A lot happened in the world last week. Some of it was important and some of it was just silly. Most of it is worth knowing about. I hope this week's crossword prompts discussions that start with 'Why...' The US president went to Belgium and ate lots of chocolates and the Belgian royal family disapproved of a Burger King advertisement. Diesel cars are still being sold despite emitting 18 times the legal level of pollution. So much for the Paris Agreement on climate change, speaking of which, more than 90 people were killed and over a hundred more are missing in Sri Lanka after huge rainfall caused flooding and landslides. In Sicily the US First Lady wore a coat that retails for more than $50,000. More than 150 children under 5 die every day in Myanmar because of fighting and poverty. Sailing in the America's Cup began and Arsenal won the FA Cup. In Australia a teenager ran across the horse racing track because someone dared him. Also in Australia, a Jetstar plane revved up ready for taxiing while a ground crew member was still attached to the plane's nose, but in London, BA cancelled all flights because their computer system crashed. Construction work began on a huge telescope in Chile and a Brazilian mother who stole an Easter egg for her kids was given a harsher prison sentence than the politicians who stole millions of dollars of public money. This week there are THREE bonus puzzles - Climate change, European countries, US states... It's a pdf document. 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 World News Crossword (August 6th, 2017) is a simple crossword based on last week’s news events. There are three BONUS crosswords included - all with the answers of course. The resource is a pdf document so it's quick and easy to download and store on a flash drive. What happened in our world last week? The Philippines president called the North Korean leader a ‘chubby fool’ for firing rockets. China and India are involved in a border dispute. An Indian boxer beat a Chinese boxer but offered to give the title back to the Chinese boxer as a peace gesture. GM recalled almost a million trucks. Pearson, the educational publisher announced it would cut 10% of of its jobs. Ethnic violence in the DRC resulted in more than 250 people killed. Australia’s greenhouse emissions rose to their highest level ever. Dutch police arrested criminals who stole iPhones from a moving truck. A heatwave spread across Europe and monsoon flooding killed hundreds of people in India. Police in Sierra Leone banned groups of joggers. It’s not so much what happened but why, and hopefully this is what the students will be talking about as they complete the crossword and go to their next lesson. Why did only two cities apply to host the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics? Why is the Polish government still allowing logging in its ancient forest? Why are George and Amal Clooney helping 3000 Syrian children attend school in Lebanon? And why was Martin Shkreli the most hated man?

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 - November 4th, 2018 A one-page crossword based on the events of last week’s news stories. A crossword about India which was in the news for air pollution that was 6 times greater than the acceptable limit, a man-eating tiger was shot, the world’s tallest statue was unveiled, and a curfew was imposed on people living in Jammu & Kashmir, A crossword about Yemen where civil war fuelled by Saudi Arabia and Iran is causing catastrophic famine, and A crossword about Angela Merkel, Germany’s Chancellor and Europe’s longest-serving national leader. So what happened in last week’s news? A bus crashed off a bridge in China, a passenger plane crashed into the Java Sea, and a Russian fighter plane crashed in Egypt. Air pollution in and around Delhi reached levels 6 times greater than the acceptable limit and politicians blamed politicians. Turkey will not be exempt from US-imposed sanctions against Iran. The Secretary-General of the UN said the civil war in Yemen will cause catastrophic famine. Storms resulted in deaths in Italy. Palau announced it will ban sunscreen because of its toxic effect on coral. Estonian traffic police handed out fines to speeding drivers, and brochures relating to organ donation and Russia’s traffic police announced that 5 million traffic tickets were incorrectly issued because of ‘a technical glitch’.

The World News Crossword - October 7th, 2018 is a crossword based on the events of last week’s news from around the world. There are 4 puzzles in this downloadable PDF document: (1) The World News Crossword, (2) a crossword about Myanmar, (3) a crossword about Yemen, and (4) a crossword about Marie Curie (from our new-release, ‘Women who changed the world’). What happened last week? The New South Wales government insisted the Sydney Opera House be used as a giant billboard to advertise horse-racing. Tokyo’s Fish market was closed to be moved to make room for the Olympic Games. San Marino followed Argentina’s example and approached the IMF for a huge loan. A French criminal who escaped from jail using a helicopter was recaptured after 3 months on the run. A 5.9 earthquake shook Haiti. And. Pakistani ice-cream seller who lives in a slum discovered he had about 14 million UK pounds in his bank account.

The World News Crossword - September 23rd, 2018 - a crossword based on the events of last week’s news from around the world. There are 4 puzzles in this downloadable PDF document: (1) The World News Crossword, (2) a crossword about The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (from our book of Shakespeare Word Puzzles), (3) a crossword about Brazil (from our A World of Crosswords series), and (4) a crossword about Florence Nightingale (from our soon-to-be-released ‘Women who changed the world’ book). So, what happened in last week’s news? A tornado in Canada and an eruption in Mexico. Oktoberfest in Munich, a fire because of German army rockets, and a driver-less tram in Potsdam. A rowing boat is rescued just short of Scotland, a boat of migrants off Lebanon’s coast capsizes, and a ferry in Tanzania capsizes. Cholera in Zimbabwe and Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. India cancels talks with Pakistan. Pakistan asks China to be nicer to ethnic Muslims. And China opens an embassy in the Dominican Republic.

The World News Crossword - June 10th, 2018 is a action-packed teaching & learning resource to help students learn more about last week’s world news events. This week’s crossword… Water shortages in Australia and Iraq caused concerns. Plastic products were banned in both New Zealand and India. Someone left the G7 summit in a mess, but at least they pledged $3 billion to girls’ and women’s education. And there were protests in Amman, Jordan. And Ethiopia’s government announced it would agree to peace agreement with Eritrea. This week there is a backgrounder search & cloze puzzle that helps students learn more about volcanic eruptions - what are they, what causes them, and why are they so destructive? And another search & cloze puzzle to help explain the economic crisis in Jordan. And there’s a bonus crossword to help explain that peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

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.

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?)

Simple to download and print and use. Develops phonemic awareness, reading skills, spelling, logic/reasoning skills, and handwriting.

Nonsense Rhymes Crosswords 2 is made up of fun rhymes, for example ‘A koala’s no failure, at home in... [Australia]’, ‘I knew a banker, from Sri... [Lanka]’, and ‘The can-can is a dance, performed in... [France]’. These crosswords are perfect for reinforcing phonemic awareness. Crosswords only work when we spell the words correctly (and neatly). Students learn something rather old- fashioned - spelling. They’ll spend time reading very carefully and thinking about correct spellings - and they’ll want to get it right because there’s something in our psychology that compels us to start them and then finish them. Crosswords also require neat handwriting. These puzzles have also been very effective with students who struggle to concentrate. It’s normal for students to compete with each other and it’s normal for them to beg for the answer to 23 Across before they leave for home. Best of all, students ask for more of them. And when they do that, they’re really asking for more reading and writing and spelling time. And how much more beautiful can a teaching day get than that? This is resource is made up of 5 nonsense rhymes crosswords (and two extra crosswords that will be fun and useful to store away in your back pocket for a substitute lesson). It's a simple PDF document so it's quick and easy to download and then print.

Nonsense Rhymes Crosswords are all made up of fun rhymes, for example ‘If your car starts to splutter, feed it peanut... [butter], and ‘But that’s absurd, you’re not a... [bird], and ‘I like to have mustard, with my chocolate... [custard] and ‘Does a tuna wish, to swim like a...’ [fish]. These crosswords are perfect for reinforcing phonemic awareness. Crosswords only work when we spell the words correctly (and neatly). Students learn something rather old-fashioned - spelling. They’ll spend time reading very carefully and thinking about correct spellings - and they’ll want to get it right because there’s something in our psychology that compels us to start them and then finish them. Crosswords also require neat handwriting. These puzzles have also been very effective with students who struggle to concentrate. It’s normal for students to compete with each other and it’s normal for them to beg for the answer to 23 Across before they leave for home. Best of all, students ask for more of them. And when they do that, they’re really asking for more reading and writing and spelling time. And how much more beautiful can a teaching day get than that? This resource is made up of 5 Nonsense Rhymes Crosswords (and a few more just for fun). It's a PDF document so it's quick to download and print.

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

A book of 50 word puzzles, all based on ten of Shakespeare’s plays… Romeo & Juliet A midsummer night’s dream The merchant of Venice Much ado about nothing Julius Caesar Hamlet Othello King Lear Macbeth The Tempest For each play, there is a crossword about the play, a ‘Search and Cloze’ puzzle that reviews the synopsis, another crossword based on the play’s best lines, a 25-question quiz, the answers to which are in a word search grid, and finally a word search to reinforce key elements such as the characters’ names and places in the play.

Women who changed the world A book of 40 crosswords puzzles that help students learn more about some of the women who changed the world in science, technology, the arts… from the USA to UK to New Zealand to Kenya to the People’s Republic of China… Contents: Authors 1 Authors 2 Film and theatre 1 Film and theatre 2 Leaders in sport Musicians and singers Political leaders 1 Political leaders 2 Science and technology Women in government Agatha Christie, Amelia Earhart, Angela Merkel Benazir Bhutto Carla del Ponte Catherine the Great Christine Lagarde Cleopatra Coco Chanel Eleanor Roosevelt Elizabeth I Elizabeth II Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Emmeline Pankhurst Florence Nightingale Golda Meir Helen Clark Helen Keller Hillary Clinton Indira Gandhi Joan of Arc Junko Tabei Margaret Thatcher Marie Curie Mother Teresa Oprah Winfrey Queen Victoria Rosalind Franklin Wangari Muta Maathai Wu Yi Cognitive effort = learning. In our years of experience in classrooms, we understand that learning is rehearsing. The more cognitive effort we give to a task, the faster we learn it. Whether it’s repeating a song’s lyrics, the spelling of a word, or the steps to solving mathematical tasks, the more cognitive effort the stronger (and the more permanent) the learning. Practising, rehearsing, repeating, reviewing, redoing. It’s that simple: the more cognitive effort, the better the learning. Crosswords demand coghnitive effort. Reading, thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and even handwriting skills will all improve using these crosswords.

Afghanistan to Bhutan - 20 crosswords These are the first twenty countries on an alphabetical journey around the world. Crosswords on each of Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina (and the tango), Armenia, Australia (are there kangaroos on Tasmania?), Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados (do they play cricket in Barbados?), Belarus (does it really mean ‘white Russia’?), Belgium (mmmm, chocolates), Belize, Benin, Bhutan, and of course the solutions. Interesting and engaging group activity material for almost any subject. Supporting literacy, handwriting, research skills, and logic. Or simple homework activities. Or easy but engaging and worthwhile learning material for substitute lessons. BONUS EXTRAs... And there’s more... crosswords on New Zealand, China, United Kingdom, Europe, USA... And a crossword on climate change. And three witty Nonsense Rhymes Crosswords for those who enjoy playing with words and rhymes (these puzzles are excellent for those learning phonemic awareness, for this struggling with handwriting, and for those who like a silly little giggle during staff meetings. (Really!) I hope you enjoy using these crosswords and that your students learn more about their world.