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.
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.
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.