Explore 7 Establishing the Federal Government review games designed by a teacher to engage students and reinforce curriculum. Give students a break from worksheets and bring Social Studies review to life with a classroom game.

• The TERRIBLE Game adds strategy to review as correct answers uncover positive or negative points that can help your team or hurt your opponents.
• GRUDGEBALL combines question review with a battle for survival as teams fire cannons, sink opposing ships, and fight to be the last one afloat.
• In BUMP, correct answers earn students shots at the platform, where they can score even more points by bumping off opposing teams.
• FRAZZLED turns review into an unpredictable competition where teams win points, lose points, steal points, and try to avoid the dreaded bomb.
• The BIG TERRIBLE Game gets up to eight teams answering every question while unpredictable positive and negative points keep everyone guessing until the end.
• In TRASHKETBALL™, students compete to answer questions quickly and correctly to earn chances to shoot and score for their team.
• SCOOT combines review with movement as students rotate between desks and work their way through a set of topic-specific task cards.

I’ve always found that students are much more willing to review when they feel like they’re playing instead of studying. Once the game starts, students start talking, thinking, and working together, with hands shooting up and everyone waiting to see what happens next. Over time, that excitement carries beyond the game itself, as students start preparing because they want their team to have a better chance of winning next time.

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.