The World News Crossword - November 25th, 2018 - a crossword based on the events of last week’s news from around the world. A crossword based on the events of last week’s world news. A crossword about Germany which has featured in the news over the past few weeks, A crossword about the UK which has also featured in the news - when will Brexit ever end?, and A crossword about women musicians and singers. So, what were some of last week’s news events? The UN called for a truce in Yemen, but everyone ignored that. There was probably another gas attack in Syria. There was a suicide attack in north-west Pakistan, another in Afghanistan, and an attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi. Protests in France about fuel prices continued. The new Maldives government has no idea how much the country owes to China. A storm in Australia closed airports. And the Italian government ordered a rescue ship to be confiscated because migrant’s clothes may have been infected with tuberculosis, meningitis, and HIV. (No, you don’t catch these diseases from clothes!)

**The World News Crossword - December 2nd, 2018 A crossword based on the events of last week’s news - excellent for all Middle and High School students. Critical thinking, international mindedness, research skills, group/team skills. It’s less about what happened and a lot more about why - students complete a crossword and in doing so they learn about world events and then they ask why… why polio vaccinations in Yemen when Western countries are supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia and Iran to use in Yemen? Why is there still a war in Syria? (It’s lasted longer than World War 2.) Why did hate crimes increase by almost 50% in 2017 in Canada? This resource is a 6-page PDF: (1) The World News Crossword (2) A crossword about France, which was in the news this week for protests against rising fuel prices and for a new law that prohibits parents from smacking their children, (3) A crossword about Kiribati, a Pacific Island nation that is already losing islands due to rising sea levels, and (4) A crossword about Christine Lagarade, the Managing Director of the IMF (taken from the recently released book, ‘Women who changed our World’). This week, Christine Lagarde warned the G20 leaders that trade wars and tariffs will hinder world economic growth. So what happened in last week’s news? Australian school-children were inspired by one Swedish girl - they protested against the Australian government’s inaction on climate change. Russia confiscated Ukrainian naval ships and Ukraine blocked entry to all military-aged Russian men. The G20 gathering started in Argentina. The Ebola virus in Congo is now the 2nd-largest ever. There were major earthquakes in Alaska and Indonesia.

A 50 slide presentation taking the students through demand, supply, equilibrium and disequilibrium. Many of the slides are animated to show the step-by-step analysis of how the price mechanism creates the market price. Suitable for (I)GCSE Economics, A Level Economics, IBDP Economics, AP Economics. Teaching idea: print the 50 slides as a handout (in the print function), three slides per page and have the students paste these pages into their workbooks and then write their own notes on and next to the slides. This will leave plenty of time for students to ask questions, discuss sections of the presentation and of course allow time to practise drawing neat supply and demand graphs. The presentation ends with a review and several questions / tasks to give students the opportunity to practise drawing the graphs (and for teachers to evaluate the students' learning_.

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?)

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

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

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.

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.