Themed crosswords
An example from Prepare for Discussion.
Themed crosswords bring together the core vocabulary associated with a discussion topic. They can be used to consolidate vocabulary already encountered in class or as preparation for a later discussion.
Example: Food
Grid
Clues
Across
1. type of food which is easy to prepare (11)
6. _ _, was / were, been (2)
8. Italian dish with a large circular base (5)
10. hot plate (4)
11. money paid for service in a restaurant (3)
13. _ _, went, gone (2)
14. mid morning snack (9)
15. to prepare food
16. short for "advertisement" (2)
17. a fresh-water fish (5)
21. another word for "zero" (3)
22. do you like your wine sweet or _ _ _ ? (3)
23. the first meal of the day (9)
25. don't eat too much sugar if you want to stay _ _ _ _ ! (4)
26. an alternative to "coffee" (3)
28. grown without the use of pesticides (7)
30. a healthy diet (8)
32. the roughness or smoothness (7)
34. chemicals for killing insects and bugs (10)
37. part of the cooker where toast is done (5)
38. cooking with vapour above a saucepan on the hot plate (8)
40. Irish hot-pot (4)
43. heating at 100 degrees Celsius (7)
46. in good physical and mental condition (7)
47. daily eating regime (4)
48. small round green vegetable (3)
49. strict vegetarian (5)
50. not tinned or frozen (5)
Down
1. ingredient which gives the body energy (12)
2. person who doesn't eat meat (10)
3. lovely! (4)
4. _ _ _ _ and saucers (4)
5. American for "Hello" (2)
6. paper or plastic container (3)
7. ready cut bread (6)
8. Italian speciality cut into different shapes (5)
9. VAT on British food is 0% (4)
11. mid to late afternoon meal (3)
12. a country famous for teas, spices and curries (5)
18. one gramme is a _ _ _ _ of weight (4)
19. a good cook must keep an eye on the _ _ _ _ (4)
20. to sample the flavour (5)
24. cooking under the grill (8)
27. attraction (6)
29. cooking in the oven with oil (8)
31. a small insect often found in kitchens (3)
33. Spanish omelette (8)
34. meat and soya are a rich source of this (7)
35. they kept us waiting a long time. The service was very _ _ _ _! (4)
36. this knife is too blunt. It can't _ _ _ (3)
39. a long slimy fish (3)
41. most people have at least 3 a day (5)
42. the cook (4)
44. part of the cooker for roasting and baking (4)
45. a wayside tavern (3)
46. Third Person Singular Masculine Subject Pronoun (2)
Answer key
How and why use themed crosswords?
Consolidating vocabulary
Themed crosswords incorporate the core vocabulary for each topic. They can be used at the end of a scheme of work to consolidate what students have learned.
They can also be set as homework before the open discussion takes place, helping students to review the vocabulary and preparing them for the discussion.
Definitions, synonyms and antonyms
Many crossword clues are definitions of words. Solving the crossword therefore provides an opportunity to check whether students can recognise and define vocabulary terms and understand relationships such as synonyms and antonyms.
Creating your own themed crosswords
Creating a good themed crossword involves considerable preparation. The vocabulary needs to fit the topic, the clues need to be clear, and the completed grid needs to be checked carefully.
The software used to create the crosswords in these books is Crossword Construction Kit, although it is only available for PCs using Windows.
For interactive, self-correcting crosswords in a web browser, JCross, part of the Hot Potatoes suite, is another option. It is designed to operate under Windows.
The two discussion books contain 42 tested crosswords. The grids and answer keys are designed for the larger printed page size used in the books, so they are clearer and higher resolution than the examples reproduced on this website.
Most of the crosswords are intended to provide a substantial vocabulary challenge, particularly for more advanced students. In the books, the blank grids and clues are presented separately from the answer keys, so that the answers are not immediately visible.
Themed crosswords are one of the exercise types used in Prepare for Discussion and Extend Your Discussion.