I.Love.Logic.Puzzles. Specifically, I love grid logic puzzles.
I’ve been addicted to them since I was in middle school. There is something so wonderfully satisfying about unlocking the key to the puzzle that has had you stumped for the last 20 minutes and, with a flurry of your pencil, filling the entire rest of the chart with X’s and O’s! I love it.
What is a Grid Logic Puzzle?
In a grid logic puzzle, you are trying to figure out which set of information goes together. For example, you might have a list of people, pets, and cities, and you have to figure out which person lives in which city and has which pet. You are given some clues, and you use a grid, or a chart, to keep track of what you know and what you have left to figure out.
Not sure what I’m talking about? Watch this video:
Use logic puzzles for repeated exposure to vocabulary
I have a book of logic puzzles in Spanish that my school ordered through Teacher’s Discovery, and it is good but the vocabulary is just much too broad for my students. I wanted to have logic puzzles that give my students further exposure to the vocabulary that we are using in class so that they see it embedded in a very different, mentally stimulating activity.
Logic puzzles offer a cognitively appropriate challenge
Logic puzzles are an AWESOME way to give students repeated exposure to vocabulary structures because they have to read through the clues so many times while trying to complete them! They are also great because they provide the mental stimulation for high aptitude students that get bored with simple retells.
Free logic puzzle in Spanish: Los colores
I created this grid logic puzzle to work with colors and the verbs lleva, tiene, and le gusta. Download it FREE from our Subscriber Library!
Need it in French? Karima Mann’s got you covered! Download it in French here!
Find more logic puzzles from The Comprehensible Classroom here!
How to you create the puzzles? Is there a formula?
How long to you have them work on the puzzles?
Do you keep them in the TL?
Could you give your process/proceedure for doing them in class?
Hi Diane,
To create the puzzles, I use the (English) puzzle books that I’ve amassed over the years. I change all of the information but follow the pattern of the clues. For example, if a clue is “Daniel or Bob works in Kentucky” my clue might be “José o Benito vive con su mamá”. I use the puzzles primarily as either extra activities or sub activities, and I always use them at the end of class because there is such a difference in how long it takes kids to complete them. That way, kids can finish them at home at their own pace. It is independent work, so there is no talking during the activity. Another way that I like to use them is in my extra time folders, which are laminated folders that kids can grab and work on at their leisure when they are done with whatever assignment they are supposed to be working on but need to wait for classmates to finish before we move on. You can search “extra time folders” and my post about them should pop up. Hope that helps–let me know what follow-up questions you have!
Please make more of these! I have been looking all over for logic grid puzzles in Spanish but having a really hard time finding anything that’s not meant for a kiddie classroom. I’m interested in adult-level logic puzzles in whatever non-English languages I can find, so I was thrilled to find yours – thank you for making it!
I’m working on it!! I’ll probably post some more this weekend. I have several students in each of my classes that are eating them up as quickly as I can make them!!
Thanks, Martina, for sharing this puzzle. It is a great resource for getting repetitions of target structures while using logical reasoning. I teach French and would love to work with you to translate your puzzles into French.
Awesome! Can you email me? martinaebex@gmail.com
I emailed you.
Do you have any of the logic puzzles in French? Pls. email me if possible if you do.
Thanks so much!
Melissa D.
My students are dying with this puzzle! The whining is incessant. Haha! They are so used to pushing a button to get answers, it is hard for them to use their brain! 🙂 Thanks!
Reading the comments, I see that there was interest in translating the puzzles in French. If you need help, I would love to participate. If they’ve been already translated, are they available to download somewhere?
I just started reading your blog and it is fabulous! I think the extra time folders will be my summer work project. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this!
Martina, I bought your logic puzzles on TpT, but I think there are only 2 (los alumnos van al zoologico y los colores). Do you have any more? My students love them!
Try this link: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:bex%20puzzle As you read through the product descriptions, you will see that many of the products contain a combination of logic and other puzzle formats (like Wordoku). One of these days I will put up some more!
Omg… I love logic puzzles and have been wondering if I could find any in Spanish. Thank you! 🙂
Has anyone contacted you about translating them into Latin? This sounds like a great activity.
Not yet!
Martina,
This is awesome! Thanks so much for this resource. I am interested in potentially translating this activity into Latin. I know a couple other teachers who are interested in something like this as well.
Levi Baus
Email me, Levi!
Hi Martina,
I realize this post is several years old, but I would love to translate this into Italian!