Up and Away - National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

162
Class Organisation
Pairs/small groups.
Theme
Use for any theme.
Type of activity
Pair/group writing.
Materials needed
One copy of Worksheets A and
B per pair/group.
Dictionaries.
Aims
Revise vocabulary.
Focus on spelling.
Develop speaking skills.
Develop writing skills.
Variation
Pupils at a higher level of proficiency can make
crosswords:
With more clues.
Containing two or three ‘vertical words’.
Which are not theme-based.
Younger pupils or those at lower levels of
proficiency could do this activity without
writing clues.
Making crosswords
Focus Time
60 minutes over
two sessions.
Suitable for
Third class and
above.
Approach
1. Hand out one copy of Worksheet A per pair/group and ask
pupils to complete the crossword.
2. As the pairs/groups finish, draw attention to the vertical
word.
3. Gather pupils around the board and involve them in the
process of making a crossword.
Choose the theme.
Choose the ‘vertical word’ (comprising five or six
letters).
Choose the words which make up the puzzle and
which fit round the ‘vertical word’.
Think of the clues for the words.
4. Put pupils into pairs/small groups. Working with one piece
of paper, each pair/group prepares the first draft of their
crossword.
5. Monitor. When ready, hand out one copy of Worksheet B
per pair/group, and ask the pupils to neatly copy their work.
Observations
Although pupils may be familiar with the idea
of crosswords, this may be the first occasion in
which they are asked to create one. It is very
important, therefore, that support is provided
by working through the process on the board
with the whole class.
Encourage the pairs/groups to vary the kind of
clues they give, as in the examples on
Worksheet A. This allows for practice of
different sentence structures and also question
forms.