Discovery Education: Puzzlemaker

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.