Crossword Puzzle Instructions

1. Click on the number in the crossword to reveal the clues.

2. Type the answer in the box next to the clue (case insensitive). Then click on enter and your answer will be inserted into the crossword.

3. If you don't know the answer you can click on Hint and one letter will be provided, but this will be deducted from your final score.

4. When finished click on Check. Incorrect letters will be removed from the crossword. Your score will be calculated. You can click on the Back button in your browser if you want to go back and enter more answers into the puzzle.

5. Click on the puzzle panel first if you want to make a printout of the finished puzzle.


Information about making and using crossword puzzles

1. Hot Potatoes software is needed only to produce the crossword, NOT on the computer where the student is working to solve the puzzle. PC and Mac versions of Hot Potatoes software are available for free.

2. Multiple word phrases can be used by putting part of the phrase into the clue and requiring only one word in the phrase to be entered into the crossword.

3. The crossword puzzle html file is a self-contained unit that requires only a computer with a web browser software installed. Thus, the puzzles are easy to deliver via a web server and can be solved on either a PC or a Mac computer. Output from Hot Potatoes ver 5 does not comply with HTML 4 standards or Section 508 standards. Better accessibility is promised in ver 6 anticipated in late 2003.

4. After solving a crossword puzzle html the students can get immediate feedback about their score and any incorrect answers they entered. Students must click on the puzzle panel first in order to make a printout of their answers. I haven't been able to get one printout that includes both the puzzle panel and the score that the student got.

5. Blank puzzles with clues can also be printed out to be solved on paper. Many browser/printer combinations will not print the black squares as black, but if necessary you can always fill in black squares by hand before making photocopies for the students.