The World News Crossword - July 29th, 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 buy and download the resource and it can be stored on a flash drive ready for printing. 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 search & cloze puzzle giving a little more detailed explanation of wildfires such as the ones occurring in California and some parts of Europe, (3) A crossword all about Cambodia, in the news this week for the flooding caused by a collapsed hydro-dam, and an election that is unlikely to have any effect because opposition and criticism have been prevented by the incumbent prime minister of 30+ years, and (3) A crossword all about climate change which was in the news again - a heatwave in Europe, wild fires in Greece and USA, flooding in Japan, and extreme monsoon rain in Myanmar. The 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…?’ What happened in last week’s news? Social media was in the news again. Facebook’s shares crashed. Belgium’s tourist board wrote to Mark Z complaining about the censorship policy was blocking famous paintings. A Kuwaiti make up artist used social media to whine that her maid was now entitled to…, wait for it…, one day’s leave per week. And the employer now isn’t allowed to retain the employee’s passport. The make up artist promptly lost sponsors Max Factor Arabia and Shiseido. And a US swimmer posted a photo of himself receiving an illegal ‘infusion’ and was then banned from competition for 14 months. Wildfires caused extensive property damage and killed many people in Greece and California. Flooding occurred in Japan, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. A Penn State Professor said this is the face of climate change. Elections were or will be held in Cambodia, Pakistan, and Mali. This resource, used on a weekly basis, is an excellent way to ensure your students’ are ‘internationally minded’ (a fundamental requirement of any of the IB’s 4 programmes).

The World News Crossword - August 5th, 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. 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 search & cloze puzzle giving a little more detailed explanation of Zimbabwe and the events leading to last week’s election, (3) A crossword all about Zimbabwe - where is it? What are its neighbouring countries? What are its lakes, mountains, and rivers? (3) A crossword all about India which was also in the news last week. The 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…?’ What happened last week? On Lombok (in Indonesia) about 500 stranded tourists were rescued after an earthquake, but then another very large earthquake struck about a week after the first, prompting. a tsunami warning for the region. Wildfires continued in California and Europe experienced a heatwave. Students in Bangladesh protested for better traffic and street safety. Evidence of a 2000 year old library was uncovered in Cologne. A plane crashed in Mexico. A helicopter crashed in Siberia. And a plane crashed in the Swiss Alps. A new government was elected in Zimbabwe and 6 people were killed in protests following the result. The boys who were rescued from the cave in Thailand returned home after their 9 days as novice Buddhist monks. And someone kidnapped a shark, disguised as a baby in a pram, from an aquarium in Texas.

In this week’s puzzles… (1) A crossword based on events in last week’s news. A search & cloze puzzle detailing Part 2 of the amazing rescue of the 12 boys and their football coach from the flooded cave in northern Thailand, A crossword about NATO, and there are no clues, and A crossword all about Belgium (which achieved 3rd place in the FIFA World Cup). In last week’s news… All twelve boys from the Wild Boars football team and their coach who were trapped in a cave in northern Thailand were rescued. The US president said NATO member countries aren’t contributing enough to NATO (even though countries don’t contribute anything). Britain’s Foreign Minister resigned because he didn’t like the state of Brexit negotiations. Nestlé products are banned from zoos in Melbourne and a man has taken Monsanto to court alleging its weed killer caused his cancer. George Clooney fell off his motor bike while in Sardinia. Justin Bieber got engaged, maybe. An American tourist shut down Vienna airport because of a live artillery shell in her luggage. Scorpions invaded Brazilian cities, sort of. And after 66 years, an Indian man finally cut his finger nails. Angelique Kerber and Novak Đoković won the Women’s and Men’s Singles at Wimbledon. France won the FIFA World Cup, but the most loved and most successful football team during the World Cup was The Wild Boars of Thailand.

The World News Crossword is a downloadable PDF. It’s quick and simple to download, save onto a flash drive, and rint from when the time’s right. This week’s PDF contains: (1) A crossword based on the events of last week’s news, (2) A search and cloze puzzle based on modern day slavery in India (3) A crossword about India’s geography, and (4) A crossword from the soon-to-be-released book ‘Women who changed the world’ - a puzzle all about Indira Ghandi, India’s third Prime Minister. From last week’s news… Germany was eliminated from the FIFA World Cup. Prince William visited Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. New Guinea reported its first case of polio in 30 years. Turkey re-elected its President. Harley Davidson said it would move some production out of the US because of the tariffs imposed on imported steel. Canada imposed tariffs on US-made ketchup in response to US tariffs on Canadian-made steel. Samoa and Mumbai banned single-use plastic bags, cups, food containers, and drinking straws. India’s interior minister waa attacked on social media for receiving a kidney transplant from a Muslim. About 50 people were killed when a bus went off a mountain road in northern India. 12 Thai boys and their football coach were trapped in a flooded cave system for 9 days before being found by an international team of rescue personnel. It’s good to know about these things. It’s even better to discuss why these things happen and what may happen next - because it’s good for us to discuss what happens in the rest of the world and how it may affect us as well as how what we do might affect others.

The World News Crossword - July 8th, 2018 is a 6-page PDF that includes: a crossword based on events from last week’s news, a search & cloze puzzle that focuses on the background of one of last week’s stories (this week it’s the background story of the boys who have been trapped in the cave system in northern Thailand), a crossword about Thailand, and a crossword about Thailand’s neighbour and frequent subject of news stories, Myanmar. This resource is excellent for keeping students informed about the world’s current events. It takes about half an hour for students to complete the main crossword and the rest of a lesson to review (and discuss) the answers. It’s good for use in homeroom or PSHE lessons, or it’s excellent for a homework activity. I prefer to use the news puzzle as a small-group activity. The students then tend to discuss the events more, asking why and wanting to know more about many of the stories. So what happened last week? The Thai footballers and their coach, trapped in a flooded cave system dominated my week. I was checking my phone frequently, waiting for updates and imagining how I wold cope in that situation. A dive boat capsized off Phuket in Thailand and tourists were drowned. Flooding in Japan resulted in deaths and mass evacuations. A wildfire in California also resulted in evacuations. Police in the USA challenged the suitability of 2 novels on a high-school’s reading list. An American woman was attacked on social media for killing an elderly giraffe in South Africa. And 2 rhino poachers were eaten by lions, also in South Africa. And in Queensland, Australia, a possum was rescued by the RSPCA from a Nutella jar. Yes, really.

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.

**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 crossword based on the events of last week’s news (with 3 bonus crosswords, each expanding on an aspect of last week’s news). This worksheet is ESSENTIAL for any teacher wanting to develop international mindedness in their students. It asks what happened in the world last week and it prompts students to ask why. Remember the Afghan boy who hit internet fame for wearing a plastic bag adapted to be a Lionel Messi football shirt? His family had to move from their home, because the Taliban attacked them, demanding money - because that internet fame made them rich, right? Why did the last refugee rescue ship operating in the Mediterranean cease operations? Why was it operated by an N.G.O. and not a government? And why are refugees needing to be rescued in the Mediterranean? There’s a crossword about Angela Merkel who will stand down from her role as Germany’s Chancellor soon. There’s another crossword about Australia too - where there was an earthquake and where a man was jailed for killing a kangaroo, and filming himself doing it, and posting the video to social media. And there’s a crossword about Afghanistan. Can your students find Afghanistan on a globe? You have a globe in your classroom - don’t you?

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.