Explore 7 Permanent Settlements 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.

• SCOOT combines review with movement as students rotate between desks and work their way through a set of topic-specific task cards.
• In FRAZZLED, teams answer questions to uncover mystery points, but one wrong answer or unlucky bomb can completely change the game.
• The TERRIBLE Game rewards correct answers with positive or negative points that students can strategically assign to their own team or their opponents.
• In The BIG TERRIBLE Game, every team answers every question and earns unpredictable positive or negative points while trying to finish closest to zero.
• 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 TRASHKETBALL™, students compete to answer questions quickly and correctly to earn chances to shoot and score for their team.
• In BUMP, correct answers earn students shots at the platform, where they can score even more points by bumping off opposing teams.

Review works a lot better when students actually want to participate, and games give them a reason to jump in. 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.

There’s research behind the fun too, with studies finding better academic performance and greater student engagement when games are brought into learning. See the research.