Explore 7 Oligarchies & Aristocracies 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 BIG TERRIBLE Game keeps the whole class involved as up to eight teams answer together and watch their scores swing above and below zero.
• FRAZZLED turns review into an unpredictable competition where teams win points, lose points, steal points, and try to avoid the dreaded bomb.
• In BUMP, correct answers earn students shots at the platform, where they can score even more points by bumping off opposing teams.
• 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 TERRIBLE Game makes review wonderfully terrible as teams answer questions, uncover unpredictable scores, and use positive and negative points to get closest to zero.
• Get students moving with SCOOT, where they travel from desk to desk answering task cards and recording their answers along the way.
• 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. Before long, students are cheering, discussing answers, and asking to play again—even when their team didn’t win. Just like a team practices before a big game, students who know another review game is coming have a reason to prepare, because this time they really want to win.

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