Wall-sized Crossword Puzzle
Teachers can have fun creating their own original crossword puzzles to teach new vocabulary, verbs, geography, culture, etc. By putting the puzzle on poster board, laminating the puzzle and hanging it on the wall of the classroom, students will have an interesting and challenging learning experience.
1. The teacher should decide on a topic or theme for the puzzle, for example South American geography, French foods, German history, etc. A large list of words to be included should be written down. A large list is needed because all words may not fit on the grid.
2. The teacher can follow the guidelines from the “Student Generated Crossword Puzzle” page as he/she prepares the puzzle. The only exception is that the grid should be 26 x 20 boxes. That way when the grid is transferred onto the poster board it will fill the board. The poster board will be marked off in one inch (1”) squares with the outside row serving as a colored in border all the way around.
3. Because the puzzle is quite large and all of the listed vocabulary words may not fit exactly, be prepared to add other words in the target language to help fill in the puzzle.
4. When you are finished with all the words you want to include, number the puzzle following the guidelines on the “Student Generated Crossword Puzzle” page.
5. Next write your clues in the target language.
6. Divide the poster board into 1” squares. Shade in the outside row all the way around to serve as a border for stapling to a bulletin board or taping to a wall.
7. Transfer the information to your poster board grid (of course without the words appearing).
8. After shading the border, filling in the numbers on the grid and shading in the unused boxes, laminate the poster board. Students will be able to write on the board with erasable markers and then the puzzle can be washed off and used next year.
9. Hang the poster in the classroom accompanied by an erasable marker and the list of clues. As each word is filled in, its clue should be crossed off the clue list.
