Include Crossword Puzzles with an Exam Study Guide
We know from research that crossword puzzles are a great tool for exam review. But how do teachers like you make helpful and effective crosswords? Many create puzzles to accompany an exam study guide. Browse crossword puzzles for your grade or subject matter for ideas, or find the common elements in exam study guide crosswords below.
The Format of Exam Study Guide Crosswords
Most crossword puzzles made on Crossword Hobbyist specifically for exam review cover a lot of information with an average of 20-30 answers in the grid. Given how much information you’ll need to cover in review, this makes sense. Puzzles could also be broken down into various review sections if desired. See these two crossword puzzles as examples of standard exam study guide crosswords.
Very few words intersect, which does not allow for a lot of guesswork. This format is similar to fill-in-the-blank prompts. The more the answers intersect, the greater the odds that students will be able to guess that word.
No matter what subject you teach, you can use a crossword puzzle as an exam study guide. Teachers of all subjects have done just that on Crossword Hobbyist, like with this European and American Culture crossword, or this math review.
Making the Puzzles
Making your exam study guide crossword puzzle can be as easy as drawing answers and clues from your review guide. You might also:
- Add words from previous tests. If there are any questions that the majority of students had difficulty with, be sure to feature those.
- Pull answers and clues from your textbook. Create clues from image captions and footnotes for extra difficulty.
- Rearrange your prepared exam questions.
The goal, of course, always should be to provide materials that help your students reinforce the knowledge they should have already acquired. Keep this in mind, and creating clues and answers will come easily.
Once you’ve made your exam study guide crossword, share it as a printout (and include the answer key), embed it in your teacher portal, or simply send the link to students. Some teachers offer extra credit to those who correctly solve it. Whichever way you decide to share your exam study guide crossword with students, make a crossword now so they can hit the books.
Kristen Seikaly used her artistic background, research skills, and love for the internet to launch her first blog, Operaversity. Now she uses the skills to connect teachers, parents, and game enthusiasts with Crossword Hobbyist and My Word Search. She studied music at the University of Michigan, and now lives in Philadelphia.