Using crostics to assess understanding

I think I might have posted about this strategy in the past, but I just used it with my classes recently and was reminded of how effective it can be. Choose a topic from your curriculum (I used the word "Hitler")and, after students have studied content, have them work in pairs to identify words or phrases for each letter in the word that have direct connections to the word. Here is an example created by one of my Grade 10 pairs:

H= hatred for Jewish people
I= I will put Germans back to work
T= terrorized people (or took away rights)
L= led Germany into war again
E= everyone seemed to believe him
R= revenge motivated him (referring to Treaty of Versailles)

I first read about this strategy in one of Paul Vermette's books. It can easily be inserted into a lesson to check for understanding. Cheers.