn about their world's current events. In this week's puzzle… the huge storm off Mexico, Joe Biden's decision about running for presidency, Robert Mugabe's prize, heated tents in Calais, and the United Nations announcement that all teachers must receive free morning tea including chocolate cake (wait, I may have made that one up). This crossword is ideal as a Monday morning writing and reading activity. The crossword can be completed individually or in small groups, as a week-long homework research activity, or even as a time-out activity. Samsung and Apple are spending millions 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. Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague and 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. Maybe you could start up a lunchtime current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics. This week's BONUS puzzle is another news-based crossword, but it's made up of news stories that did NOT happen. So it's a little bit of fun, perhaps for Friday afternoon. Don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for next week's 'What happened in our world?' crossword - ready and waiting for Monday morning.

What happened in our world? January 24th, 2016 is THREE crosswords based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzles… A LOT of snow fell in the US. Google did not pay a LOT of tax. A hermit in Siberia came in from the cold for some medical treatment and a hermit in Serbia gave away half a million pounds. Russia showed off its naval fleet and gave away some military hardware to Fiji. A Miami family found a crocodile in their swimming pool. Spain's prime minister declined the King's offer to form a government and France's prime minister said Europe can't take all the Syrian refugees. Russia will have its own Golden Globes but Ricky Gervais won't be the host (probably). Norway decided to send the cycling refugees back to Russia, but then decided not to. And one of Interpol's most wanted fugitives was found working in a sandwich shop near a police station. The puzzles aren't difficult and they don't require the students to have read last week's news. Indeed, they're easy to complete and hopefully they drive students to the news websites for answers to some obvious questions such as, Why are so many people fleeing Syria? Why would Russia give military hardware to Fiji? Goldman Sachs' CEO was paid how much last year? Why has so much snow fallen in the US? This week's BONUS puzzle is for GEOGRAPHY teachers (or for teachers who have to substitute for absent Geography colleagues). To coerce you to come back again next week, the answers to the Geography crossword will be attached to next week's news puzzles. The whole document is a simple PDF so it is quick to download and print for your class (and the solutions are included). This activity is suitable for middle and high school students and will encourage discussion about the world's events, whether they are economic, social, political, geographical, or just plain silly (such as the flock of sheep that assisted the New Zealand police to some criminals behind… baaaas. No joke!)

What happened in our world? February 7th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… An earthquake in Taiwan. A photo bombing horse. Lassa and Zika virus. Why did Liverpool F.C. fans walk out at the 77th minute mark? Romania cancelled a law that allowed a lower sentence for prisoners who wrote a book. France banned supermarkets from throwing away excess food. Apple responded to criticism about Error 53. These are simple crosswords aiming to make our students talk about what's happening in their world, why it's happening, where, and to whom. As a bonus, there's a crossword on geographical features… In which country is Lake Baikal? Where is Mont Blanc? Mt Etna? Lake Taupo? Prince Edward Island? K2? (If these are so easy to find, can someone please tell me where my stapler is?) Use them in in your home room class, in for subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom.

What happened in our world? December 20th, 2015 is TWO crosswords based on last week's news events. Better for improving spelling than a dictionary. Better for improving handwriting than any app and way better for managing attention-span issues than gummy bears (and let's be honest, there aren't many things better than gummy bears).. These crosswords are good for starting interesting discussions and debates. They can be used for homework activities. Or, in class, allocate students into groups of three, let them use their smartphones, and say very loudly, 'ready, set, go'. Strongly encourage discussion about the clues and the stories behind each one. In this week's puzzles… Ukraine's not paying its gas bill and a Ukraine minister threw water into another Minister's face (what bad role models for Ukraine's children!) Some Russians want a cat as their mayor. Some Brazilians want their football officials sacked. Chelsea sacked Jose. A speed skater cycled around the world in 123 days. (I can only wonder how he cycled across the Pacific and Atlantic.) There was an avalanche in Norway. And finally, FINALLY, at long last... the UN wants peace in Syria. 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. (Someone, and I'm not saying who, told me she prints the crosswords and does them during staff meetings.) This week's BONUS puzzle is called Authors and asks 'Who wrote this book?' The answers will be with next week's puzzle, so don't forget to come back next Sunday. Thank you for the positive feedback with the previous puzzles. If you have suggestions for the way other teachers can use the puzzles, please post a comment.