ReadWriteThink.org offers new twist on crosswords to support learning
Most students have some experience or familiarity with crossword puzzles, be it from working on one for a school assignment or watching a parent or caregiver figure one out in the Sunday newspaper. Studies show that word play of the kind provided by these puzzles is valuable in a variety of ways. Crossword puzzles can be a great addition to content area and vocabulary lessons and can be of particular help to struggling or English-language learners.
ReadWriteThink.org has announced a new web-based version of the crossword puzzle that transforms the activity into an active learning experience for students. The Crossword Puzzle tool can be accessed at www.readwritethink.org/materials/crossword/ and can be used at any level, kindergarten through high school.
The Create mode makes it easy for students and teachers to make their own custom puzzles to share with the class or in small groups. The student or teacher begins by selecting a topic before brainstorming related words, writing appropriate clues, and printing the puzzle to share with others.
Many lesson plans on the site incorporate this activity as an extension of the learning objectives and suggest collaborative peer-to-peer interaction during the creation process. Students must draw upon the knowledge and skills learned during the lesson to create an authentic product–one that can be printed and used for review or assessment.
The tool also offers a Play mode that includes age-appropriate collections of crossword puzzles for students in grades K-12. These are related to specific lessons on ReadWriteThink.org and Thinkfinity.org partner websites such as Illuminations, produced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Teachers are encouraged to use the lessons provided or incorporate the crossword puzzle activity into a lesson of their own.
Supplemental pages that incorporate content information are designed to help students complete the puzzles provided in the Play mode and go further with the content material–just click the Tips & Hints buttons at the bottom left of the puzzle screen. A Check Puzzle button also alerts students to any errors in their work.
In both modes, the For Teachers button at the bottom left of the puzzle screen offers tips and suggestions about how to better use the tool. The Print button provides teachers the options of printing an answer key and a blank puzzle that they may photocopy and have students complete offline. Students may also solve the puzzle online and print their work.
ReadWriteThink.org is administered jointly by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, with support from the Verizon Foundation. The site is part of the Thinkfinity.org consortium of cross-curricular websites that provide educational resources for teachers, students, families, and afterschool providers.
Creating crosswords in the classroom. (June 2008). Reading Today 25(6), 44.
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