General | Government - Politics | Ancient Civilizations | World Cultures | General American History | Early America | American Revolution
Cvivil War | 1920's | Civil Rights Era | More
Cvivil War | 1920's | Civil Rights Era | More
General for Understanding History
archeology, culture, conflict, migration
archeology, culture, conflict, migration
Qundary The Dig 6 - 12 This Xpedition Hall interactive, promotes an understanding of how humans have evolved by showing how a skeleton reveals secrets from the past.
HistorySimulation History Simulation, as its name indicates, is an educational platform that offers a wide variety of history simulations, games, educational activities, and history presentations to use in your history class.
The Detective: Bavaria gr 9-12 "It is an engaging and fun way for students to build skills in data interpretation. Students must learn to discriminate between types of data, understand the different types of sources, and develop the ability to determine the implications of information. All while attempting to unravel the mysteries surrounding the village of Ingolstadt and Frankenstein Biomedical Lab in this modern day take on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.
Playing History Aggregates info on history games and simulations in a simple, searchable database making it easy to find, rate, and review historical games. There are currently 126 shared games.
iThrive Games Grades 9 - 12 Games empower teens to discover and use their unique strengths, unlock their potential, and take charge of their well-being. "iThrive Sim's suite of role-playing simulation games meet the moment, providing relevant game-based learning experiences that make media literacy, history, and civics educationcome alive in high school social studies and humanities classrooms."
Thinking About Integration and Segregation In this resource, use a computer model to investigate how people tend to cluster into groups of similar people.
Bad News is a website that offers simulations that show visitors how misinformation is spread through social media. Bad News is available in two versions. The regular version is intended for those who are high school age or older. Bad News Junior is appropriate for middle school and older elementary school students. www.freetech4teachers.com
Discovery Box Homepage This site provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. What items, for example, would you put in a box to describe your life; the life of a Victorian Servant or Roman soldier; or to show that slavery was wrong and unnecessary? You can display anything from a text file to a movie. You can also view and comment on the discovery boxes submitted by others.
Jimmy Chin's Adventure in Extreme Photography: Student Interactive 3 - 5 This student interactive, from an Xpeditions lesson, is used to create a chart contrasting how an average tourist and an adventurer would view events.
360 Cities Interactive Panoramas of interesting places
Welcome to the Newseum | The Interactive Museum of NewsThe Newseum — a 250,000-square-foot museum of news — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits.www.newseum.org
Conflict Map
Democracies in the World
Nuclear Weapons
Prisoners of War
Culture Goggles 4 - 12 This Xpedition Hall interactive demonstrates how culture affects our perceptions. Click the bottom circle in Room II to view this interactive,
Fate of the World: The whole world is in your hands. This award-winning game forces you to deal with crises like natural disasters and a growing global population. By playing through the different scenarios, players get a sense of the real challenges the world could face in the next few generations.
Disaster Detector is an online interactive game from the Smithsonian that looks like it would be an excellent game for students to play who are learning about natural disasters. Players have to plan what they think would be the most effective defenses for a community facing various natural disasters and then see how effective they are when the hurricane, earthquake, etc. hits.
UN – Against All Odds
Darfur is Dying
September 12th – A Toy World
Gumbeat
What Goes Around – Experimental Anti-War Game
The Curfew
Against All Odds is about the global refugee experience from the time people are forced to leave their countries of origin to the beginning of their new life abroad. A series of short challenges illustrates the complexity and danger of the refugee experience.
Locator Booth 4 - 12 This Xpedition Hall interactive explores physical and human characteristics of places. Click on the top circle in Room II to view this interactive,
The Advisory Board 6 - 12 This Xpedition Hall interactive describes forces for cooperation and conflict among civilizations from 1916 to 1991. Click on the top left circle in Room IV ..
3D World Farmer 3rd World Farmer Simulation Game Endure the hardships of a 3rd world farmer
HSI - where History and CSI collide, student solve case studies about historical events.
Museum Box provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. What items, for example, would you put in a box to describe your life; the life of a Victorian Servant or Roman soldier; or to show that slavery was wrong and unnecessary? You can display anything from a text file to a movie. You can also view and comment on the museum boxes submitted by others.
Migration Station 7 - 12 This Xpedition Hall interactive promotes understanding of why people migrate, using a virtual train station. Click on the top right circle in Room IV to view...
Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series: Removing the Mask 6 - 8 Students analyze a Jacob Lawrence painting and poems by Helene Johnson and Paul Laurence Dunbar considering how each work represents the life and changing..
Ancient and Modern Migrations 9 - 12 This interactive Venn diagram, from an Xpeditions lesson, guides students through the process of comparing ancient human migration to modern human...
PeaceMaker challenges you to succeed as a leader where others have failed. Experience the joy of bringing peace to the Middle East or the agony of plunging the region into disaster. PeaceMaker will test your skills, assumptions, and prior knowledge. Play it and you will never read the news the same way again.
Trade Ruler Game
Freeciv Website Freeciv is an empire-building strategy game inspired by the history of human civilization. The game commences in prehistory and your mission is to lead your tribe from the stone age to the space age.
Walking in Someone Else's Shoes A group of education researchers at Harvard University has developed a virtual simulation for “walking in another person’s shoes” to help students relate to one another better. The simulation is part of a project calledSocial Aspects of Immersive Learning (SAIL). The technical term is “social perspective taking,” and it means understanding another person by taking in their thoughts, feelings and motivations. To create an experience that will help build these types of positive relationships through nuanced social perspective, the research team created a scenario that involves a confrontation between a park ranger and a golf course owner who share land but disagree over how to use it. The simulation allows a participant to play the role of the golf course owner, walking around in his world, talking to his colleagues and getting a sense of his perspective and opinions about the world. The player then has the same experience walking in the shoes of the park ranger. Finally, the player is asked to negotiate from the perspective of the golf course owner with the park ranger over various differences of opinion related to how the land should be treated. Each of the points of negotiation have a money value attached, giving the player a stake in the outcome of the negotiations. The research team would like to hear from educators interested in getting involved in this project.
Click Here for More Information
Click Here to Get Involved in Project
Papers, Please A Dystopian Document Thriller.
The communist state of Arstotzka has ended a 6-year war with neighboring Kolechia and reclaimed its rightful half of the border town, Grestin.
Your job as immigration inspector is to control the flow of people entering the Arstotzkan side of Grestin from Kolechia. Among the throngs of immigrants and visitors looking for work are hidden smugglers, spies, and terrorists. Using only the documents provided by travelers and the Ministry of Admission's primitive inspect, search, and fingerprint systems you must decide who can enter Arstotzka and who will be turned away or arrested.
Full version now available from papersplea.se!
Quandary When the human colonists on Planet Braxos can’t resolve their dilemmas, they need you, their Captain, to help. In Quandary, players must make difficult decisions in which there are no clear right or wrong answers but important consequences – to themselves, to others in the colony and to the planet Braxos. In their interactions with other settlers in the colony, players must consider facts, opinions and solutions, just like in real life.
HistorySimulation History Simulation, as its name indicates, is an educational platform that offers a wide variety of history simulations, games, educational activities, and history presentations to use in your history class.
The Detective: Bavaria gr 9-12 "It is an engaging and fun way for students to build skills in data interpretation. Students must learn to discriminate between types of data, understand the different types of sources, and develop the ability to determine the implications of information. All while attempting to unravel the mysteries surrounding the village of Ingolstadt and Frankenstein Biomedical Lab in this modern day take on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.
Playing History Aggregates info on history games and simulations in a simple, searchable database making it easy to find, rate, and review historical games. There are currently 126 shared games.
iThrive Games Grades 9 - 12 Games empower teens to discover and use their unique strengths, unlock their potential, and take charge of their well-being. "iThrive Sim's suite of role-playing simulation games meet the moment, providing relevant game-based learning experiences that make media literacy, history, and civics educationcome alive in high school social studies and humanities classrooms."
Thinking About Integration and Segregation In this resource, use a computer model to investigate how people tend to cluster into groups of similar people.
Bad News is a website that offers simulations that show visitors how misinformation is spread through social media. Bad News is available in two versions. The regular version is intended for those who are high school age or older. Bad News Junior is appropriate for middle school and older elementary school students. www.freetech4teachers.com
Discovery Box Homepage This site provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. What items, for example, would you put in a box to describe your life; the life of a Victorian Servant or Roman soldier; or to show that slavery was wrong and unnecessary? You can display anything from a text file to a movie. You can also view and comment on the discovery boxes submitted by others.
Jimmy Chin's Adventure in Extreme Photography: Student Interactive 3 - 5 This student interactive, from an Xpeditions lesson, is used to create a chart contrasting how an average tourist and an adventurer would view events.
360 Cities Interactive Panoramas of interesting places
Welcome to the Newseum | The Interactive Museum of NewsThe Newseum — a 250,000-square-foot museum of news — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits.www.newseum.org
Conflict Map
Democracies in the World
Nuclear Weapons
Prisoners of War
Culture Goggles 4 - 12 This Xpedition Hall interactive demonstrates how culture affects our perceptions. Click the bottom circle in Room II to view this interactive,
Fate of the World: The whole world is in your hands. This award-winning game forces you to deal with crises like natural disasters and a growing global population. By playing through the different scenarios, players get a sense of the real challenges the world could face in the next few generations.
Disaster Detector is an online interactive game from the Smithsonian that looks like it would be an excellent game for students to play who are learning about natural disasters. Players have to plan what they think would be the most effective defenses for a community facing various natural disasters and then see how effective they are when the hurricane, earthquake, etc. hits.
UN – Against All Odds
Darfur is Dying
September 12th – A Toy World
Gumbeat
What Goes Around – Experimental Anti-War Game
The Curfew
Against All Odds is about the global refugee experience from the time people are forced to leave their countries of origin to the beginning of their new life abroad. A series of short challenges illustrates the complexity and danger of the refugee experience.
- Recommended Age Range: 14+
- Online or Download? Online
Locator Booth 4 - 12 This Xpedition Hall interactive explores physical and human characteristics of places. Click on the top circle in Room II to view this interactive,
The Advisory Board 6 - 12 This Xpedition Hall interactive describes forces for cooperation and conflict among civilizations from 1916 to 1991. Click on the top left circle in Room IV ..
3D World Farmer 3rd World Farmer Simulation Game Endure the hardships of a 3rd world farmer
HSI - where History and CSI collide, student solve case studies about historical events.
Museum Box provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. What items, for example, would you put in a box to describe your life; the life of a Victorian Servant or Roman soldier; or to show that slavery was wrong and unnecessary? You can display anything from a text file to a movie. You can also view and comment on the museum boxes submitted by others.
Migration Station 7 - 12 This Xpedition Hall interactive promotes understanding of why people migrate, using a virtual train station. Click on the top right circle in Room IV to view...
Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series: Removing the Mask 6 - 8 Students analyze a Jacob Lawrence painting and poems by Helene Johnson and Paul Laurence Dunbar considering how each work represents the life and changing..
Ancient and Modern Migrations 9 - 12 This interactive Venn diagram, from an Xpeditions lesson, guides students through the process of comparing ancient human migration to modern human...
PeaceMaker challenges you to succeed as a leader where others have failed. Experience the joy of bringing peace to the Middle East or the agony of plunging the region into disaster. PeaceMaker will test your skills, assumptions, and prior knowledge. Play it and you will never read the news the same way again.
- Recommended Age Range: 14+
- Online or Download? Download
Trade Ruler Game
Freeciv Website Freeciv is an empire-building strategy game inspired by the history of human civilization. The game commences in prehistory and your mission is to lead your tribe from the stone age to the space age.
Walking in Someone Else's Shoes A group of education researchers at Harvard University has developed a virtual simulation for “walking in another person’s shoes” to help students relate to one another better. The simulation is part of a project calledSocial Aspects of Immersive Learning (SAIL). The technical term is “social perspective taking,” and it means understanding another person by taking in their thoughts, feelings and motivations. To create an experience that will help build these types of positive relationships through nuanced social perspective, the research team created a scenario that involves a confrontation between a park ranger and a golf course owner who share land but disagree over how to use it. The simulation allows a participant to play the role of the golf course owner, walking around in his world, talking to his colleagues and getting a sense of his perspective and opinions about the world. The player then has the same experience walking in the shoes of the park ranger. Finally, the player is asked to negotiate from the perspective of the golf course owner with the park ranger over various differences of opinion related to how the land should be treated. Each of the points of negotiation have a money value attached, giving the player a stake in the outcome of the negotiations. The research team would like to hear from educators interested in getting involved in this project.
Click Here for More Information
Click Here to Get Involved in Project
Papers, Please A Dystopian Document Thriller.
The communist state of Arstotzka has ended a 6-year war with neighboring Kolechia and reclaimed its rightful half of the border town, Grestin.
Your job as immigration inspector is to control the flow of people entering the Arstotzkan side of Grestin from Kolechia. Among the throngs of immigrants and visitors looking for work are hidden smugglers, spies, and terrorists. Using only the documents provided by travelers and the Ministry of Admission's primitive inspect, search, and fingerprint systems you must decide who can enter Arstotzka and who will be turned away or arrested.
Full version now available from papersplea.se!
- Game Homepage
- Watch the Trailer
- Development Log
- Localization Post-mortem
- Download the Beta 0.5.13 assets for modding (spoilers)
- Made with Haxe/OpenFL
Quandary When the human colonists on Planet Braxos can’t resolve their dilemmas, they need you, their Captain, to help. In Quandary, players must make difficult decisions in which there are no clear right or wrong answers but important consequences – to themselves, to others in the colony and to the planet Braxos. In their interactions with other settlers in the colony, players must consider facts, opinions and solutions, just like in real life.
- Recommended Age Range: 12+
- Online or Download? Online
Government and Politics
Our Courts.
Planned especially for middle school students, the site engages visitors in online gamesthat teach about legal decision-making, the role of various components of government, and the judicial system. Our Courts is about civics education—nicknamed cyber-civics by some participants. The interactive games and complementary lesson plans are well-scaffolded and segmented to allow teachers and students to proceed at a pace appropriate for the classroom and to allow for both interactivity and classroom discussion and reinforcement.
If You Were President a short activity from Scholastic through which elementary school students can learn about budget balancing basics. In the activity students select a three member cabinet, set a five part budget, and answer questions from the Press. When they've finished answering questions from the Press, a short newspaper article is written about their budget and cabinet decisions.
Game to “Vaccinate” Students Against Disinformation Researchers have developed an online game to “vaccinate” people against fake news—by showing them how to become a fake news mogul. In the game, called Bad News, players use misleading tactics to build their own fake news empire. The game is free to play in any browser and on any device and takes about 15 minutes to complete. Players start as anonymous Twitter users who go professional by starting their own news site, and gradually become a fake news tycoon. On the way, players learn how the techniques of disinformation can be used to suit a purpose.
The ReDistricting Game is designed to educate, engage, and empower students around the issue of political redistricting. The game provides a basic introduction to the redistricting system, allows players to explore the ways in which abuses can undermine the system, and provides information about reform initiatives, including a playable version of the Tanner Reform Bill to demonstrate the ways in which the system might be made more consistent with tenets of good governance. In addition, the website for the game provides a wealth of information about redistricting in every state, along with hands-on opportunities for civic engagement and political action.
Win The White House game which is barnstorming its way through middle schools across the United States. In this online video game—timed to the 2016 election cycle—students take on the role of imaginary presidential candidates who must learn how to compete civilly against opponents with divergent views on issues such as immigration and gun control. Click Here to Access Free Game
Democracies in the World
Life Without the Bill of Rights?
Have you ever imagined what life would be like without a Bill of Rights to protect our rights as American citizens? Explore the Life Without the Bill of Rights?
Flash Activity to consider how life would change without some of our most cherished freedoms.
Argument Wars Ever tried to win a disagreement? In Argument Wars, you will try out your persuasive abilities by arguing a real U.S. Supreme Court case. The other lawyer is your competition. Whoever uses the strongest arguments wins! This particular activity explores the landmark case of "Brown v. Board of Education" which challenged segregated schools in the United States.
Madison's Notes Are Missing gives you a chance to become a reporter and travel back in time to the Constitutional Convention. You will ask questions of the Founders and report your findings in a news story.
LegSim Legislative simulations.
iCivics is a site for learning about Civics through Game Based Learning. iCivics has an educational portal that allows educators to create and manage student accounts. Also, teachers can create assignments such as games/webquests and track student performance w/ detailed reports. Finally, a educator can create a forum or message board to engage students in online discussions and send out class announcements.
We The Jury. We The Jury puts students in the role of a juror for two trials.
Homeland Guantanamos is a game designed to spotlight the inhumane conditions faced by 300,000 people in immigrant detention in the U.S. as a result of unfair DHS [Department of Homeland Security] policies. Players assume the role of an undercover journalist who must uncover the true story of an immigrant who died in ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] custody under questionable circumstances.
Executive Command Do your students have what it takes to lead the nation?
Win the White House, which is barnstorming its way through middle schools across the United States. In this online video game—timed to the 2016 election cycle—students take on the role of imaginary presidential candidates who must learn how to compete civilly against opponents with divergent views on issues such as immigration and gun control.
Click Here to Access Free Game
Race To Ratify is a brand-new game from iCivics – they unveiled it today.
Here’s how they describe it:
Race to Ratify drops you into 1787, where the ink is still drying on the new Constitution. Will it become the law of the land or will it fall into the dustbin of history? The fate of the young nation is in your hands! Dive deep into the heated national debate over the future of a radical new plan for American government. Travel across the 13 states to hear from a diverse and opinionated cast of characters and use what you have learned to influence others through the social media of the time… pamphlets.
USA Simulator! Experience yourself as a politician - earn money, evade taxes and exceed authority! Develop your country, extend the sphere of influence and lead the country to the world domination!
Simulations for Negotiating Solutions to Global ChallengesThe United States Diplomacy Center’s education programs immerse students in the world of American diplomacy and the critical work of the United States Department of State. At the heart of the center’s education programs is Discover Diplomacy, a free diplomacy simulationsprogram that allows students and teachers to experience what it is like to be a diplomat while grappling with complex foreign affairs topics.
Three Branches of Government Games
“The Waiting Game” Simulates The Challenges Facing Someone Seeking Asylum In The U.S.
Do I Have a Right? - Explore the Bill of Rights in the context of operating and growing a Constitutional law firm from obscure to distinguished status.
Mock Trials
Juvenile Justice
Perp Walk - A Game of Science and Lies
Copse and Robbers - solve the crime game
Court Quest (gr 6-12)The game is designed to teach students about the federal and state court systems and the appeals process. As students navigate around the country, they will encounter citizens who need assistance getting their cases to the correct court. They will be responsible for reading each case and analyzing the details in order to assign the case to the right court. You can find more details about game play in the Court Quest Game Guide for Teachers
Orange Revolution When we look around the globe, we see that upheaval is everywhere. Each instance of unrest culminates in a set of outcomes, some of which are productive, some of which are the opposite. Where there is upheaval, the question of the reinforcement of human rights and human rights abuses inevitably rises. This was the case at the outset of what we now know as The Orange Revolution. It is important for students to understand that these rights are not given lightly nor should they be taken for granted.
Branches of Power a game that lets you chose your team of politicians, pick your attributes, and gain supporters on your topics. This game is great for future politicians.
The Redistricting Game The game introduces the redistricting system, explores potential abuses, and offers info about reform.
In Argument Wars, you debate historical Supreme Court cases by advancing arguments and backing them up with supports.
Budget Hero
Spent is an online game designed to teach players about the challenges of living on minimum wage (or slightly higher) employment. Players begin by selecting a job which will provide the wages they have to survive on for a month. Then throughout the game players are confronted with challenges that they have to handle by making an "either or" choice. After each choice the player's account balance is adjusted. In addition to the change in the player's balance sheet, each choice is followed by an explanation of consequence of the choice made.
Game to “Vaccinate” Students Against Disinformation Researchers have developed an online game to “vaccinate” people against fake news—by showing them how to become a fake news mogul. In the game, called Bad News, players use misleading tactics to build their own fake news empire. The game is free to play in any browser and on any device and takes about 15 minutes to complete. Players start as anonymous Twitter users who go professional by starting their own news site, and gradually become a fake news tycoon. On the way, players learn how the techniques of disinformation can be used to suit a purpose.
The Living Wage Calculator The purpose of the Living Wage Calculator is to provide a snapshot of what it actually costs to survive in counties and cities in the United States. The Living Wage Calculator shows the differences between minimum wages and minimum living wages for each county and some cities in the U.S. The calculator accounts for eight different household scenarios from single adult to two adults and three children living in the same household.
Political Games games include refugees, peace making, child soldiers, middle east and more.
Executive Command (gr 6-12) Take on the role of president
Law Craft (gr 6-12) You pick an issue that’s important to you and your constituents and take it all the way through the law-making process.
Branches of Power (6-12) Allows you to do something that no one else can: control all three branches of government at the same time
Argument Wars (gr 6-12) Test out your persuasive abilities by arguing real Supreme Court cases. The other lawyer is your competition, and whoever uses the strongest argument wins.
Civics: Activate (gr 6-12) Campaign for an issue of your choice.
Budget Heros balance the federal budget simulation
Sunnylands Civics Games. The interactive games are about learning the Constitution. They are for for middle school or lower high school levels
Democracy is a government simulation game that was first developed by Positech Games in 2005, with a sequel released in December 2007 and a cracythird game in 2013. The player plays as if they are the president or prime minister of a democratic government. The player must introduce and alter policies in seven areas - tax, economy, welfare, foreign policy, transport, law and order and public services. Each policy has an effect on the happiness of various voter groups, as well as affecting factors such as crime and air quality. The player has to deal with "situations", which are typically problems such as petrol protests or homelessness, and also has to make decisions on dilemmas that arise each turn.
Planned especially for middle school students, the site engages visitors in online gamesthat teach about legal decision-making, the role of various components of government, and the judicial system. Our Courts is about civics education—nicknamed cyber-civics by some participants. The interactive games and complementary lesson plans are well-scaffolded and segmented to allow teachers and students to proceed at a pace appropriate for the classroom and to allow for both interactivity and classroom discussion and reinforcement.
If You Were President a short activity from Scholastic through which elementary school students can learn about budget balancing basics. In the activity students select a three member cabinet, set a five part budget, and answer questions from the Press. When they've finished answering questions from the Press, a short newspaper article is written about their budget and cabinet decisions.
Game to “Vaccinate” Students Against Disinformation Researchers have developed an online game to “vaccinate” people against fake news—by showing them how to become a fake news mogul. In the game, called Bad News, players use misleading tactics to build their own fake news empire. The game is free to play in any browser and on any device and takes about 15 minutes to complete. Players start as anonymous Twitter users who go professional by starting their own news site, and gradually become a fake news tycoon. On the way, players learn how the techniques of disinformation can be used to suit a purpose.
The ReDistricting Game is designed to educate, engage, and empower students around the issue of political redistricting. The game provides a basic introduction to the redistricting system, allows players to explore the ways in which abuses can undermine the system, and provides information about reform initiatives, including a playable version of the Tanner Reform Bill to demonstrate the ways in which the system might be made more consistent with tenets of good governance. In addition, the website for the game provides a wealth of information about redistricting in every state, along with hands-on opportunities for civic engagement and political action.
Win The White House game which is barnstorming its way through middle schools across the United States. In this online video game—timed to the 2016 election cycle—students take on the role of imaginary presidential candidates who must learn how to compete civilly against opponents with divergent views on issues such as immigration and gun control. Click Here to Access Free Game
Democracies in the World
Life Without the Bill of Rights?
Have you ever imagined what life would be like without a Bill of Rights to protect our rights as American citizens? Explore the Life Without the Bill of Rights?
Flash Activity to consider how life would change without some of our most cherished freedoms.
Argument Wars Ever tried to win a disagreement? In Argument Wars, you will try out your persuasive abilities by arguing a real U.S. Supreme Court case. The other lawyer is your competition. Whoever uses the strongest arguments wins! This particular activity explores the landmark case of "Brown v. Board of Education" which challenged segregated schools in the United States.
- Recommended Age Range: 10+
- Online or Download? Online
Madison's Notes Are Missing gives you a chance to become a reporter and travel back in time to the Constitutional Convention. You will ask questions of the Founders and report your findings in a news story.
LegSim Legislative simulations.
iCivics is a site for learning about Civics through Game Based Learning. iCivics has an educational portal that allows educators to create and manage student accounts. Also, teachers can create assignments such as games/webquests and track student performance w/ detailed reports. Finally, a educator can create a forum or message board to engage students in online discussions and send out class announcements.
We The Jury. We The Jury puts students in the role of a juror for two trials.
Homeland Guantanamos is a game designed to spotlight the inhumane conditions faced by 300,000 people in immigrant detention in the U.S. as a result of unfair DHS [Department of Homeland Security] policies. Players assume the role of an undercover journalist who must uncover the true story of an immigrant who died in ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] custody under questionable circumstances.
- Recommended Age Range: 14+
- Online or Download? Online
Executive Command Do your students have what it takes to lead the nation?
Win the White House, which is barnstorming its way through middle schools across the United States. In this online video game—timed to the 2016 election cycle—students take on the role of imaginary presidential candidates who must learn how to compete civilly against opponents with divergent views on issues such as immigration and gun control.
Click Here to Access Free Game
Race To Ratify is a brand-new game from iCivics – they unveiled it today.
Here’s how they describe it:
Race to Ratify drops you into 1787, where the ink is still drying on the new Constitution. Will it become the law of the land or will it fall into the dustbin of history? The fate of the young nation is in your hands! Dive deep into the heated national debate over the future of a radical new plan for American government. Travel across the 13 states to hear from a diverse and opinionated cast of characters and use what you have learned to influence others through the social media of the time… pamphlets.
USA Simulator! Experience yourself as a politician - earn money, evade taxes and exceed authority! Develop your country, extend the sphere of influence and lead the country to the world domination!
Simulations for Negotiating Solutions to Global ChallengesThe United States Diplomacy Center’s education programs immerse students in the world of American diplomacy and the critical work of the United States Department of State. At the heart of the center’s education programs is Discover Diplomacy, a free diplomacy simulationsprogram that allows students and teachers to experience what it is like to be a diplomat while grappling with complex foreign affairs topics.
Three Branches of Government Games
“The Waiting Game” Simulates The Challenges Facing Someone Seeking Asylum In The U.S.
Do I Have a Right? - Explore the Bill of Rights in the context of operating and growing a Constitutional law firm from obscure to distinguished status.
Mock Trials
Juvenile Justice
Perp Walk - A Game of Science and Lies
Copse and Robbers - solve the crime game
Court Quest (gr 6-12)The game is designed to teach students about the federal and state court systems and the appeals process. As students navigate around the country, they will encounter citizens who need assistance getting their cases to the correct court. They will be responsible for reading each case and analyzing the details in order to assign the case to the right court. You can find more details about game play in the Court Quest Game Guide for Teachers
Orange Revolution When we look around the globe, we see that upheaval is everywhere. Each instance of unrest culminates in a set of outcomes, some of which are productive, some of which are the opposite. Where there is upheaval, the question of the reinforcement of human rights and human rights abuses inevitably rises. This was the case at the outset of what we now know as The Orange Revolution. It is important for students to understand that these rights are not given lightly nor should they be taken for granted.
- Recommended Age Range: 14+
- Online or Download? Online
Branches of Power a game that lets you chose your team of politicians, pick your attributes, and gain supporters on your topics. This game is great for future politicians.
The Redistricting Game The game introduces the redistricting system, explores potential abuses, and offers info about reform.
In Argument Wars, you debate historical Supreme Court cases by advancing arguments and backing them up with supports.
Budget Hero
Spent is an online game designed to teach players about the challenges of living on minimum wage (or slightly higher) employment. Players begin by selecting a job which will provide the wages they have to survive on for a month. Then throughout the game players are confronted with challenges that they have to handle by making an "either or" choice. After each choice the player's account balance is adjusted. In addition to the change in the player's balance sheet, each choice is followed by an explanation of consequence of the choice made.
Game to “Vaccinate” Students Against Disinformation Researchers have developed an online game to “vaccinate” people against fake news—by showing them how to become a fake news mogul. In the game, called Bad News, players use misleading tactics to build their own fake news empire. The game is free to play in any browser and on any device and takes about 15 minutes to complete. Players start as anonymous Twitter users who go professional by starting their own news site, and gradually become a fake news tycoon. On the way, players learn how the techniques of disinformation can be used to suit a purpose.
The Living Wage Calculator The purpose of the Living Wage Calculator is to provide a snapshot of what it actually costs to survive in counties and cities in the United States. The Living Wage Calculator shows the differences between minimum wages and minimum living wages for each county and some cities in the U.S. The calculator accounts for eight different household scenarios from single adult to two adults and three children living in the same household.
Political Games games include refugees, peace making, child soldiers, middle east and more.
- Half the Sky
- The Migrant Trail
- Global Conflicts Series
- On the Ground Reporter (Uganda, Afghanistan)
- Papers, Please
- Prison Valley
- Argubot Academy
- Darfur is Dying
- My Life as a Refugee
- The Civic Mirror
- Airport Security
- America 2049
- People Power
- Crisis of Nations
- Gray
- Urbanology
- Prisoners of War
- The Republia Times
- Way
- Unmanned
- Nanu Planet
- Masters of the World
Executive Command (gr 6-12) Take on the role of president
Law Craft (gr 6-12) You pick an issue that’s important to you and your constituents and take it all the way through the law-making process.
Branches of Power (6-12) Allows you to do something that no one else can: control all three branches of government at the same time
Argument Wars (gr 6-12) Test out your persuasive abilities by arguing real Supreme Court cases. The other lawyer is your competition, and whoever uses the strongest argument wins.
Civics: Activate (gr 6-12) Campaign for an issue of your choice.
Budget Heros balance the federal budget simulation
Sunnylands Civics Games. The interactive games are about learning the Constitution. They are for for middle school or lower high school levels
Democracy is a government simulation game that was first developed by Positech Games in 2005, with a sequel released in December 2007 and a cracythird game in 2013. The player plays as if they are the president or prime minister of a democratic government. The player must introduce and alter policies in seven areas - tax, economy, welfare, foreign policy, transport, law and order and public services. Each policy has an effect on the happiness of various voter groups, as well as affecting factors such as crime and air quality. The player has to deal with "situations", which are typically problems such as petrol protests or homelessness, and also has to make decisions on dilemmas that arise each turn.
Ancient Civilizations
Ancient and Modern Migrations 9 - 12 This interactive Venn diagram, from an Xpeditions lesson, guides students through the process of comparing ancient human migration to modern human.
Tut's Treasures Venn Diagram K - 2 In this student interactive, from Xpeditions, students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast artifacts from ancient Egypt with modern...
Discovering the Ancient Pyramids Adventure ( 5- 8) Students use Google Maps Treks—which provide a 360-degree view of the ancient structures—to go on a quest inside the Great Pyramid and solve a mystery while they explore
Death in Sakkara: Egyptian Adventure http://deathinsakkara.com/it is 1929 and ‘Egyptomania’ is all the rage. Adventurers, archaeologists and conmen are swarming to Cairo to feed the public’s thirst for pharaohs, curses and lost gold. Charles Fox is a journalist whose recent brush with the modern fad for ancient Egypt has left him wary of frauds and imposters. But an intriguing invitation has lured him to a meeting with the curator of Hull Museum in England. This could be the start of his next big story.
BBC Best Link: History - Death in Rome game
Your chance to be a sleuth in ancient Rome and work out who killed Eutychus. You may even learn some history along the way
BBC Dimensions: Ancient Worlds - Explore the scale of ancient worlds and historic journeys by overlaying them on other locations on a Google Map.
Nova Ancient Worlds Interactives
Create a Roman Aquaduct
Interactive site which integrates science and history
The Emperor of Rome Game
Choose which emperor you want to be, then you'll face real situations where you have to decide what you want to do.
Destroy a Medieval Castle
Virtual Field Trip through the Great Pyramids Nova
Viking Quest (BBC History Site)
Step back into 793 AD
Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii in 79 AD This is a scavenger hunt that presents the user with several web sites and asks them to research the answers to various questions.
The Mummy Maker Test your knowledge of history with an interactive challenge. Enter the embalmer's workshop and prepare a body for burial.
Roman Villa This is an interactive reconstruction of a Roman villa viewed in Google Earth.
Discover Babylon This strategy game provides challenges and mysteries that can only be solved through developing an understanding of Mesopotamian society.
Death in Rome This game presents the user with a scene where a Roman dies and the user then has to figure out how the Roman died. The player uses evidence from the scene and information both from witnesses and modern experts.
Pyramid Challenge This game presents the user with a series of challenges related to building a pyramid for the Egyptian Pharaoh. The construction of the pyramid succeeds or fails based on the player's decisions.
Inca Adventure Take on the role of an archeologist
Inca Investigation is from The American Museum of Natural History. Students can play to learn about the…Incas.
Asian Middle Ages Chronology This game prompts the player to reorder several events that took place in Asia during the Middle Ages
Asian Middle Ages People, Places, and Things This game quizzes the user on Asia during the Middle Ages.
Build a Medieval Arch find out how medieval masons built cathedral arches - without the benefits of modern technology.
Tut's Treasures Venn Diagram K - 2 In this student interactive, from Xpeditions, students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast artifacts from ancient Egypt with modern...
Discovering the Ancient Pyramids Adventure ( 5- 8) Students use Google Maps Treks—which provide a 360-degree view of the ancient structures—to go on a quest inside the Great Pyramid and solve a mystery while they explore
Death in Sakkara: Egyptian Adventure http://deathinsakkara.com/it is 1929 and ‘Egyptomania’ is all the rage. Adventurers, archaeologists and conmen are swarming to Cairo to feed the public’s thirst for pharaohs, curses and lost gold. Charles Fox is a journalist whose recent brush with the modern fad for ancient Egypt has left him wary of frauds and imposters. But an intriguing invitation has lured him to a meeting with the curator of Hull Museum in England. This could be the start of his next big story.
BBC Best Link: History - Death in Rome game
Your chance to be a sleuth in ancient Rome and work out who killed Eutychus. You may even learn some history along the way
BBC Dimensions: Ancient Worlds - Explore the scale of ancient worlds and historic journeys by overlaying them on other locations on a Google Map.
Nova Ancient Worlds Interactives
Create a Roman Aquaduct
Interactive site which integrates science and history
The Emperor of Rome Game
Choose which emperor you want to be, then you'll face real situations where you have to decide what you want to do.
Destroy a Medieval Castle
Virtual Field Trip through the Great Pyramids Nova
Viking Quest (BBC History Site)
Step back into 793 AD
Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii in 79 AD This is a scavenger hunt that presents the user with several web sites and asks them to research the answers to various questions.
The Mummy Maker Test your knowledge of history with an interactive challenge. Enter the embalmer's workshop and prepare a body for burial.
Roman Villa This is an interactive reconstruction of a Roman villa viewed in Google Earth.
Discover Babylon This strategy game provides challenges and mysteries that can only be solved through developing an understanding of Mesopotamian society.
Death in Rome This game presents the user with a scene where a Roman dies and the user then has to figure out how the Roman died. The player uses evidence from the scene and information both from witnesses and modern experts.
Pyramid Challenge This game presents the user with a series of challenges related to building a pyramid for the Egyptian Pharaoh. The construction of the pyramid succeeds or fails based on the player's decisions.
Inca Adventure Take on the role of an archeologist
Inca Investigation is from The American Museum of Natural History. Students can play to learn about the…Incas.
Asian Middle Ages Chronology This game prompts the player to reorder several events that took place in Asia during the Middle Ages
Asian Middle Ages People, Places, and Things This game quizzes the user on Asia during the Middle Ages.
Build a Medieval Arch find out how medieval masons built cathedral arches - without the benefits of modern technology.
World Cultures
World Cultures and History
Arab - Israeli Conflict This is a simulation of the Arab-Israeli conflict that has been going on in the Middle East. Students get to take on the roles of real world leaders and are given a main problem to try and solve in the game. They can then communicate to all of the world leaders and one another individually through messages and press releases. The students can also submit action forms to make things that they want to happen become a part of the game.
Bury Me, My Love The story of a young woman escaping war-torn Syria
World Issues includes Peacemaker, Quandary, Refugees, Child Labor ...,
PeaceMaker is a serious game where you play as either government officials from Palestine, or Israel. Then, you make the discussions that decides whether your country fails or prospers.
Darfur is Dying gr 6-8 is a serious game that shows the situation the people of Darfur are in. You are a family in Darfur, and you have to attempt to gather water to bring back to the camp. The only problem is the militia is after you. In Darfur just going to get water could be life threatening.Darfur is Dying
Inca Investigation Players investigate maps and artifacts to learn what life was once like in Huánuco Pampa.
Orange Revolution Game (Game about Power and Politics in Ukraine) Taking IT Global
Games About Japan (3-8)
High Tea is a strategy game in which the player takes the role of a 19th century British opium smuggler in the Pearl Delta. In gameplay lasting approximately twenty minutes, and covering nine years of history, the player must sell opium in order to buy enough tea to slake Victorian Britain's thirst, while amassing a personal fortune. The game ends when the First Opium War of 1839 breaks out.
3rd World Farmer: This game was originally created by students at the IT-University in Copenhagen in 2005. The player is put in control of an African farm and must struggle to keep family, crops, and livestock alive while conflict and a lack of resources work against them. The designers’ hope is that people will play and realize how precarious survival is for many in Africa, and then do what they can to improve the lives of poor people there.
WeTopia: Such big names as Mattel, Clorox, and DeGeneres have lent their support to this game that’s like Farmville for a cause. Players build communities and accumulate "Joy" as a form of currency, which they can then donate in-game to real-life causes. When those causes reach 100% joy, the game’s developer donates real cash to the organization that was earned through player purchases and advertising revenue.
Sweatshop: Sweatshop takes things one step further by incorporating humor, albeit black, into its message. The game begins by showing you a factory floor filled with crying or injured children who make high-end sneakers. Then it guides you through a series of choices you must make as the factory manager. As you decide whether to give your workers a safe working environment or focus on your bottom line, hopefully you will begin to wonder what kind of conditions the clothes you’re wearing came from.
Fate of the World: The whole world is in your hands. This award-winning game forces you to deal with crises like natural disasters and a growing global population. By playing through the different scenarios, players get a sense of the real challenges the world could face in the next few generations.
The China Game is about…China
Orange Revolution When we look around the globe, we see that upheaval is everywhere. Each instance of unrest culminates in a set of outcomes, some of which are productive, some of which are the opposite. Where there is upheaval, the question of the reinforcement of human rights and human rights abuses inevitably rises. This was the case at the outset of what we now know as The Orange Revolution. It is important for students to understand that these rights are not given lightly nor should they be taken for granted.
Arab - Israeli Conflict This is a simulation of the Arab-Israeli conflict that has been going on in the Middle East. Students get to take on the roles of real world leaders and are given a main problem to try and solve in the game. They can then communicate to all of the world leaders and one another individually through messages and press releases. The students can also submit action forms to make things that they want to happen become a part of the game.
Bury Me, My Love The story of a young woman escaping war-torn Syria
World Issues includes Peacemaker, Quandary, Refugees, Child Labor ...,
PeaceMaker is a serious game where you play as either government officials from Palestine, or Israel. Then, you make the discussions that decides whether your country fails or prospers.
Darfur is Dying gr 6-8 is a serious game that shows the situation the people of Darfur are in. You are a family in Darfur, and you have to attempt to gather water to bring back to the camp. The only problem is the militia is after you. In Darfur just going to get water could be life threatening.Darfur is Dying
Inca Investigation Players investigate maps and artifacts to learn what life was once like in Huánuco Pampa.
Orange Revolution Game (Game about Power and Politics in Ukraine) Taking IT Global
Games About Japan (3-8)
High Tea is a strategy game in which the player takes the role of a 19th century British opium smuggler in the Pearl Delta. In gameplay lasting approximately twenty minutes, and covering nine years of history, the player must sell opium in order to buy enough tea to slake Victorian Britain's thirst, while amassing a personal fortune. The game ends when the First Opium War of 1839 breaks out.
- Recommended Age Range: 14+
- Online or Download? Online
3rd World Farmer: This game was originally created by students at the IT-University in Copenhagen in 2005. The player is put in control of an African farm and must struggle to keep family, crops, and livestock alive while conflict and a lack of resources work against them. The designers’ hope is that people will play and realize how precarious survival is for many in Africa, and then do what they can to improve the lives of poor people there.
WeTopia: Such big names as Mattel, Clorox, and DeGeneres have lent their support to this game that’s like Farmville for a cause. Players build communities and accumulate "Joy" as a form of currency, which they can then donate in-game to real-life causes. When those causes reach 100% joy, the game’s developer donates real cash to the organization that was earned through player purchases and advertising revenue.
Sweatshop: Sweatshop takes things one step further by incorporating humor, albeit black, into its message. The game begins by showing you a factory floor filled with crying or injured children who make high-end sneakers. Then it guides you through a series of choices you must make as the factory manager. As you decide whether to give your workers a safe working environment or focus on your bottom line, hopefully you will begin to wonder what kind of conditions the clothes you’re wearing came from.
Fate of the World: The whole world is in your hands. This award-winning game forces you to deal with crises like natural disasters and a growing global population. By playing through the different scenarios, players get a sense of the real challenges the world could face in the next few generations.
The China Game is about…China
Orange Revolution When we look around the globe, we see that upheaval is everywhere. Each instance of unrest culminates in a set of outcomes, some of which are productive, some of which are the opposite. Where there is upheaval, the question of the reinforcement of human rights and human rights abuses inevitably rises. This was the case at the outset of what we now know as The Orange Revolution. It is important for students to understand that these rights are not given lightly nor should they be taken for granted.
- Recommended Age Range: 14+
- Online or Download? Online
General American History
Go Back in Time 4 - 12 Travel back in time to visit five of the families who lived at 16 Elm Street in Ipswich, Massachusetts over the past 200 years in this interactive game
HSI - where History and CSI collide, student solve case studies about historical events.
History Buff
A website that teachers of US History should spend some time exploring. One of the best features of History Buff is a set of fifteen narrated panoramic tours of interesting and significant historic sites. Some of the panoramas you will find in the collection include Davy Crockett's childhood home, Appomattox Courthouse, Thomas Edison's birthplace, and Valley Forge.
ImagineNation Matters “virtual tour” modules are like storybooks come to life, in which upper elementary students can experience, for example, the human drama of the Underground Railroad or life as a modern Arab American. Each of the modules is in the form of a story that involves protagonists of the approximate age of student participants. As they turn the pages of their virtual storybook, students are prompted with questions to consider. Students’ comments are responded to by University of Michigan student mentors, who speak in the voices of the characters in the stories. These mentored conversations continue throughout the tour, offering students a chance to develop writing and research skills while they experience important moments in history.
Museum Box provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. What items, for example, would you put in a box to describe your life; the life of a Victorian Servant or Roman soldier; or to show that slavery was wrong and unnecessary? You can display anything from a text file to a movie. You can also view and comment on the museum boxes submitted by others.
American Dynasties - This immersive digital video game enables players to live the lives of Americans from eras past.
Tenement Museum is a resource for US History teachers that can best be described as an interactive virtual museum. Students select a male or female character for their passport from Europe to Ellis Island. Once at Ellis Island students learn about the process of legal immigration. Eventually students make it to the Orchard Street tenement where they have to choose an occupation as well as make choices regarding living conditions. At the very end of the exhibit, students can write a post card to their friends and family back in Europe. Throughout the journey, students see short video clips featuring "Victoria Confino" who explains to students what they are seeing and reading.
City of Immigrants, students playing the game assume the role of Lena Brodsky, a Jewish immigrant from Minsk, Russia who arrives in the United States in 1907. As Lena, students will navigate New York City at the turn of the Twentieth Century, work to help support her family, and witness changes in factories. (Note: This worksheet has been adapted from the ‘Mission US: Flight to Freedom’ teacher guide. This extensive guide can be found here).
Timeline of American History K - 12 Take a journey through time and discover fascinating stories from America's past as you explore this interactive timeline.
The Price of Freedom: Learning Resources 4 - 12Included in this collection of learning resources connected with the online exhibition entitled "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War" It features a timeline of America's wars, from the Revolution to Iraq. Watch an interactive presentation on each war -- slide shows and movies, text and photos, and dozens of artifacts...
Experiencing War (Voices of War): Stories from the Veterans History Project is the companion website for a book from the Veterans History Project. Video interviews, photos, and letters relate war through the eyes of 60 veterans and civilians.
HSI - where History and CSI collide, student solve case studies about historical events.
History Buff
A website that teachers of US History should spend some time exploring. One of the best features of History Buff is a set of fifteen narrated panoramic tours of interesting and significant historic sites. Some of the panoramas you will find in the collection include Davy Crockett's childhood home, Appomattox Courthouse, Thomas Edison's birthplace, and Valley Forge.
ImagineNation Matters “virtual tour” modules are like storybooks come to life, in which upper elementary students can experience, for example, the human drama of the Underground Railroad or life as a modern Arab American. Each of the modules is in the form of a story that involves protagonists of the approximate age of student participants. As they turn the pages of their virtual storybook, students are prompted with questions to consider. Students’ comments are responded to by University of Michigan student mentors, who speak in the voices of the characters in the stories. These mentored conversations continue throughout the tour, offering students a chance to develop writing and research skills while they experience important moments in history.
Museum Box provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. What items, for example, would you put in a box to describe your life; the life of a Victorian Servant or Roman soldier; or to show that slavery was wrong and unnecessary? You can display anything from a text file to a movie. You can also view and comment on the museum boxes submitted by others.
American Dynasties - This immersive digital video game enables players to live the lives of Americans from eras past.
Tenement Museum is a resource for US History teachers that can best be described as an interactive virtual museum. Students select a male or female character for their passport from Europe to Ellis Island. Once at Ellis Island students learn about the process of legal immigration. Eventually students make it to the Orchard Street tenement where they have to choose an occupation as well as make choices regarding living conditions. At the very end of the exhibit, students can write a post card to their friends and family back in Europe. Throughout the journey, students see short video clips featuring "Victoria Confino" who explains to students what they are seeing and reading.
City of Immigrants, students playing the game assume the role of Lena Brodsky, a Jewish immigrant from Minsk, Russia who arrives in the United States in 1907. As Lena, students will navigate New York City at the turn of the Twentieth Century, work to help support her family, and witness changes in factories. (Note: This worksheet has been adapted from the ‘Mission US: Flight to Freedom’ teacher guide. This extensive guide can be found here).
- Recommended Age Range: 12+
- Online or Download? Online
Timeline of American History K - 12 Take a journey through time and discover fascinating stories from America's past as you explore this interactive timeline.
The Price of Freedom: Learning Resources 4 - 12Included in this collection of learning resources connected with the online exhibition entitled "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War" It features a timeline of America's wars, from the Revolution to Iraq. Watch an interactive presentation on each war -- slide shows and movies, text and photos, and dozens of artifacts...
Experiencing War (Voices of War): Stories from the Veterans History Project is the companion website for a book from the Veterans History Project. Video interviews, photos, and letters relate war through the eyes of 60 veterans and civilians.
Early America
Our Story: American History Stories and Activities You Can Do Together K - 12 Experience history first-hand through activities and books! "Make Your Own Fish Kite", "Build a Sod House Online", "Buffalo Hide...
Freecol - This is a strategy game based on the game Colonization where the objective is to create an independent nation. The game is a free download and is played offline.
The Flames of the Rebellion - This downloaded feature is a strategy game that allows two players to play either as the British or the Colonials and play out the Revolutionary War for control of the thirteen colonies.
Jamestown Simulation students try to do better than the original colonists
On the Trail of Captain John Smith: A Jamestown Adventure
Follow in the footsteps of Captain John Smith to discover what life was like in the New World 400 years ago.
More Jamestown Games For example, "Would you have survrived?"
PBS - American Colonial History Interactive
What Can You Make From a Buffalo? K - 12 The northern Plains Indians used every part of the buffalo. In this interactive matching game, students will match objects made by Native Americans from the..
Building a Sod House K - 12 Building a sod house? It's not as easy as it seems! In this interactive activity, taken from the "OurStory" series produced by the Smithsonian's.
.
Revolution is the Education Arcade's multi-player, American Revolution-themed role-playing game based on historical events in the town of colonial Williamsburg. Set in 1775, the game gives students an opportunity to experience the daily social, economic, and political lives of the town's inhabitants. By allowing role-play from one of seven social perspectives -- from an upper class lawyer, to a patriotic blacksmith, to an African American house slave
Jamestown Online Adventure
Go West across America with Lewis and Clark
Freecol - This is a strategy game based on the game Colonization where the objective is to create an independent nation. The game is a free download and is played offline.
The Flames of the Rebellion - This downloaded feature is a strategy game that allows two players to play either as the British or the Colonials and play out the Revolutionary War for control of the thirteen colonies.
Jamestown Simulation students try to do better than the original colonists
On the Trail of Captain John Smith: A Jamestown Adventure
Follow in the footsteps of Captain John Smith to discover what life was like in the New World 400 years ago.
More Jamestown Games For example, "Would you have survrived?"
PBS - American Colonial History Interactive
What Can You Make From a Buffalo? K - 12 The northern Plains Indians used every part of the buffalo. In this interactive matching game, students will match objects made by Native Americans from the..
Building a Sod House K - 12 Building a sod house? It's not as easy as it seems! In this interactive activity, taken from the "OurStory" series produced by the Smithsonian's.
.
Revolution is the Education Arcade's multi-player, American Revolution-themed role-playing game based on historical events in the town of colonial Williamsburg. Set in 1775, the game gives students an opportunity to experience the daily social, economic, and political lives of the town's inhabitants. By allowing role-play from one of seven social perspectives -- from an upper class lawyer, to a patriotic blacksmith, to an African American house slave
Jamestown Online Adventure
Go West across America with Lewis and Clark
American Revolution
Mission US
Mission US Grade 5 - Year 9
Mission US is an interactive adventure game designed to improve the understanding of American history. The first game in a planned series, Mission 1: “For Crown or Colony?” explores the reasons for Revolution through the eyes of both Loyalists and Patriots in 1770 Boston. This website provides information and materials to support the use of Mission 1 in your classroom.
Resources: Mission US Classroom Guide - http://www.mission-us.org/pages/classroom-guide
For Crown or Colony? puts players in the shoes of Nat Wheeler, a printer’s apprentice in 1770 Boston. They encounter both Patriots and Loyalists, and when rising tensions result in the Boston Massacre, they must choose where their loyalties lie. (Note: this worksheet has been adapted from the ‘Mission US: For Crown or Colony’ teacher guide. This extensive guide can be found at here).
Mission 3 Cheyenne Odyssey, the third interactive game in the Mission US series of digital role-playing games created to engage middle school students in the exploration of United States history. The game engages students as they take on the role of a 12-year-old Northern Cheyenne boy in the 1860s. As they play A Cheyenne Odyssey, students gain insight and understanding of westward expansion and its impact on America’s native peoples, the economy, the landscape and the environment.
Mission US Grade 5 - Year 9
Mission US is an interactive adventure game designed to improve the understanding of American history. The first game in a planned series, Mission 1: “For Crown or Colony?” explores the reasons for Revolution through the eyes of both Loyalists and Patriots in 1770 Boston. This website provides information and materials to support the use of Mission 1 in your classroom.
Resources: Mission US Classroom Guide - http://www.mission-us.org/pages/classroom-guide
For Crown or Colony? puts players in the shoes of Nat Wheeler, a printer’s apprentice in 1770 Boston. They encounter both Patriots and Loyalists, and when rising tensions result in the Boston Massacre, they must choose where their loyalties lie. (Note: this worksheet has been adapted from the ‘Mission US: For Crown or Colony’ teacher guide. This extensive guide can be found at here).
- Recommended Age Range: 12+
- Online or Download? Online
Mission 3 Cheyenne Odyssey, the third interactive game in the Mission US series of digital role-playing games created to engage middle school students in the exploration of United States history. The game engages students as they take on the role of a 12-year-old Northern Cheyenne boy in the 1860s. As they play A Cheyenne Odyssey, students gain insight and understanding of westward expansion and its impact on America’s native peoples, the economy, the landscape and the environment.
Civil War
5 - 8 Students select a mystery character from the Civil War and examine objects that hold the key to their identity, video footage, first person reenactments,...
http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/resources/whoami/whoami.html
Ripped Apart: A Civil War Mystery, an app for iOS devices, students will assume the role of a Smithsonian intern to solve puzzles, find clues, decipher documents, and explore cartes de visite photographs from the museum’s collection.
MISSION US: "Flight to Freedom," gr. 6-8 Takes students through the eyes of a fourteen-year-old girl enslaved on a Kentucky plantation in 1848. With its accompanying educator materials on the MISSION US website, "Flight to Freedom" demonstrates the historical concept of cause and effect, and enables students to build upon their understanding of historical context by reading primary sources and examining a collection of multimedia resources.
The Underground Railroad Escape from Slavery takes students on a virtual trip from a southern plantation to freedom in Ohio.
Following The Footsteps, you are simulating an escaped slave on the Underground Railroad.
Underground Railroad - National Geographic
Valley of the Shadows 9-12 The archives tell the story of major national political events that occurred between 1859 and April 1870.
Abraham Lincoln’s Crossroads – National Constitution Center
Who Am I? A History Mystery 5 - 8 Students select a mystery character from the Civil War and examine objects that hold the key to their identity, video footage, first person reenactments,...
http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/resources/whoami/whoami.html
Ripped Apart: A Civil War Mystery, an app for iOS devices, students will assume the role of a Smithsonian intern to solve puzzles, find clues, decipher documents, and explore cartes de visite photographs from the museum’s collection.
MISSION US: "Flight to Freedom," gr. 6-8 Takes students through the eyes of a fourteen-year-old girl enslaved on a Kentucky plantation in 1848. With its accompanying educator materials on the MISSION US website, "Flight to Freedom" demonstrates the historical concept of cause and effect, and enables students to build upon their understanding of historical context by reading primary sources and examining a collection of multimedia resources.
The Underground Railroad Escape from Slavery takes students on a virtual trip from a southern plantation to freedom in Ohio.
Following The Footsteps, you are simulating an escaped slave on the Underground Railroad.
Underground Railroad - National Geographic
Valley of the Shadows 9-12 The archives tell the story of major national political events that occurred between 1859 and April 1870.
Abraham Lincoln’s Crossroads – National Constitution Center
Who Am I? A History Mystery 5 - 8 Students select a mystery character from the Civil War and examine objects that hold the key to their identity, video footage, first person reenactments,...
Geography
Globe Projector 3 - 12 This Xpedition Hall interactive uses maps and other geographic tools to explore information from a spatial point of view. Click on the left circle in Room I
Continent Assembler K - 2In this student interactive, from an Xpeditions lesson, students reassemble maps of the seven continents
Geo-friendly Travel in the United States 3 - 5 This student interactive, from an Xpeditions lesson, guides students in creating a brochure encouraging geotourism in a state or region of the United...
Geonet (gr. 5-8) A challenging online game based on the six essential elements from the National Geography Standards.
Adventure Tour Brochure 3 - 5 This student interactive, from an Xpeditions lesson, allows students to create an adventure tour brochure ...
Looking at Landmarks 3 - 5 In this student interactive, from a ReadWriteThink lesson, students look at and take notes on the famous landmarks featured in "Ben's Dream,"
Continent Assembler K - 2In this student interactive, from an Xpeditions lesson, students reassemble maps of the seven continents
Geo-friendly Travel in the United States 3 - 5 This student interactive, from an Xpeditions lesson, guides students in creating a brochure encouraging geotourism in a state or region of the United...
Geonet (gr. 5-8) A challenging online game based on the six essential elements from the National Geography Standards.
Adventure Tour Brochure 3 - 5 This student interactive, from an Xpeditions lesson, allows students to create an adventure tour brochure ...
Looking at Landmarks 3 - 5 In this student interactive, from a ReadWriteThink lesson, students look at and take notes on the famous landmarks featured in "Ben's Dream,"
1920's
The Harlem Renaissance 9 - 12 In this student interactive, from a ReadWriteThink lesson, students identify concepts related to art, music and poetry from the Harlem Renaissance and arrange..
Jazz for Kids
The Dust Bowl interactive, which complements The Dust Bowl, the PBS series produced by Ken Burns, students are about to embark on an experience that will show them what life was like on the southern Great Plains during the Dust Bowl. On their journey, they will learn about the changing market and weather conditions and be asked to make decisions about whether to play it safe and keep their farm the same size or expand it for greater profit. They will also meet several of their “neighbors,” who are doing their best to make it. Some will stay on the land, trying to scrape out a living. Others will say “enough” and head west. What choices will your students make? Click Here to Access Free Interactive
Depression Quest is a website that features an interactive story designed to educate people about depression. The story puts you in the place of a twenty-something person that is struggling with depression. Throughout the story you are presented with choices to make that influence the next phase of the story. The story has 150 different scenarios and five possible outcomes at the end based on the choices you make as you read through the story.
Mission 4 City of Immigrants players navigate New York’s Lower East Side as Lena, a young Jewish immigrant from Russia. Trying to save money to bring her parents to America, she works long hours in a factory for little money. Should she go on strike to protest conditions, and risk losing her job?
Mission 5 Up From the Dust The mission provides young people with an experiential understanding of the enormous hardships facing Americans during the late 1920s and early 1930s, as they struggled against the joint catastrophes of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.
Jazz for Kids
The Dust Bowl interactive, which complements The Dust Bowl, the PBS series produced by Ken Burns, students are about to embark on an experience that will show them what life was like on the southern Great Plains during the Dust Bowl. On their journey, they will learn about the changing market and weather conditions and be asked to make decisions about whether to play it safe and keep their farm the same size or expand it for greater profit. They will also meet several of their “neighbors,” who are doing their best to make it. Some will stay on the land, trying to scrape out a living. Others will say “enough” and head west. What choices will your students make? Click Here to Access Free Interactive
Depression Quest is a website that features an interactive story designed to educate people about depression. The story puts you in the place of a twenty-something person that is struggling with depression. Throughout the story you are presented with choices to make that influence the next phase of the story. The story has 150 different scenarios and five possible outcomes at the end based on the choices you make as you read through the story.
Mission 4 City of Immigrants players navigate New York’s Lower East Side as Lena, a young Jewish immigrant from Russia. Trying to save money to bring her parents to America, she works long hours in a factory for little money. Should she go on strike to protest conditions, and risk losing her job?
Mission 5 Up From the Dust The mission provides young people with an experiential understanding of the enormous hardships facing Americans during the late 1920s and early 1930s, as they struggled against the joint catastrophes of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.
Civil Rights Era
To March or Not to March 3 - 5 In this activity, children pretend to be an American during 1963 and decide whether or not to join the March on Washington. Children base their choice on.
Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Educartion
Education Homepage 4 - 12 The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education marked a turning point in the history of race relations in the United States. On May 17, 1954,...
Join the Student Sit-Ins Classroom Videos 5 - 12 In this series of five short videos, students can watch a museum theater presentation from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Educartion
Education Homepage 4 - 12 The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education marked a turning point in the history of race relations in the United States. On May 17, 1954,...
Join the Student Sit-Ins Classroom Videos 5 - 12 In this series of five short videos, students can watch a museum theater presentation from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
More
Japanese Americans Internment WWII
Migrant Trail. from PBS. a video game that introduces players to the hardships and perils of crossing the Sonora Desert. Players have the chance to play as both migrants crossing the desert from Mexico to the United States and as U.S. Border Patrol agents patrolling the desert. As migrants, players are introduced to the stories of the people willing to risk their lives crossing the unforgiving Sonoran desert to reach America. By playing as Border Patrol agents, players see that the job goes beyond simply capturing migrants to helping save lives and providing closure for families who lost loved ones in the desert.
Westward Trail is very similar to the famous Oregon Trail game. Its major advantage is that it’s actually online and can be easily played.
Making History (gr. 10-12) Try to prevent World War II, in a complex geopolitical simulation.
iThrive Games Grades 9 - 12 Games empower teens to discover and use their unique strengths, unlock their potential, and take charge of their well-being. "iThrive Sim's suite of role-playing simulation games meet the moment, providing relevant game-based learning experiences that make media literacy, history, and civics educationcome alive in high school social studies and humanities classrooms."
Past/Present takes place in a New England mill town in 1906. Students take on the role of either an immigrant female worker or a native-born male manager. Both characters must deal with labor strife as well as earn money to support their families. Covering industrialization, immigration, the Progressive era and organized labor, the game promotes historical reasoning, fosters cooperative learning and intellectual teamwork, and teaches the use and interpretation of primary sources, all while being fun to play.
Cheyenne OdysseyThe mission focuses on the transformation of Northern Cheyenne life on the Great Plains from 1866 to 1876. Students playing the game assume the role of Little Fox, a twelve-year-old Northern Cheyenne boy. His everyday life is soon impacted by the encroachment of United States military expeditions, railroad builders, and white settlers. As Little Fox grows older, the Northern Cheyenne way of life changes dramatically, as the tribe adapts to the United States’ expansion into the West. (Note: this worksheet has been adapted from the ‘Mission US: Cheyenne Odyssey’ teacher guide. This extensive guide can be found at here).
The refugee challenge: can you break into Fortress Europe? – interactive is from The Guardian. It’s done in the mode of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” game.
Picturing the 1930's is a Smithsonian exhibit about 1930's cinema. In Picturing the 1930'sstudents can walk through a virtual museum exploring paintings, documents, music, and film. While walking through the virtual museum students will be greeted by "tour guides" who will explain various aspects of the exhibit. After exploring the art work in the virtual museum, students can create their own documentary-style film using images, text, and narration using the Picturing the 1930's film editor.
Past/Present game thrusts students aged 10–15 into the everyday hustle and bustle of life in a fictional mill town in 1906. While studying American history, students become fictional characters in this free immersive online game designed to impart decision making and critical thinking skills.
Darwin, A Naturalist's Voyage is a virtual tour of Charles Darwin's nearly five year journey on the Beagle. Throughout the tour viewers will see sketches from the journey, hear readings from Darwin's journals, and learn about the journey as a whole. The virtual tour is not limited to just Darwin's work as a naturalist. Darwin, A Naturalist's Voyage explores social issues of the time such as slavery.
Darfur is Dying is a “game” focusing on the genocide in Darfur
Spent is a “choose your own adventure” type game where you play the role of a very low-income person.
Arab-Israeli Conflict Simulation run by Dr. Jeff Stanzler students at the University of Michigan.
The Dust Bowl is a PBS interactive using a “Choose Your Own Adventure” form
3rd World Farmer: This game was originally created by students at the IT-University in Copenhagen in 2005. The player is put in control of an African farm and must struggle to keep family, crops, and livestock alive while conflict and a lack of resources work against them. The designers’ hope is that people will play and realize how precarious survival is for many in Africa, and then do what they can to improve the lives of poor people there.
Over the Top The World War I game is based on the real-life experiences of Canadians who lived and died in the trenches during the First World War. Part history and part adventure story, Over the Top is divided into sections. It allows you to experience life in the trenches during the First World War. As a young Canadian soldier stationed somewhere along the Western Front in the late Fall of 1916, you will live through some of the excitement, despair, brutality and sheer horror of trench warfare. Your goal in Over the Top is the same as that of thousands of Canadians who served in the trenches during the First World War: merely to survive.
Fate of the World: The whole world is in your hands. This award-winning game forces you to deal with crises like natural disasters and a growing global population. By playing through the different scenarios, players get a sense of the real challenges the world could face in the next few generations.
Quandary (www.quandarygame.org) It's a free game designed to develop ethical thinking skills such as empathy and perspective taking.
Urbanology is a quick and easy survey game from the BMW Guggenheim Lab that allows students to create a future city based on the balancing of eight categories related to urban living: innovation, transportation, health, affordability, wealth, lifestyle, sustainability, and livability.
Migrant Trail. from PBS. a video game that introduces players to the hardships and perils of crossing the Sonora Desert. Players have the chance to play as both migrants crossing the desert from Mexico to the United States and as U.S. Border Patrol agents patrolling the desert. As migrants, players are introduced to the stories of the people willing to risk their lives crossing the unforgiving Sonoran desert to reach America. By playing as Border Patrol agents, players see that the job goes beyond simply capturing migrants to helping save lives and providing closure for families who lost loved ones in the desert.
Westward Trail is very similar to the famous Oregon Trail game. Its major advantage is that it’s actually online and can be easily played.
Making History (gr. 10-12) Try to prevent World War II, in a complex geopolitical simulation.
iThrive Games Grades 9 - 12 Games empower teens to discover and use their unique strengths, unlock their potential, and take charge of their well-being. "iThrive Sim's suite of role-playing simulation games meet the moment, providing relevant game-based learning experiences that make media literacy, history, and civics educationcome alive in high school social studies and humanities classrooms."
Past/Present takes place in a New England mill town in 1906. Students take on the role of either an immigrant female worker or a native-born male manager. Both characters must deal with labor strife as well as earn money to support their families. Covering industrialization, immigration, the Progressive era and organized labor, the game promotes historical reasoning, fosters cooperative learning and intellectual teamwork, and teaches the use and interpretation of primary sources, all while being fun to play.
Cheyenne OdysseyThe mission focuses on the transformation of Northern Cheyenne life on the Great Plains from 1866 to 1876. Students playing the game assume the role of Little Fox, a twelve-year-old Northern Cheyenne boy. His everyday life is soon impacted by the encroachment of United States military expeditions, railroad builders, and white settlers. As Little Fox grows older, the Northern Cheyenne way of life changes dramatically, as the tribe adapts to the United States’ expansion into the West. (Note: this worksheet has been adapted from the ‘Mission US: Cheyenne Odyssey’ teacher guide. This extensive guide can be found at here).
- Recommended Age Range: 12+
- Online or Download? Online
The refugee challenge: can you break into Fortress Europe? – interactive is from The Guardian. It’s done in the mode of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” game.
Picturing the 1930's is a Smithsonian exhibit about 1930's cinema. In Picturing the 1930'sstudents can walk through a virtual museum exploring paintings, documents, music, and film. While walking through the virtual museum students will be greeted by "tour guides" who will explain various aspects of the exhibit. After exploring the art work in the virtual museum, students can create their own documentary-style film using images, text, and narration using the Picturing the 1930's film editor.
Past/Present game thrusts students aged 10–15 into the everyday hustle and bustle of life in a fictional mill town in 1906. While studying American history, students become fictional characters in this free immersive online game designed to impart decision making and critical thinking skills.
Darwin, A Naturalist's Voyage is a virtual tour of Charles Darwin's nearly five year journey on the Beagle. Throughout the tour viewers will see sketches from the journey, hear readings from Darwin's journals, and learn about the journey as a whole. The virtual tour is not limited to just Darwin's work as a naturalist. Darwin, A Naturalist's Voyage explores social issues of the time such as slavery.
Darfur is Dying is a “game” focusing on the genocide in Darfur
Spent is a “choose your own adventure” type game where you play the role of a very low-income person.
Arab-Israeli Conflict Simulation run by Dr. Jeff Stanzler students at the University of Michigan.
The Dust Bowl is a PBS interactive using a “Choose Your Own Adventure” form
3rd World Farmer: This game was originally created by students at the IT-University in Copenhagen in 2005. The player is put in control of an African farm and must struggle to keep family, crops, and livestock alive while conflict and a lack of resources work against them. The designers’ hope is that people will play and realize how precarious survival is for many in Africa, and then do what they can to improve the lives of poor people there.
Over the Top The World War I game is based on the real-life experiences of Canadians who lived and died in the trenches during the First World War. Part history and part adventure story, Over the Top is divided into sections. It allows you to experience life in the trenches during the First World War. As a young Canadian soldier stationed somewhere along the Western Front in the late Fall of 1916, you will live through some of the excitement, despair, brutality and sheer horror of trench warfare. Your goal in Over the Top is the same as that of thousands of Canadians who served in the trenches during the First World War: merely to survive.
- Recommended Age Range: 12+
- Online or Download? Online
Fate of the World: The whole world is in your hands. This award-winning game forces you to deal with crises like natural disasters and a growing global population. By playing through the different scenarios, players get a sense of the real challenges the world could face in the next few generations.
Quandary (www.quandarygame.org) It's a free game designed to develop ethical thinking skills such as empathy and perspective taking.
Urbanology is a quick and easy survey game from the BMW Guggenheim Lab that allows students to create a future city based on the balancing of eight categories related to urban living: innovation, transportation, health, affordability, wealth, lifestyle, sustainability, and livability.
- Recommended Age Range: 12+