I recently checked out Puzzlemaker (found at http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/) which is a free puzzle generation tool for teachers, students, and parents. It is really easy to use and you can make all different kinds of puzzles, including word searches, crosswords, and cryptograms. There are also options to make mazes, number blocks, and something called fallen phrases. I think that the majority of what can be created on here would be classified as "busy work" or "fillers". However, it is a good idea to have this tool up the proverbial sleeve, since there are times in class when students have down time. The puzzles that a teacher can create with this puzzlemaker could be a semi-constructive use of that downtime. Alternatively, a teacher can have students use the puzzlemaker to create puzzles for their classmates. I think that it might be fun to see what types of crossword clues the students would come up with or creative uses for some of the other types of puzzles that are available.
The website is really easy to use...very user friendly. I think that math teachers could really benefit from this site, especially at the lower grade levels where students are just beginning to work with multiple functions in math problems. I also think that it would be a fun way to test students' knowledge after an introductory lesson - maybe used as an entrance or exit ticket? Either way, if students are having fun with learning, they are going to achieve more and it will encourage them to learn new things. Since I plan to teach high school, I would probably not use this particular site too much. I will share this resource with my students though.
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