Explore 7 Connecting History to Civics review games designed by a teacher to engage students and reinforce curriculum. Turn Social Studies review into a game and give students a reason to get excited about showing what they know.

• 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 keeps the whole class involved as up to eight teams answer together and watch their scores swing above and below zero.
• The TERRIBLE Game adds strategy to review as correct answers uncover positive or negative points that can help your team or hurt your opponents.
• FRAZZLED turns review into an unpredictable competition where teams win points, lose points, steal points, and try to avoid the dreaded bomb.
• SCOOT gets students out of their seats and moving around the classroom as they rotate from desk to desk answering task cards.
• In BUMP, correct answers earn students shots at the platform, where they can score even more points by bumping off opposing teams.
• In TRASHKETBALL™, students compete to answer questions quickly and correctly to earn chances to shoot and score for their team.

I’ve always found that students are much more willing to review when they feel like they’re playing instead of studying. The competition gets students paying attention to every question, communicating with their team, and getting genuinely excited when the answer is revealed. The real change happens when students start looking ahead to the next game and realize that the more prepared they are, the better their chances of winning.

The excitement is great, but the research is even better—educational games have been linked to stronger achievement, retention, and motivation. See the research.