Cross Spell Crosswords
Make spelling fun with the learning-based Cross Spell Crosswords books.
Each book is designed to enhance spelling ability and widen vocabulary.
Book 1
Book 1 contains a range of crosswords that have been carefully designed to cover the early vocabulary of most children, plus specific spelling patterns and types of words.
The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.
Features
The crossword puzzles in this book cover the following concepts and rules:
- Early Vocab 1, 2, 3
- Simple Nouns Singular
- Simple Nouns Plural
- Verbs Present
- Verbs Past tense
- Verbs Past tense with ED
- Take off E + ING
- Silent E
- Short Vowel Sounds
- Long Vowel Sounds
- Short Vowels + ED
- Words with OO
- Initial Blends
- Consonant Digraphs
- Vowel Digraphs
- Vowel before R
- Antonyms
- Synonyms
The What’s Next page outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities, and there is a blank crossword puzzle template for students to create their own puzzles.
Book 2
Book 2 contains a range of crosswords that have been carefully designed to cover specific spelling patterns and types of words.
The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.
Features
The crossword puzzles in this book cover the following concepts and rules:
- Adjectives
- Adverbs
- Homophones
- Final Blends
- Words with TCH
- Words with CK
- Words with DGE
- Words with GH or GHT
- Words with NG
- Words ending in FF, LL, SS
- Words ending in LE
- Words ending ER, OR or AR
- Words ending in O or A
- Words ending in EE or OO
- Hard and Soft C
- Hard and Soft G
- Words with initial K
- I before E except after C
The What’s Next page outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities, and there is a blank crossword puzzle template for students to create their own puzzles.
Book 3
Book 3 contains a range of crosswords that have been carefully designed to cover specific rime phonemes — short vowels.
The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.
Features
The crossword puzzles in this book cover the following rime phonemes:
Two 2 letter short vowel rimes:
- AN, AP, AT
- EN, ET
- IG, IN, IP, IT
- OP, OT
- UG, UN
Three 2 letter short vowel rimes:
- ACK, ALL, ANK, ASH
- ELL, EST
- ICK, ILL, ING, INK
- OCK, UCK,
- UMP, UNK
The What’s Next page outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities, and there is a blank crossword puzzle template for students to create their own puzzles.
Book 4
Book 3 contains a range of crosswords that have been carefully designed to cover specific rime phonemes — short vowels.
The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.
Features
The crossword puzzles in this book cover the following rime phonemes:
Two 2 letter short vowel rimes:
- AN, AP, AT
- EN, ET
- IG, IN, IP, IT
- OP, OT
- UG, UN
Three 2 letter short vowel rimes:
- ACK, ALL, ANK, ASH
- ELL, EST
- ICK, ILL, ING, INK
- OCK, UCK,
- UMP, UNK
The What’s Next page outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities, and there is a blank crossword puzzle template for students to create their own puzzles.
Why Choose Cross Spell Crosswords Books?
- Crosswords puzzles are fun to do and they improve spelling when lists and tests do not.
- To make life easier and more enjoyable for busy educators, there are also additional activities for reinforcement or extension, plus user-friendly answer pages and record sheets.
- The puzzles offer practice and consolidation of skills and knowledge aligned with the key spelling stages and strategies.
- The crosswords (although carefully structured to cover specific spelling concepts) can be completed or photocopied in different formats to cater for different abilities.
- Cross Spell puzzles offer everyone an equal opportunity to succeed as they exemplify UDL (Universal Design for Learning) – a teaching approach offering flexibility in the ways students access and engage with the material.
- The puzzle format enhances student agency; it enables students to self-check and correct their work, as it is easy for them to see if their spelling is right or wrong.
- There are easy to understand explanations (of the concept covered) with examples on every page.
- When completing the crosswords, students are keen to use a dictionary and thesaurus to find the more challenging answers; consequently, reference skills are also enhanced.
- The crossword puzzles can be completed individually (for assessment purposes) or cooperatively (in pairs, groups, or as a class) promoting valuable discussion between learners which supports and extends students’ learning.
- The crossword puzzle format is appealing and accessible for those students who need to improve their spelling, vocabulary and language ability whatever their age.
- Crossword puzzles also foster and improve problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, perseverance, working memory, processing speed and consequently self-esteem.