The news puzzles are glossary building activities to develop pupils’ vocabulary and aid their understanding of the news stories. Stories are selected from different sections of the newspaper. Key words and phrases from the article are then explored either as definitions in crossword clues or in missing word/matching meaning puzzles.

Learning undertaken:builds topical knowledge and understanding of the wider world outside the classroom

develops understanding of tricky and subject specific vocabulary in the context of a topical news story

NEWS PUZZLES

LOWER KS2: News Puzzle (orange)A simplified version of a story from the week’s newspaper is provided for Lower Key Stage 2 readers. The crossword clues provide definitions of eight words in the news story, which pupils identify to complete the puzzle.

UPPER KS2: News Puzzle (green)Eight words or phrases from a news article are analysed to develop pupils’ vocabulary and understanding of the story.

KS3: News Puzzle (blue)A challenging puzzle looking at the definition of words and specialist vocabulary in stories in the news.

LEVEL 1NEWS

PUZZLE

LEVEL 2NEWS

PUZZLE

LEVEL 3NEWS

PUZZLE

Find out more at schools.firstnews.co.ukTo speak to a member of the team

about the best package to suit your school, call 01371 851 898 or email education@firstnews.co.uk

ACTIVITY SHEET TASTER PACK

News PuzzleThis story is from page 19 of First News. Read the story, and then try the puzzle. To help you, we have underlined the answers to the crossword puzzle clues in the story – but you will need to match the correct word with each clue!

7

5

4

3

1

6

2

CRAZY BUT TRUE

WOULD you believe this unusual object is actually a vehicle?!

The police were just as confused when they spotted the bizarre contraption being driven down a motorway in Bedfordshire.In fact they were so unsure about it, they pulled the car over to talk to the driver and check it was safe.To their surprise, the three-wheeled vehicle turned out to be ‘road legal’. This means it has been fully checked out and is considered safe to drive on the roads.The police officer took a picture of the unusual car and posted it on the internet, along with

this message: “The most unusual vehicle I’ve stopped on a motorway in my 26 years! All checked and in order, although still not convinced I know what it is.”What do you think? Is it a boat? A plane? A car?!

WACKY RACERIssue 689 £1.99 30 Aug – 5 Sept 2019 TRUSTED

NEWS TO MAKEYOUNG PEOPLE

THINK

NEWS SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT INTERVIEWS PUZZLES COMPETITIONS AND MORE

P18 PLAY THE LIVE FirstNews QUIZPRIZES TO BE WON EVERY SUNDAY

P7 IS OVEREATING KILLING THE PLANET?

First News readership is 2,235,888. Source: Opinion Matters 2016. First News is the widest-read of all children’s publications audited in the UK. First News supports children’s charities – see page 14

KILLING THE PLANET?KILLING THE PLANET?P3 PROTECTION FOR GIRAFFES

FOREST IN FLAMES

WORLD WATCHES IN HORROR AS THE AMAZON RAINFOREST BURNS P3

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FirstNews Issue 689 30th August – 5th September 2019

ACROSS1. A thing used for transporting people or goods, especially on land, such as a car or lorry (noun 7)4. A machine that looks awkward or old-fashioned,  especially one that you do not know how to use (noun 11)5. Uncertain; unconfident (adjective 6)6. Lawful; permitted (adjective 5)7. Surprising; extraordinary; bizarre (adjective 7)

DOWN2. Certain; sure (adjective 9)3. A road designed for fast traffic (noun 8)4. Puzzled; unable to think clearly (past participle verb 8)

News Puzzle FirstNews Issue 689 30 August – 5 September 2019

These are World News stories from page 8 of First News. Can you match the key words in the stories to their meanings? When you have identified each word, can you put them back into their correct place in the stories, so it makes sense?

WORLD NEWS

Making something smaller; less in amount (noun)

Designed to be used once and then disposed of or destroyed (adjective)

Nuclear heat sources that produce electricity (plural noun)

The highest mountain in the world, located in the Himalayas on the boundary between Nepal and Tibet (proper noun)

A ship or large boat (noun)

This very powerful type of non-renewable energy, which uses uranium as a fuel, creates electricity. It is produced in a nuclear reactor

from fission – when heat energy comes from splitting atoms (noun)

When a substance emits powerful and harmful rays (adjective)

Removing salt from seawater (noun)

Issue 689 £1.99 30 Aug – 5 Sept 2019 TRUSTEDNEWS TO MAKEYOUNG PEOPLE

THINK

NEWS SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT INTERVIEWS PUZZLES COMPETITIONS AND MORE

P18 PLAY THE LIVE FirstNews QUIZPRIZES TO BE WON EVERY SUNDAY

P7 IS OVEREATING KILLING THE PLANET?

First News readership is 2,235,888. Source: Opinion Matters 2016. First News is the widest-read of all children’s publications audited in the UK. First News supports children’s charities – see page 14

KILLING THE PLANET?KILLING THE PLANET?P3 PROTECTION FOR GIRAFFES

FOREST IN FLAMES

WORLD WATCHES IN HORROR AS THE AMAZON RAINFOREST BURNS P3

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SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BANFrom 1 January 2020, Nepal will officially ban _ _ _ _ _ _-_ _ _ plastics in the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ region. The world’s highest mountain has become known as the world’s ‘highest waste dump’ in recent years. It’s hoped that the ban will lead to a big _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in waste on the mountain. Rules introduced in 2014 also force any climbers to return with 8kg of waste, along with any rubbish they produce themselves.

FLOATING NUCLEAR POWER STATION SETS SAILRussia has launched the first ever floating _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ station. The ship will sail along Russia’s northern coast, and its jobs will include providing power to gold mines and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ plants (which

produce fresh water from sea water). Designed to supply power to remote areas, the boat is fitted with two

nuclear _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, but Greenpeace, the environmental

charity, says that the _ _ _ _ _ _ is high-risk and may pollute the

Arctic with _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ waste.

RUSSIANEPAL

vessel

Everest

radioactive

nuclear power

desalination

reactors

single-use

reduction

Gett

y

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News Puzzle FirstNews Issue 689 30 August – 5 September 2019

This story is from page 3 of First News. Can you match the key words in the story to their meanings? When you have identified each word, can you put them back into their correct place in the story, so it makes sense?

BIG NEWS

Issue 689 £1.99 30 Aug – 5 Sept 2019 TRUSTEDNEWS TO MAKEYOUNG PEOPLE

THINK

NEWS SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT INTERVIEWS PUZZLES COMPETITIONS AND MORE

P18 PLAY THE LIVE FirstNews QUIZPRIZES TO BE WON EVERY SUNDAY

P7 IS OVEREATING KILLING THE PLANET?

First News readership is 2,235,888. Source: Opinion Matters 2016. First News is the widest-read of all children’s publications audited in the UK. First News supports children’s charities – see page 14

KILLING THE PLANET?KILLING THE PLANET?P3 PROTECTION FOR GIRAFFES

FOREST IN FLAMES

WORLD WATCHES IN HORROR AS THE AMAZON RAINFOREST BURNS P3

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A luxuriant, dense forest rich in biodiversity, found typically in tropical areas with consistently heavy rainfall (noun)

These highly proteinaceous vegetables are used in a variety of foods and as fodder (especially as a replacement for animal protein) (noun)

The organs in the body, protected by the rib cage, that deliver oxygen to the blood and remove carbon dioxide. In this article the word is used as a metaphor (plural noun)

Condemnation; disapproval (noun)

A very fierce or violent quality (noun)

The action of clearing a wide area of trees (noun)

The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable (noun)

Meaning located in the region of the Earth near to the equator and between the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern

hemisphere (adjective)

“LUNGS OF THE WORLD” BURNINGPARTS of the Amazon rainforest have now been on fire for more than a month. The fires are ravaging the Amazon _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in Brazil and other countries, such as Peru and Bolivia. A particularly dry season for the Amazon has made things even worse for the region. Some of the fires are natural ones started by lightning, but many were started deliberately to clear land for cattle and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ farms. Satellite images show the fires are clustered along main roads, which gives easy access to the cleared land.The Amazon is the world’s largest _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ rainforest and famous for its _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. It is home to over three million species of plants and animals and covers huge parts of northwestern Brazil, Colombia, Peru and other South American countries. The area is commonly referred to as “the _ _ _ _ _ of the world”, as more than 20% of the world’s oxygen originates there. The rainforest is one of our largest natural defences against climate change, as it lowers

CO2 levels.After facing severe pressure from several European leaders, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro ordered his armed forces to tackle the fires earlier this week. Bolsonaro has come under fire for many reasons, including for encouraging _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.So far, around 75,000 wildfires have been recorded in Brazil in 2019, which is the largest number since 2010.As First News went to press, several G7 country leaders, including UK PM Boris Johnson and French president Emmanuel Macron, announced that they would pledge £18 million to help fight the fires, although this money has been turned down by the Brazilian president.This news story has ignited lots of global outcry and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , which, as First News went to press, was growing and roaring with the same _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ as the Amazon fires themselves.

lungs

biodiversity

deforestation

ferocity

criticism

soy bean

tropical

rainforest

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