Description

the gradual movement of the continents across the earth's surface through geological time
sedimentary rock formed from decayed plant material also the world's most abundant fossil fuel
igneous rock feature formed when magma is squeezed into a vertical crack that cuts across rock layers and hardens underground
plastic like layer of earth on which the lithospheric plates float and move around compaction/ process that forms sedimentary rocks when layers of sediments are compressed by the weight of layers above them
vibrations produced when rocks break along a fault
solid in which the atoms are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern
point on earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus.
area where many windmills use wind to generate electricity
renewable energy derived from burning organic materials such as wood and alcohol.
opening in earth's surface that erupts sulfurous gases ash and lava; can form at earth's plate boundaries where plates move apart or together and at hot spots.
beautiful rare highly prized mineral that can be worn in jewelry
surface along which rocks move when they pass their elastic limit and break
measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched
physical property of some minerals that causes them to break with uneven rough or jagged surfaces
liquid fossil fuel formed from marine organisms that is burned to obtain energy and use in the manufacture of plastics
break in rock caused by tension forces where rock above the fault surface moves down relative to the rock below the fault surface
conserving method in which old materials are processed to make old ones
alternative energy source that is based on atomic fusion
mixture of one or more minerals, rock fragments, volcanic glass, volcanic glass, organic matter, or other natural materials; can be igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary.
seismic wave that moves rock particles up and down in a backward rolling motion and side to side in a swaying motion
Hess’s theory that new seafloor is formed when magma is forced upward toward the surface at a mid ocean-ridge
resources from which metals are obtained
wave generated by an earthquake
color of a mineral when it is in powdered form
occurs when wet soil acts more like a liquid during an earthquake
break in rock caused by shear forces where rocks move past each other without much vertical movement
hot melted rock material beneath earth's surface
describes the way a mineral reflects light from its surface also can be metallic or nonmetallic
rock formed when magma or lava cools and hardens
igneous rock feature formed when magma is squeezed into a horizontal crack between layers of rock and hardens underground

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a crossword?

Crossword puzzles have been published in newspapers and other publications since 1873. They consist of a grid of squares where the player aims to write words both horizontally and vertically.

Next to the crossword will be a series of questions or clues, which relate to the various rows or lines of boxes in the crossword. The player reads the question or clue, and tries to find a word that answers the question in the same amount of letters as there are boxes in the related crossword row or line.

Some of the words will share letters, so will need to match up with each other. The words can vary in length and complexity, as can the clues.

Who is a crossword suitable for?

The fantastic thing about crosswords is, they are completely flexible for whatever age or reading level you need. You can use many words to create a complex crossword for adults, or just a couple of words for younger children.

Crosswords can use any word you like, big or small, so there are literally countless combinations that you can create for templates. It is easy to customise the template to the age or learning level of your students.

How do I create a crossword template?

For the easiest crossword templates, WordMint is the way to go!

Pre-made templates

For a quick and easy pre-made template, simply search through WordMint’s existing 500,000+ templates. With so many to choose from, you’re bound to find the right one for you!

Create your own from scratch

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  • Select your layout, enter your title and your chosen clues and answers
  • That’s it! The template builder will create your crossword template for you and you can save it to your account, export as a word document or pdf and print!

How do I choose the clues for my crossword?

Once you’ve picked a theme, choose clues that match your students current difficulty level. For younger children, this may be as simple as a question of “What color is the sky?” with an answer of “blue”.

Are crosswords good for students?

Crosswords are a great exercise for students' problem solving and cognitive abilities. Not only do they need to solve a clue and think of the correct answer, but they also have to consider all of the other words in the crossword to make sure the words fit together.

Crosswords are great for building and using vocabulary.

If this is your first time using a crossword with your students, you could create a crossword FAQ template for them to give them the basic instructions.

Can I print my crossword template?

All of our templates can be exported into Microsoft Word to easily print, or you can save your work as a PDF to print for the entire class. Your puzzles get saved into your account for easy access and printing in the future, so you don’t need to worry about saving them at work or at home!

Can I create crosswords in other languages?

Crosswords are a fantastic resource for students learning a foreign language as they test their reading, comprehension and writing all at the same time. When learning a new language, this type of test using multiple different skills is great to solidify students' learning.

We have full support for crossword templates in languages such as Spanish, French and Japanese with diacritics including over 100,000 images, so you can create an entire crossword in your target language including all of the titles, and clues.