Explore 7 American Revolution review games designed by a teacher to engage students and reinforce curriculum. When students are having fun, they forget they are reviewing, making games a great way to practice Social Studies.

• GRUDGEBALL combines question review with a battle for survival as teams fire cannons, sink opposing ships, and fight to be the last one afloat.
• The BIG TERRIBLE Game gets up to eight teams answering every question while unpredictable positive and negative points keep everyone guessing until the end.
• The TERRIBLE Game makes review wonderfully terrible as teams answer questions, uncover unpredictable scores, and use positive and negative points to get closest to zero.
• FRAZZLED keeps students guessing as correct answers reveal surprise points, wrong answers can reward the other team, and bombs can wipe out a score.
• With SCOOT, students move around the room answering task cards, turning curriculum review into an active classroom game.
• BUMP combines fast-paced question review with a competitive challenge where students land shots and knock other teams off the platform.
• Turn review into a team competition with TRASHKETBALL™, where students answer questions, earn shots, and try to outscore the other teams.

I’ve always found that students are much more willing to review when they feel like they’re playing instead of studying. Students who normally sit back during review often jump into the action, working with their teammates and getting caught up in every question and result. When games become a regular part of review, students quickly learn that knowing the material gives them an advantage, and they start showing up ready to compete.

Want the evidence behind the games? Research comparing game-based learning with traditional approaches has found improvements in achievement, retention, and student motivation. See the research.