What happened in our world? February 14th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… An earthquake in New Zealand. Pakistan tried to ban St Valentine's Day. Cuba returned a missile - no crisis though. A Spanish civil servant didn't show up for work, for six years. The Europeans are investigating the 500 Euro note. And 150,000 penguins were killed by an ice berg. Nothing this week about Donald Trump though. 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. Name the country in which these cities are. (Or perhaps teachers could think of it as summer holiday planning.) 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? June 26th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. Some will be very surprised to know that there was more happening in the world than Britain's chitty-chat about the EU, Le footy en France, and Donald Whatshisname. In this week's puzzle… Wildfires in California. Floods in West Virginia. In Australia, a 5.2 metre python in a bedroom and a senator in a tank crushed a car. Rugby. Football. Rory pulled out of the Olympics. An anti-doping lab. in Rio was banned because it doesn't meet international standards. Thai protestors jailed. The end of civil war in Colombia. A mammoth uncovered in Mexico. A new president in Iceland. (Do you think Iceland is a nice land?) And something about the UK in the EU not being OK. This is a fairly simple crossword to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why did it happen and where? Why did that civil war go on for 50 years? Why is it important that a mammoth was in Mexico? And a very important thing to know, why would a python come into a bedroom? As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students about the countries and capitals of the … European Union (of course). 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 used and enjoyed by you and your students.

What happened in our world? May 8th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… a devastating forest fire in Canada, a new free-diving record, Helen Clark for the next UN boss, 50 Australian plant and animal species added to the threatened list, the Russian mafia in Spain, a failed plot to kill a king, Zimbabwe prints its own US dollars, an early summer school holiday in Delhi because of the heatwave, a plane was delayed because a passenger thought an economics professor's differential equations meant he was a terrorist, and North Korea's Supreme Leader said his country won't use nuclear weapons… unless… (but nothing about Donald Trump though). As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to match things, teams, and cities with 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? April 24th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… Gazza, the New Zealand police dog was shot and killed. A 400 year old silk dress was found in a ship wreck. A 4500 year old mummy was found somewhere else (no, it probably wasn't her dress). There's a drought in India where the Kohinoor diamond was not stolen from (according to a court ruling). China has blocked iTunes and iBooks. The world's first Pastafarian wedding took place on a pirate ship (of course). Novak and Serena won awards for being the best. An Italian mafia boss was arrested by detectives who were pretending to be pizza delivery boys. Two boys are in trouble in Switzerland for not shaking hands with their teacher. And a solar powered plane flew across the Pacific Ocean in 50-something hours (imagine sitting in economy class for that long). As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to match some people to their chosen sport. Don Bradman played…? Serena Williams plays…? And what's Arsene Wenger all about? 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 by you and your students.

What happened in our world? July 3rd, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. A lot happened this week; so much that not all of it could be squeezed into the crossword. In this week's puzzle… Mosques were attacked in Florida, Britain and Myanmar and cafés were attacked in Serbia and Dhaka. Turkey apologised for shooting a Russian warplane and Russia lifts the ban on tourism to Turkey. Cocaine seized in New Zealand. Australia's uncertain election result and Austria's recent election result overturned. Hillary Clinton was questioned by the FBI. Nicolas Sarkozy will contest the nest presidential election. Djokovic, England, Belgium, Italy… all out of their tournaments (football and tennis). A Taiwanese warship accidentally fired a missile towards China. A newly discovered helium gas field found has Tanzanians floating on air, but will the bubble last? Or burst? India's police arrested a teenage girl for cheating in school exams. A South African teenager was attacked by a hyena and an American cyclist was attacked by a grizzly bear. 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? Why was Austria's presidential election result overturned? Why was Australia's election result uncertain? Why were mosques and cafés attacked? Where is Machu Picchu? Where are the Maldives? And why are the Chagos Islanders still not allowed to return to their homes (and why was this news released during the week when Britain was obsessed with their EU in-out result? So no one would notice the Chagos Islands news? As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to identify countries' capitals. There was a time when we all knew these. That time was called 'the old days'. [Sigh.] Perhaps the students will know the capitas of the UK, Switzerland and Austria. But Azerbaijan? Greenland? East Timor? Where is East Timor? This is a job for… the smartphone. This crossword might just kick off some 'discussion' in the staffroom. Or, even better, at a pub after work. 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. You can 'click-click' and 'follow' us, so you'll receive a notification email when new puzzles are uploaded.

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.