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.

This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. Download and then print this simple and easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next Economics, Geography, Business, or PSHE lesson. 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. In this week's puzzle... Good Lord, someone impersonated Lorde. Natural disasters in Colombia and Australia. South Korea's ex-president was arrested and a sunken ferry was raised. China has set up bases in the South China Sea. Japan's whaling fleet killed 300 whales in the Antarctic Ocean. Someone stole a huge gold Canadian coin (in Berlin). Yes, it was a strange week around the world. And of course the real reason for these crosswords is to prompt the students to ask WHY these events happened. Why Brexit? Why were 20 people killed a t a shrine in Pakistan? Why did a Singaporean couple starve their employee? Why are the Canadians legalising recreational marijuana use? Or maybe they'll ask... where is Peru, and South Sudan, and Tanzania? (So have a globe or a world map handy for even more discussion.) The puzzles seem to work best when students work in pairs or groups of three, so they discuss the clues and therefore the events of their world. They work even better if the teacher does the puzzle with the students. There are 2 BONUS puzzles: one is about Africa's countries and capitals and the other is about New Zealand.

What happened in our world? December 5th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. Download and then print this simple and easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next Economics or Geography or Business lesson, PSHE lesson, home room period, substitution lesson... You save your precious time and the students get to learn about last week's news events. The puzzles seem to work best when students work in pairs or groups of three, so they discuss the clues and therefore the events of their world. They work even better if the teacher does the puzzle with the students. Crosswords are effective practice activity for helping students with problematic handwriting. In this week's puzzle… The Chinese shelved a plan for a new hydro dam. A copper mine in Poland collapsed. A plane crashed in South America. Nico Rosberg retired from Formula One racing and snow fell in Hawaii. The British and Polish prime ministers discussed Polish language lessons in British schools. South Korea's president offered to resign and Austria voted for a new president again. The Australians agreed to a backpacker tax and the Japanese police tried to get elderly drivers to exchange their driving licences for cheap lunches. Yes, it was a strange week around the world. This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why does a Yemeni man who was detained in Guantanamo Prison have to now live in Cape Verde? Why would a cruise liner discharge oily sludge into the ocean? And why did the Netherlands and Belgium agree to swap some land? As a bonus, there's another crossword that asks students to identify some food. Perhaps they'll be inspired to eat healthier lunches after doing this crossword.Or perhaps they'll ask, 'What's strudel? What did Marie Antoinette have to do with cake? What food did the Earl of Sandwich name? And did Cinderella really go to the ball in a pumpkin? There's a new puzzle created every week, so don't forget to come back every Monday morning for this simple and easy and very useful learning activity.

This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. Download and then print this simple and easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next Economics, Geography, Business, or PSHE lesson. The puzzles are excellent for a lively and informative home room period or even a substitution lesson when the ascent colleague hasn't left enough work. You save your precious time and the students get to learn about last week's news events. The puzzles seem to work best when students work in pairs or groups of three, so they discuss the clues and therefore the events of their world. They work even better if the teacher does the puzzle with the students. In this week's puzzle… Bill English became New Zealand’s new prime minister and a New Zealand marathon runner completed 237 holes of golf in 12 hours. South Korea’s president was impeached, Chinese police put down a protest, and Britain wants less international students, maybe. The Solomon Islands experienced two very large earthquakes and so did Croatia. The price of oil increased. Reindeer are getting smaller, and a near-complete dinosaur skeleton sold for about €1 million. A report declared that the Great Barrier Reef will die soon, an Australian man’s house was mistakenly demolished when builders went to the wrong address, but a Malaysian was named the ‘World's Funniest Person’. An RAF commander said the RAF should consider recruiting ‘18- and 19-year-olds straight out of the PlayStation bedroom’ to operate drones, a Pakistani Army officer returned to Sandhurst, a PIA plane exploded when it returned to Islamabad, and Iran bought a lot of planes from Boeing. Qantas announced what will be the longest flight, from Perth to London, starting in March 2018 and the Swiss started using the world’s longest train tunnel. As a bonus, there's another crossword that asks students about the place sin last week's news... India, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Solomon Islands, Venezuela... And there are two more puzzles... one asks students to identify the capitals of American countries (Belize, Canada, Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil...), and another puzzle is called, 'They go together like...' fish &..., left &..., right &..., bat &..., school &... It's a bit of fun, but watch closely and you'll see how crosswords can help students to improve their handwriting. There's a new puzzle created every week, so don't forget to come back every Monday morning for another simple and easy and very useful learning activity.

This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. Download and then print this simple and easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next Economics, Geography, Business, or PSHE lesson. 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. (You might even give them colleagues to keep them happy during staff meetings - but don't let the bosses catch you!) In this week's puzzle... The US made a verbal move against North Korea, the South Korea made a move without her dogs, and Nato made a move to Estonia. In Australia, because someone dared him, an 18 year old jumped into a stream and was attacked by a crocodile. In New Zealand the police shot a bomb sniffer dog at Auckland airport. And in India, a firebrand Hindu priest was appointed to govern the most populous state. And of course the real reason for these crosswords is to prompt the students to ask why... Why did Norway's Sami people get a large pension fund to sell off investments in a US company? Why did a Chinese court punish a policeman and why did the European Parliament punish that Policy MEP and why did France's far-right party expel one of its officials - and why did the Turkish president blame the Dutch for the 1985 Srebrenica massacre? (And was he right?) The puzzles seem to work best when students work in pairs or groups of three, so they discuss the clues and therefore the events of their world. They work even better if the teacher does the puzzle with the students. There are three BONUS puzzles that focus on North America, Central America, and South America.

This is a simple crossword activity aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in our world. Download and then print this easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next Economics, Geography, Business, or PSHE lesson. 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. (You might even give them colleagues to keep them happy during staff meetings - but don't let the bosses catch you!) In this week's puzzle... Obamacare survived. Somali pirates released a Sri Lankan ship and crew. An avalanche in Japan and a cyclone in Queensland. New Zealanders submitted a petition to protest against water being sold to China, India, and the Middle East. Britain was attacked by a lone terrorist. And Vladimir told Marine that Russia won't meddle in France's presidential election. Of course the real value of this crossword is the discussion it'll generate... Why did these things happen? Why, of all the things that happened in the world, were these the events reported in the news? The wording of these news events is interesting too; is there any bias in the wording? The puzzles seem to work best when students work in pairs or groups of three, so they discuss the clues and therefore the events of their world. They work even better if the teacher does the puzzle with the students. There are two BONUS puzzles that focus on the United Kingdom's history and geography. Good for KS3 as well as older classes.

This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. Download and then print this simple and easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next Economics, Geography, Business, or PSHE lesson. 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. In this week's puzzle... protest marches in Venezuela against economic failure and all around the world in support of science. No blue lights on cars in India, no food stalls on Bangkok streets and no dogs and cats to be eaten in Taiwan. Presidential elections in France and an early election in Britain. A national strike in French Guiana and a murder in the Maldives and very disrespectful behaviour at the tennis. And North Korea created a lot of news last week too. It was an interesting week. The puzzles seem to work best when students work in pairs or groups of three, so they discuss the clues and therefore the events of their world. They work even better if the teacher does the puzzle with the students. There are 2 BONUS puzzles: one is about Asia's countries and capitals and the other is about Africa.

What happened in our world? January 3rd, 2016 is TWO crosswords based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzles… Guinea was declared Ebola-free. Belgium cancelled New Year's Eve celebrations. An LA man shot his wife and two others in a dispute about a washing machine and Barack Obama announced plans to increase gun controls. The UK government created a huge marine reserve around Ascension Island. UK primary school are to be tested on their times tables up to 12 x 12. An Air India plane returned to Mumbai - rats! Star Wars won the money. A huge squid swam into a Japanese harbour and there was wild weather in the US, UK, South America, Tonga, and it rained in Abu Dhabi - twice! And just like on the infomercials, there's MORE. There's a bonus crossword puzzle that asks 'Can we do Maths with a crossword?' 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. These crosswords are ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. They can be completed individually or in small groups or as week-long homework activities, or even as a time-out activity. They are an excellent excuse for students to make good use of their smartphones. 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 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.

What happened in our world? January 17th, 2016 is two crosswords based on last week's news events. Why would anyone want to kiss a python? In this week's puzzles… Because North Korea detonated a hydrogen bomb (maybe) three famous snowboarders canceled their trip to North Korea. A Chinese tourist who tried to kiss a python was bitten on the nose. Phuket (that's where she was, not what she said.) Azerbaijan's government cancelled the tax increase on bread. Let them eat cake, history said. Venezuela's government declared a state of economic emergency. VW reported an in increase in sales, but then again, they said things about their cars' emissions too. Iranians can export oil to the EU now and send money by SWIFT. The Ballon d'Or got messy, or vice versa. A rapper was expelled from South Africa, not because they don't like rap, but because of immigration issues. Norway's government told those refugees who cycled across the Arctic border from Russia to backpedal. And the rock icon David Bowie died. Crosswords aren't just for word nerds. This week there's a BONUS puzzle for Maths teachers (or for teachers who have to substitute for a Maths colleague who's taking a sickie). To coerce you to come back again next week, the answers to the Maths crossword will be attached to next week's document. 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 (why would anyone want to kiss a python?) These crosswords are ideal as a research, writing and reading activity. They can be completed individually or in small groups or as week-long homework activities, or even as a time-out activity. They are an excellent excuse for students to make good use of their smartphones. Maybe you could start up a lunchtime news and current events club and use these puzzles as starters for conversation topics. If you have students whose handwriting is messy… make them do crosswords because they force kids to write clearly, carefully and therefore neatly. Or (but it could also be And…) use them in the staffroom to keep the smarties quiet for a while. Peace at last! Don't you HATE substituting for an absent colleague when the kids have nothing or not enough to do? Print 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?' puzzles.

What happened in our world? November 28th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. Download and then print this simple and easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next Economics or Geography or Business lesson, PSHE lesson, home room period, substitution lesson... You save your precious time and the students get to learn about last week's news events. The puzzles seem to work best when students work in pairs or groups of three, so they discuss the clues and therefore the events of their world. They work even better if the teacher does the puzzle with the students. Crosswords are effective practice activity for helping students with problematic handwriting. In this week's puzzle… The Ugandan police arrested a king, Egyptian archaeologists discovered a 5000 year old city and the Moroccan state television advised women on how to hide the effects of domestic violence with make up. The Indian minster of women's affairs said the news of rape and sexual violence is overstated by the media and is harming tourism. There is a drought in Madagascar and snow in Tokyo. Putin gave Steven Seagal a Russian passport. This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why would a Chinese firm pay over a billion Euros for a website that compares the price of air tickets? Was Fidel Castro a great leader or a tyrant and a dictator? Was the earthquake off Costa Rica related to the New Zealand earthquake? Why would someone steal a baby monkey from a Sydney zoo? Is Formula One car racing a sport? As a bonus, there's another crossword that asks students to name the capital city of the countries that were referred to in last week's news.

What happened in our world? September 18th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events (and there are THREE MORE very useful puzzles attached). The answers are included. This resource is a pdf document so it's quick to download and quick to print. (Note... when the resource is uploaded on Sunday it's priced at £2:00, but from Monday, it's discounted to £1:50. This is because of the site's minimum price and sale/discount feature. So wait until Monday morning before buying it.) In this week's puzzle… The Global Fund raised almost 13 million dollars to eradicate AIDS, malaria and Tb while Pakistan began fortifying basic foods to combat malnutrition and Florida expanded its 'Zika zone'. David Cameron announced his resignation from politics, riots erupted in the DRC - protesting for early presidential elections, Nigeria's president admitted copying some of Barack Obama's speeches, and he also announced that his government would swap Boko Haram prisoners for the Chibok girls. And... a man in Indiana posted dead skunks and raccoons to another man (it was something to do with basketball or football). This crossword is fairly simple because it's not about solving the puzzle - it's about getting students to think about and discuss the news events and the people affected by these events. Students could use their smartphones to look at the news and so they'll learn that phones are more than just social media gadgets. They'll hopefully ask about the news too, like why is Norway planning to cull 2 million wolves? Why did Indian Kashmir police shoot and kill a twelve year old boy. And why were there violent protests in Bengaluru? This week there are THREE bonus puzzles about countries, cities, and famous people. All of these puzzles can be used with a wide range of students, from middle to secondary school, and in a wide range of subjects. They're good for PSHE and homeroom situations, for Social Studies or English classes, for students with ADHD or handwriting issues, for students in a time-out situation, for homework... and for use with classes that substitute / supply teachers are supervising. Print them and have them ready for the emergency situations.

This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what happened in their world last week. Download and then print this simple and easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next English, Economics, Geography, Business, or PSHE lesson. The puzzles are excellent for a lively and informative homeroom 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. The puzzles seem to work best when students work in pairs or groups of three, so they discuss the clues and therefore the events of their world. They work even better if the teacher does the puzzle with the students. It's less bout the puzzle's clues and answers and more about the questions and discussion that result from them. For example... What is match-fixing? Why would people protest against China building a port in Sri Lanka. Where is Ghana? Why kill the ducks in France? Why would Israel withhold money from its annual United Nations dues? Where is Fort Lauderdale? Where are Chad and Libya? What is the Turner Prize awarded for? Where is Cueta? Why is there a civil war in Syria? Where is Abuja? Why would parents allow their children to work in a brick kiln? What are bison? Could a palace in Sweden be haunted by a ghost? Really? Why replace workers with an AI system? What’s AI? Where is Guantánamo Bay? What does Germany have to do with Namibia? As a bonus, there are three more puzzles... European capitals, Asian capitals, and African capitals. Because it might be good if they know where these countries and their capital cities are. It's a bit of fun, and educational of course, but watch closely and you'll see how crosswords can help students improve their handwriting. There's a new puzzle created every week, so don't forget to come back every Monday morning for another simple and easy and very useful learning activity.

Two crosswords based on the news events of 2016. As a class activity, expect each of the se puzzles to take about 30-45 minutes. They work best with groups of 2-3 students working in teams. Let them use their smartphones and call it a collaborative research project. Hurricane Matthew caused death and destruction on the Florida coast. Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Syrian war moved into its sixth year and last year alone about 4 million Syrians left their home country. Zimbabwe's economy deteriorated. Students in South Africa protested against tuition fees. And the Ethiopia-Djibouti electric railway line opened. India demonetised its 500 and 1000 rupee notes and the UK voted to leave the EU. Brazil hosted the Summer Olympics and the Paralympics and the Brazilian government impeached its president. Terrorists attacked in Berlin, Nice, Istanbul, and Brussels. Of course, the real value of these crosswords is the discussion that results from the clues and answers. Why was Bob Dylan awarded a prize for literature when he's a song writer? Are songs literature? Why did India demonetise the 500 and 1000 rupee notes? Were there more big earthquakes in 2016 than normal? What causes earthquakes? What are gravitational waves and why was a rocket launched to explore Mars? Why was the Malaysian Airlines plane shot down as it flew over Ukraine? Why is the UK leaving the EU? What is a referendum and why don't governments use them more often? If South Africa's students want to attend university for free, why did they trash their universities? Why did China and USA finally sign the Paris climate change deal (or maybe we should ask, What took them so long?)

The World News Crossword - March 25th, 2018 is a simple pdf document that can be downloaded in minutes, saved to a flash drive, ready to be used ‘in a flash!’ There are 4 crosswords in this resource. The main crossword is made from events in last week’s news. Facebook’s value fell by $58 million. No wait, $58 BILLION. Why? India put 11 vigilantes away from life. Why? Australia’s cricket captain cheated. Why? The US probably began a trade war with China. Israel admitted attacking a Syrian nuclear reactor as a warning to Iran. Turkey and the US both sent oil exploration ships to Cyprus. The puzzle is a simple way for students to learn about what happened in the world last week, but it’s even more valuable when it prompts them to discuss why these events occurred. There are 3 more puzzles. One is about France, another is about Austria and the third is all about Egypt. Crosswords are an excellent tool for supporting research skills, logical thinking and problem solving, and of course students have to write neatly. Solutions for all the puzzles are included.

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 - August 12th, 2018 is a 6-page PDF document made up of 4 puzzles based on the events of last week’s news. It’s a quick and simple process to download the resource and it can be stored on a flash drive ready for printing. The World. News Crossword puzzle usually takes a class about 30-45 minutes to complete, leaving some time for discussion on some of the more interesting news stories. The puzzle seems to work best when done in pairs or small groups, to generate discussion. The goal of course is to have students learning more about the world around them, and to prompt them to ask questions, especially ‘why…?’ All for just £2. What’s in this week’s document? (1) A crossword based on the events of last week’s news, (2) A crossword about Burkina Faso because it was in the news last week because of a malaria/bed-net trial that appears to have reduced the infection rate of malaria by 12%, (3) A crossword all about Climate Change, because it’s always in the news despite what Australia’s agriculture minister said, (3) And a crossword about Julius Caesar that can be shared with an English teacher. It’s included because in last week’s news there was a bit of a performance in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome. All for just £2. So what happened last week? Australia’s agriculture minister said that the drought affecting almost all of Australia has nothing to do with man-made climate change. Excessive monsoon rain caused deaths, wide-spread displacement, and property damage in Kerala. The Swiss government announced measures to help farmers affected by the drought which has been caused by the heatwave in Europe. Two trucks crashed on the highway near Bologna in Italy, a plane crashed near Seattle, and another plane crashed in Indonesia - and a 12 year old boy survived. There was a magnitude 6.2 aftershock near Lombok Island, also in Indonesia. Brazil closed its border to Venezuelans. Singapore trialled eye-scans at its border. And speaking of borders, it seems (based on surveys) that at least 100 constituencies in Britain that previously voted to leave the EU would now vote to remain in the EU. A German man called the police because he was being chased by a baby squirrel. (Tyranny comes in many forms.) In France, crows were trained to collect cigarette butts and exchange them for food. And Christopher Robin was banned from China (the movie, not the boy) - something to do with Winnie the Pooh. All that (and three bonus puzzles) for just £2.

The World News Crossword - March 4th, 2018 is a simple one page crossword based on the events in last week’s news. There are 3 more crosswords (on France, New Zealand, and Australia) included and there are solutions to all 4 puzzles. Crosswords are an excellent resource for logical thinking, handwriting, and cooperative learning. The World News Crossword - March 4th, 2018 is excellent as a research and critical thinking activity as well. It’s less about what happened in the news last week, and more about why, how, where, and who was involved. Why was there a cease-fire in Syria (and was it effective)? Why was there an earthquake in Papua New-Guinea and who was affected? Was were three deaths in Australia newsworthy? Why did Russia announce the development of new nuclear missiles? The World News Crossword is created and published every week. Use the crossword in PSHE/home room, for homework, or as an in-class activity.

The World News Crossword - October 28th, 2018 A 6-page PDF document that includes: A crossword based the events of last week’s news, A crossword about countries and their capital cities, A crossword about capital cities and their countries, and A crossword about Queen Victoria (from our recently published Women who Changed the World book). So, what happened in the news last week? There was an earthquake in the Ionian Sea. The 12 Thai boys rescued from the flooded cave went to Manchester to watch ManU play Everton. Israel’s Prime Minister visited Oman. Pakistan blocked all Indian television channels because India is damming rivers that flow into Pakistan. Croatia’s police found more than 100 illegal migrants in a truck and Mexico offered work and schooling to its illegal immigrants. A 45 year old man was arrested for trying to steal an original copy of the Magna Carta. (What is an original copy?)

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.

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?’