Explore 7 Using Historical Evidence 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.

• 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.
• 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.
• BUMP gets teams racing to answer correctly, then gives them a chance to score points by knocking other teams off the platform.
• GRUDGEBALL turns review into a battle where correct answers earn cannon shots to sink opposing teams before they sink you.
• The TERRIBLE Game rewards correct answers with positive or negative points that students can strategically assign to their own team or their opponents.

Review works a lot better when students actually want to participate, and games give them a reason to jump in. 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. Once students know another game is coming, winning becomes a reason to pay attention, practice, and make sure they’re ready for the next one.

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.