Half Crossword

Preparation time: 15 mins

Activity time: 20-25 mins
Vocabulary items: single words

Step 1
Use this online crossword maker to create a template for your crossword.
Choose words you would like to revise (works best if you choose an odd number e.g. 11. This way
you will end up with 5 clues down and 6 clues across. To make the activity fair, manually fill in the
extra ACROSS clue so that there is an equal number of blank clues in the crossword in both
directions)
Print 1 copy of the crossword answer key and 2 blank copies of the crossword.
On one copy, fill in the DOWN clues below the crossword. On the other, fill in the ACROSS clues.

Step 2
Students work in groups. One group get the DOWN copy, the other the ACROSS copy. They fill in
their half of the crossword.

Step 3
If possible, have the groups work in separate rooms/corners of the classroom so that they don’t
overhear each other.
Give the students some time to come up with the definitions for the words in their crossword and
write them down (they will probably try to persuade you they can memorise them!)

Step 4
Once all the definitions are done, groups sit together facing each other. The objective here is to fill in
the missing part of each crossword by asking the opposite team for definitions of missing clues.

Step 5
Students take turns asking for definitions (What’s 1 down? What’s 4 across? etc.). Your task is to
monitor whether the definition the group provides is clear enough and prompt the students to add
details to clarify it if it sounds too vague. If the definition was clear enough but the other group
didn’t manage to guess the correct word, they don’t get a point. The group with more points at the
end wins.