Bonza Vocabulary

A few weeks ago, I came across an app. Bonza is its name. Cheers Alex for the Tweet about it. So, it's a word game. The parts of the puzzle need to be put back together to form a crossword. Before the puzzle comes up, there is a hint as to what the puzzle's topic may be.

Gave the game a go. Enjoyed it. Thought about uses in school. After investigating the app a little, found it is rated 12+ due to some of the vocabulary and subject content within the app. However, here are some ideas for using Bonza and/or Bonza-style puzzles in class...


1. Create a puzzle and then project to a screen from your own device. Complete the puzzle together. We've blogged about this approach in the past.

2. Create a puzzle and print it out to be cut and stuck, or the answers written out.

3. Create a puzzle and the. Recreate it in Word, PowerPoint or similar.


What could the puzzles be about? A spelling rule, verb tenses, topic-based vocabulary, revision and, well anything that involves words really.

Another tool to add a bit of variety to a classroom and learning. Age rating of the app just a tad irritating. NB, puzzles can only be completed in the app and not through a browser either...

Here's one I made to go with our Year Five's rivers topic (also pictured above).

Revision Badges

We spotted a Tweet...

I’m trying to justify my accidental purchase of a bigger badge machine. I’m making GCSE equations for our year 11 teachers to wear. They will know them all! #gcserevision #scienceequations I’ll post pictures when I’m finished! pic.twitter.com/itXLLEcDxs

— Jessie MytumSmithson (@ScienceJessie) February 19, 2019

It got us thinking. As we're both now teaching in Year Six (together - I know!), could we do something similar for our learners?

So, we set to work. We looked at some Question Level Analysis, asked pupils, teachers and TAs and then created a bank of items the current Year Six could do with some reminders of.

A bit of work in PowerPoint, adding the information to circular templates, before printing and putting them through the badge maker, and we'd got some badges!

We've created 40 of them. The idea being that we dip into the pot of badges each day between now and the second week in May and wear the badges for the pupils to see.

We've been wearing them for four days so far. The pupils ask adults what their badge says and ask questions about them. We currently have no proof if they are working. But, the signs look promising and they can't have a negative impact! 

Our badge machine is a 55mm badge maker and therefore our templates are for 55mm badges. If you think we've missed a fact or facts, please let us know. And, of course, please help yourself to a copy of our templates.