HOW TO MAKE A CROSSWORD PUZZLE

     Technology makes life easy. There is no doubt about that. Most of the time all you gotta do is “copy and paste” or “drag and drop” and the like. Why complicate things when there is an easy way? Completely understandable.

     The Philippines being a third world country, may have embraced technology, but let’s face it, most school’s are not abreast with the latest technology directed to education. So most classrooms are still those of the traditional chairs and chalkboard type.

     The point in all this is that, though crossword puzzles are easily done with the aid of computers, still we let students do them manually.

     And so here it goes…

1. Make a list of words depending on the topic or theme of your choice.

2. Prepare the materials: pencil, ruler, eraser, marker and bond paper.

   * Or if you have a graphing paper, you need not necessarily have to prepare all the aforementioned.

3. Draw horizontal and vertical lines using your pencil and ruler to form grids/blocks.

* Or if you have a graphing paper, you need not go through all the aforementioned.

4. Write the words lightly across or down the grids. Make sure to use pencil to easily erase the words later.

* Each word must be formed as part of another. In other words, they must be connected.

5. Assign numbers to each word. The numbers must be written in the first letter of every word.

* A word that is formed from the same beginning letter is assigned only to one number.

6. Trace the blocks containing letters with a marker. Then, shade the empty grids/blocks.

7. On a separate sheet, list down all the words(including the numbers) written ACROSS and those that are written DOWNwards.

* This only serves as basis for the next step.

8. Below your crossword puzzle, write questions/meanings/synonyms/clues that give hint to the missing words. Classify the clues as ACROSS or DOWN.

9. Erase the letters you wrote on each block leaving only the numbers.

10.         Now, you have a crossword puzzle. You are now ready to ask a friend to answer it.

IT PAYS TO ALWAYS HAVE A CONTINGENCY PLAN. So no matter which road life may drag our feet into, we will always find a way to get through it because we’ve been trained with the basics. We do not only go to school in order to get a degree. We go to school to be educated, to be streetwise and be prepared for life.

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