I'm a teacher too.
All of these resources are simple and quick to download. They can be stored on a flashdrive, attached to a keyring and then they live in your pocket as easy and as ready to use as a hanky when a sneeze is coming on.
Try the Nonsense Rhymes Crosswords. If you like Dr Seuss, you'll love these (and so will your students). The World News Crossword is published every Sunday evening. It's prefect for prompting discussion about current events.
I'm a teacher too.
All of these resources are simple and quick to download. They can be stored on a flashdrive, attached to a keyring and then they live in your pocket as easy and as ready to use as a hanky when a sneeze is coming on.
Try the Nonsense Rhymes Crosswords. If you like Dr Seuss, you'll love these (and so will your students). The World News Crossword is published every Sunday evening. It's prefect for prompting discussion about current events.
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.
What happened in our world? December 13th, 2015 is TWO crosswords based on last week's news events.
Good for improving spelling, handwriting, attention-span and good for learning about our world. Good for interesting discussions and debates. Good for a homework activity. Good for a rainy and cold lunchtime activity. Put students into groups of three, let them use their smartphones, and say very loudly, 'ready, set, go'.
In this week's puzzles… Women got to vote in Saudi Arabia. Ford announced a big investment in electric cars. Justin Trudeau greeted Syrian refuges arriving in Canada. Did anyone leave their 747 at Kuala Lumpur airport? Russia sent a puppy to France. And almost 200 countries signed a legally binding agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Oh yes, and Australia's former prime minister bought a second-hand fridge off Gumtree. Seriously - it was in the world news and so it should be in this week's crossword puzzle.
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.
This week's BONUS puzzle is called Where in the world? Where is Uluru? And Machu Picchu? And the Okavango Delta? And the Camino Trail? And Dubrovnik? 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.
What happened in our world? August 29th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It's a low-calorie, high-fibre, high-interest, and Donald Trump-free learning resource.
Three crosswords in one easy to download and print pdf document.
a. What happened in the world?
b. Name the countries.
c. The Olympics.
In this week's news crossword puzzle… a Czech lost in the New Zealand wilderness for a month, the earthquake in Italy, Stephen Harper announced his retirement from politics, A Japanese airline grounded its Dreamliner fleet, the All Blacks beat the Wallabies and many more...
These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world - Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected?
There are TWO bonus crosswords. One asks students to identify the countries in which cities, mountains or other features are located. (Do you think they know where Mauritius is? Perhaps they'll ask to see it on a map. Perhaps they'll ask to go there in the next holiday.) And another crosswords on The Olympics. Who won the men's 1500m bronze medal (and how old was he)? What is the motto for the Olympics?
Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare).
And don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for more crosswords.
What happened in our world? September 11th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events (and there are THREE more very useful puzzles attached).
This resource is a pdf document so it's quick to download and quick to print.
(Please 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… A cat was rescued from the rubble in Amatrice. There was an earthquake in Tanzania and one in North Korea. North Korea's earthquake was triggered because of a nuclear bomb test. There were also floods in North Korea that destroyed thousands of homes. About a million and a half pilgrims began the Hajj. Thousands of people in Spain protested against bull-fighting. Tiger Woods announced he will return to competitive golf. And the paralympics began in Brazil.
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 iPhones are more than just social media gadgets. They'll hopefully ask about the news too, like why is North Korea testing nuclear weapons when thousands of people need help because of the floods? And why do companies recall phones and cars after they've been sold? How could 15 people in Bangladesh die in a factory fire? And why were 2000 chimpanzees moved out of research facilities to an animal refuge?
This week there are THREE bonus puzzles. They ask students to name the capital cities of countries. One for Asia, one for Europe, and one for Africa. (Why is Australia not there? Can the students find these countries and cities on a globe or a map? Your classroom does have a globe, right? Globes and world maps should be in all classrooms, not just Geography rooms, right?)
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.
What happened in our world? July 10th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events.
(Please note... when the resource is uploaded on Sunday it's priced at £2:00, but from Monday, it's priced at £1:50. This is because of the site's minimum price and sale/discount feature. So wait until Monday morning before buying it.)
It's a pdf document. It's quick to download and quick to print. These puzzles work best for me when I print enough for students to work in groups of three.
In this week's puzzle… President Obama had to leave from the back of Air Force One when he arrived in China for the G20 Summit (awkward). China and the US ratified the French Climate deal (very good). John McEnroe gave Nick Kyrgios some good advice (sage and timely). More clowns were seen in South Carolina (creepy). Scotland welcomed its 1000th Syrian refugee (very good). The world's longest glass bridge closed for maintenance (window cleaning?). Anti-bacterial soap was banned in the US (why?). Samsung recalled the Galaxy 7 Note (curious). An Austrian politician said that multi-nationals pay less tax than sausage stands (what's a sausage stand?). A 7.1 earthquake shook New Zealand's North Cape (crikey).
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 iPhones are more than just social media gadgets. They'll hopefully ask about the news too, like why would so many people want to go from Syria to Scotland and what's the France deal that China and US signed? And what's so wrong or right about a burkini?
This week there are TWO bonus puzzles. The first is about natural hazards such as earthquakes and avalanches and pandemics. Geography and Social Studies teachers will love this puzzle, as will other teachers who have to supervise a Geography or Social Studies teacher for a sick colleague. The second bonus puzzle asks students to name countries and the clues are capital cities, or mountain, or rivers and it's tricky, so it'll keep even the gifted and talented students gainfully and positively busy.
The 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.
What happened in our world? September 25th, 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.
In this week's puzzle… A minivan fell from a mountain road in Pakistan and an oil tanker caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico. Ban Ki-Moon warned of the threat of microbial resistance. Sri Lanka court ruled that schools cannot impose a dress code on parents. A French hitch hiker threw a tantrum because he didn't get a ride. Someone counted North Korea's websites - there are just 28 of them. The world's oldest library reopened in Fez.
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 there a war in Syria and why has the United Nations not stopped it? Why are refugees trying to get into Europe? And why was the world's oldest library reopened? Or maybe they'll ask why it was closed.
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.
(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.)
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… Have you heard that if a butterfly flaps its wings in the South American rainforest....? Well, the number of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico is 27% less than last year, Peru’s ex-president, Alejandro Toledo, was charged with bribery, and London’s mayor said that London’s air is so polluted that owners of diesel-powered cars should be aid not to drive them and there are no leaks from a nuclear power plant in France but lots of air pollution in UK. A French farmer and a Swedish reporter were both found guilty and given suspended sentences for helping refugees into their countries. Renewable energy made up 90% of all new electricity in the EU but there’s still too much coal being used. Extreme temperatures in the past weeks have resulted in many forest fires in New South Wales, about 400 pilot whales beached themselves in New Zealand, England beat Wales in the Six Nations rugby and 17 people died at a football match in Angola. Cannabis may be decriminalised in Ireland and some forms of domestic violence in Russia may also be decriminalised and a Russian millionaire negotiated to lease three uninhabited Kiribati islands to establish an alternative Russia. The Handmaid’s Tale rose on the bestseller lists because, the author Margaret Atwood says, of worries about women’s issues after the US election, the US commander in Afghanistan asked for 2000 more troops, North Korea launched a missile, and a Chinese man was reunited with his family after being stuck in India for 50 years. Whew!
This 13 page PDF booklet contains 5 crosswords that review macroeconomics:
Introduction to macroeconomics
The overall level of macroeconomic activity
Macroeconomic goals
The ADAS model
Macroeconomic policies
Crosswords work well as group activities or as homework activities or for a pre-exam revision activity.
There are three bonus puzzles (The OECD countries, The WTO, World Bank & IMF and a surprise - because almost everyone loves surprises!) These bonus puzzles are handy to have printed and ready to use on 'emergency' days.
Of course, the answers are included.
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.
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's a BONUS puzzle that asks in which country or city a news event occurred.
What happened in our world? May 22nd, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It's low-calorie, high-fibre, high-interest, and nothing at all to do with SATs or Brexit.
In this week's puzzle… This week... An earthquake rattled Australia’s Northern Territory, an Aussie teenager reached the top of Mt Everest and Mt Something Else erupted in Indonesia. Killing bulls was outlawed in some Spanish towns, Barcelona’s footy fans are allowed to wave the Catalan flag - if they want to - and Manchester United is probably waving goodbye to Louis. Naughty Nick overheated in the tennis again, as did some Indians when their temperature hit 51C. The World Bank set aside $500 million for pandemics. Brazil’s Zika is now in Africa and Africa’s Nile crocodile is being nasty in Florida’s Everglades while tarantulas were nasty in a plane going to Canada. Cyprus and Austria held elections. Seriously… this is not a crossword you want to miss out on (or deny your students the pleasure of).
These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world - Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected?
As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to name some of the elements in the periodic table. (If that's too boring, download last week's file because the bonus puzzle last week was a bit of fun with fruit and veggies).
Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare).
Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being enjoyed by you and your students.
What happened in our world? 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? May 29th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It's a pdf document so it's simple and quick to download and print. And the answers are included in the same file.
In this week's puzzle… Real Madrid won the Champions League and the World Cup for non-recognised states kicked off in Abkhazia. A Chinese firm apologised for their racist laundry detergent TV advertisement and Pakistan banned all TV advertising for contraceptives. The Dutch government considered banning mobile phone use while riding bicycles while the Zimbabwe government pardoned and released 2000 prisoners. President Obama visited Hiroshima and a German politician copped a chocolate cake in the face (which may have been delicious - er, the cake not the face). The headmaster and teachers were evacuated from a remote town in Australia because of naughty kids and a big earthquake shook up Western Australia. Donkeys have to wear nappies in a town in north-east Kenya and a crow flew off with a knife - taken from a crime scene in Vancouver. Yes, I know, a lot happened around the world last week!
Oh, and the ultimate DIY project was finally finished... they added a spare room onto the space station for when visitors call in.
These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected?
As a bonus this week, there's a crossword asking students to name some capital cities because it's not enough know to what's happening in the world… we should also know where it's happening. Teachers can stash this crossword away for a rainy day. It's a sneaky little activity that lets them use their smartphones.
Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare).
Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being enjoyed by you and your students.
What happened in our world? 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? November 21st, 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… What did Boris say about prosecco? The Italian prime minister said he'll resign if... The German Chancellor said she will stand for re-election. A train derailed in Uttar Pradesh. A helicopter crashed in Rio de Janeiro. Andy beat Novak again. Slovakia declared access to clean drinking water a human right. A puggle was born in Sydney. (A what?) Two frozen moose were found in Alaska.
This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. Why would moose freeze? Why would Russia leave the International Criminal Court? Why would we spend $11 billion on a weather satellite?
As a bonus, there are TWO more crosswords about well-known people such as Angela Merkel, Amelia Earhart, Florence Nightingale, and Cleopatra.
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.
A (PDF) booklet containing 5 crosswords on Development Economics. There are two more 'bonus' crosswords: one of the OECD countries and one about the WTO, IMF and the World Bank. (Oh and two more crosswords just because you were very good in school today.)
I have found crosswords to be an excellent activity to reinforce or summarise at the end of a unit. The students can't help themselves as they turn the activity into a competition. Often the crossword clues are not especially difficult, but the purpose is to reinforce material already learnt in an interesting way. Students enjoy doing them and ask for more.
The crosswords are an easy and effective activity to give the classes when the teacher is away from school.
And yes, the answers are included.