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Discovery Education: Puzzlemaker
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Activity Description
Students practice vocabulary or grammar (parts of speech) using customized puzzles you create with this site's online puzzle-making tools. The puzzles can be used for supplemental practice activities, fillers, or as homework. Puzzles types include word search, criss-cross (crossword), double puzzle, fallen phrase, letter tiles, cryptogram, and hidden message.
Screenshot of Discovery Education's Puzzle Maker page
Preparation
- Choose vocabulary words from a unit you plan to teach or are currently teaching.
- Make a list of the words.
How-To
- Go to the Web site, which is free and does not require registration (see Web Site link above).
- Choose the type of puzzle you want to create. The options are the following: Word Search, Criss-Cross (crossword puzzle), Double Puzzle, Fallen Phrase, Letter Tiles, Cryptogram, and Hidden Messages.
- Follow the on-screen instructions (see Puzzlemaker instructions and samples of all the site's puzzle-making tools on the document above titled "Directions for Using Discovery Education's Puzzlemaker and Samples of Puzzles."
- Print, photocopy and distribute to students.
- Explain to students how to complete the puzzles, modeling as needed.
Teacher Tips
- Word search puzzles can be used as more than time-fillers, in that they aid students in word recognition and spelling skills. For other free puzzle-making tools for ESL see Word-Search Maker at A to Z Teacher Stuff's Word Search Generator and TESL: Lesson Preparation Tools.
Program Areas
- ABE: Adult Basic Education
- ASE: High School Equivalency Preparation
Levels
- All Levels
Lesson Plan
Objective: Activate prior knowledge and introduce the concept of learning through puzzles.
- Write the phrase “Parts of Speech” or “Vocabulary Words” on the board.
- Ask students:
- What are some parts of speech?
- Can you give an example of each (noun, verb, adjective, etc.)?
- Have students do a Think-Pair-Share to list vocabulary words they’ve recently learned in class.
- Share lists as a class and record them on the board for use in the puzzle activity.
Objective: Explain how puzzles can be used to reinforce vocabulary and grammar.
- Show a sample puzzle (use a projector or printed example) from Puzzlemaker.
- Explain the goal: Students will complete and create vocabulary or grammar puzzles to reinforce what they are learning.
- Discuss how different puzzle types (e.g., criss-cross, word search) help with spelling, comprehension, and recall.
Objective: Model how to use the Puzzle Maker site to generate a puzzle.
- Navigate to https://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com.
- Model how to create a Criss-Cross (crossword) puzzle using vocabulary words from class.
- Demonstrate inputting the word list and clues (for parts of speech, use definitions or examples).
- Generate the puzzle and print or show the downloadable version.
Objective: Students solve and then create puzzles to practice content.
Option A: Solve Together
- Distribute the teacher-generated puzzle for individual or pair work.
- As a class, go over a few answers together.
Option B: Student Creation
- In pairs, students select 8–10 vocabulary words or parts of speech.
- Each pair uses the website to create a puzzle of their choice.
- Print and trade puzzles with another pair to complete.
Objective: Informally assess vocabulary understanding and engagement.
- Review puzzles as a class or in small groups.
- Ask reflection questions:
- Which words were easy/hard to remember?
- How did making or solving the puzzle help you remember new words?
- Have students circle or underline any words they struggled with and revisit them in a follow-up mini-lesson or homework.
Objective: Extend learning beyond the classroom.
- Assign students to create a homework puzzle using new words from an upcoming unit or content area (e.g., health, civics, science).
- Collect student-created puzzles and compile them into a class review booklet or bulletin board display.
- Optional: Have students present and explain one of their puzzles to the class or in small groups.
Documents
- Puzzle Maker.png - Screen shot of Discovery Education's Puzzle Maker page
Tags
Creative Commons License
