What are the benefits of puzzles in the classroom? Interactive Black History Month crosspatch puzzles complements classroom instruction and vocabulary building, fosters a collaborative classroom, and continues to build transferable problem solving skills. Crossword-like brain teaser includes a list of 20 word clues, each clue has scrambled letters. This challenge supports growth and development of students' problem solving strategies. Scrambled letter word clues is another challenge to complete to solve the puzzle!
Some active problem solving strategies:
- use critical thinking to unscramble letters in each word clue
- use organizational skills to organize the word list by the number of letters in each word (4,5,6, etc)
- as required, use trial and error to locate each of the letter hints and complete those boxes with the correct word
- critical thinking is used to identify words that are unique for their letter count and fill in the blanks
- use prior knowledge, observation, trial and error to align known intersection letter points (letters in the puzzle + remaining word clues) and fill in the blanks
HINT: start with words that are one of a kind (e.g. 4-letter, 5-letter, 6-letter words)
To complete the free printable version:
-download the puzzle to print
-rearrange the letters to reveal the correct spelling
-record the correct spelling, as required
-record the words in the correct spaces (see above HINT)
To complete the free Google Slides™ version:
-use the link to copy the file to the computer
-rearrange the letters to reveal the correct spelling
-use the text box tool to record the words in the correct blank spaces (see above HINT)
Benefits of using puzzles in the classroom:
-engages critical thinking skills
-improves working memory skills
-supports visual spatial reasoning
-skills transfer to other curriculum areas
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