How to Make an Interactive Crossword Puzzle
Crossword puzzles provide great fun and educational benefits. Teachers can use crossword puzzles for their students, and lovers of crossword puzzles solve them during their leisure time. New technology can now create interactive crossword puzzles. Teachers and website owners can use free puzzle software to make the puzzle and then disseminate it on a web page. Students and puzzle lovers can then type in the answers and solve the puzzles on any computer with Internet access.
Instructions
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Visit the Eclipse Crossword home page to find free software to create an interactive crossword puzzle (see References). Click the "Download" link and follow the instructions to download the software to your computer.
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Click the Start menu on your desktop and select the "All Programs" link to find the software. Click on the EclipseCrossword link to open the puzzle software. Click "Yes" when the software opens to access the software tutorial. Select the "I would like to create a new crossword" radio button and click the "Next" button. Choose to create a word list and click the "Next" button again.
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Enter the words and clues for the puzzle on the next page. The software will automatically format the words and create a puzzle. Use the "Add Word to List" and "Remove" buttons to enter all the information. Click "Next" and choose whether to save the puzzle word list. Choose a name for the puzzle on the next page and enter other optional details. Choose the size of the puzzle on the next page and then click "Next" one more time to preview the puzzle.
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Make any desired changes by using the "Back" button and then return to the preview page. Click "Next" to see the save and print options. Click on "Save as a web page" to get the code. This code turns the puzzle into an interactive crossword puzzle. Click on "Interactive with JavaScript" and enter a file name. The HTML file will automatically open up in its own window. Confirm that the puzzle is interactive by clicking on the letter blocks and typing in the words to solve the puzzle.
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Ask the school administrator how to upload the file to the school website if making the puzzle for students. Use the FileZilla FTP client if uploading the puzzle to a personal website (see Resources). Download the client until it opens. Enter the website name, user name and password. Find the puzzle file in the left window and a website folder to hold the file in the right window. Right-click on the puzzle file and click on "Upload" to move the puzzle to the website. Check in a web browser to confirm that the puzzle page opens.
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Tips & Warnings
Instruct students and website visitors to use the latest browser version. Old browsers may not support the script that runs the puzzles.
Use a computer with a Windows operating system to download and install the software. The puzzle maker is not compatible with Mac computers.
