Social+Studies+Games

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**Welcome To Our Social Studies Links! **

Social Studies covers many topics including: geography, US history, world history, and government. How do you bring history to life? Can students learn what it is like to be a part of other cultures and civilizations? Games are one way to help students enjoy learning while experience what life is really like. They can be used in the classroom as part of the lesson or as a review/reinforcement activity.

See below for some example games and lesson plans that can be used in the classroom. Enjoy and feel free to add suggestions.

=**GAMES**=


 * ~ ==**Geography/ Culture**== ||
 * = **Screen Shot** ||= **Name and Description** ||
 * = [[image:WeeklyReader_SS.jpg width="252" height="160"]] ||= **Geography Games**

How well do you know your world? Find out using these games. An online newspaper, provided by the Weekly Reader Corporation, features social studies activities for students in grades K-12. These include news, polls, contests, games and mystery photos. ||
 * = [[image:PeaceCorps_SS.jpg width="290" height="206"]] ||= **Peace Corps Challenge**

This Peace Corps site teaches elementary and middle school students about world geography and the cultures of other countries. They can send electronic postcards, read folk tales from around the world, download coloring pages and test their geography knowledge with an interactive game. ||
 * = [[image:Expedition_SS.jpg width="284" height="171"]] ||= **Expedition The Game**

A challenging and addictive game based on the Expedition Africa show on History, which recreates the route that Henry Stanley took on his expedition to find Dr. David Livingstone. The game is a dice-based quest, that challenges players to see how long they can last on the journey, balancing risks and rewards, no guts, no glory. ||
 * = [[image:buster_ss.jpg width="319" height="187" align="center"]] ||= **Where's Buster?**

Where in the USA is Buster. Using a map and a few clues, can you find Buster? ||
 * = [[image:geospy_ss.jpg width="297" height="225" align="center"]] ||= **GeoSpy**

Kids, test your geosmarts by identifying states, provinces, countries, and continents, and you'll earn full GeoSpy agent status in this game! ||
 * = [[image:geonet_ss.jpg width="295" height="217" align="center"]] ||= **GeoNet**

How good are your map skills? Do you know much about geography? Play this interactive game and find out. Choices of several games. ||
 * ~ ==**US and World History**== ||
 * = [[image:U505_SS.jpg width="274" height="190" align="center"]] ||= **U-505**

The Museum of Science and Industry invites you to step inside the real 505 -- the only German submarine in the United States and, now, a national memorial to the 55,000 American sailors who gave their lives on the high seas in WWI and WWII. The site includes WWII history, a virtual tour of U-505, as well as several online activities. || ||= **Victorian London**
 * = [[image:Victorian_SS.jpg width="252" height="197"]]

Sam the dog is missing! Travel back in time to 1870 and help find him. From the Geffrye Museum. ||
 * = [[image:Henry_SS.jpg width="263" height="192" align="center"]] ||= **Henry VIII: Heads and Hearts**

Have you got what it takes to be King Henry VIII's jousting champion? From Historic Royal Palaces. ||
 * = [[image:Egypt_SS.jpg width="260" height="195" align="center"]] ||= **Egyptian Temple Stores**

Quick! Can you help the Egyptian craftsmen to find their supplies? A fun balancing act of a game from National Museums Scotland. ||
 * = [[image:patriot_ss.jpg width="281" height="244" align="center"]] ||= **The Patriot Spy**

Sneak past enemy soldiers and deliver a letter to Paul Revere. Created by the National Park Service, the WebRangers program encourages self-paced exploration resulting in deep understanding of our national treasures. The WebRangers site is full of games, activities, maps, and secret codes. ||
 * = [[image:liberty_ss.jpg width="290" height="161" align="center"]] ||= **The Road to Revolution**

Test your knowledge about the American Revolution, and see if you can navigate your way to independence. Every correct answer gets you closer to liberty! ||
 * = [[image:westward.jpg width="281" height="214" align="center"]] ||= **Westward**

Enter a rough and tumble world where adventure and untold fortune await! Control the destiny of the West as you build thriving towns where there once was only sagebrush - and chase down cheats and scoundrels! ||
 * ~ ==**Government/ Politics**== ||
 * = [[image:USGov_SS.jpg width="262" height="172" align="center"]] ||= **US Government Games**

Animated flash games teach the basics of US government. Topics include the branches of government, checks and balances, and who's who in the Obama administration. ||
 * = [[image:network_ss.jpg width="284" height="179" align="center"]] ||= **The Network Challenge**

Every city on the map is a state capital. Find the best path from your randomly assigned start city. The best path depends upon the game scenario that you pick. ||
 * = [[image:coin_SS.jpg width="266" height="192" align="center"]] ||= **Legendary Coins and Currency**

On a trip to Washington, D.C., you visited the National Museum of American History… One minute you are looking at the Legendary Coins and Currency exhibit, the next minute you're lost. ||
 * = [[image:Crime_SS.jpg width="291" height="208" align="center"]] ||= **Sonar Witnesses a Crime**

Imagine you saw a friend commit a crime. What would you do? Report it to the police? How would you decide on the 'right' thing to do? Join Sonar as she tackles this dilemma and the criminal justice system. ||
 * = [[image:Money_SS.jpg width="295" height="180" align="center"]] ||= **Where is the Money?**

So you think you know what money is? Throughout history and around the globe, many different things have served as money. Play this game to find out just what money has been. You'll need to keep your wits about you if you want to get home. . . . ||
 * ~ ==**More Game Websites**== ||
 * = [[image:ShowMe_SS.jpg width="295" height="226" align="center"]] ||= **Show Me** ||
 * = [[image:ScholasticScreenShot.jpg width="284" height="202" align="center"]] ||= **Scholastic** ||
 * = [[image:NatGeo_SS.jpg width="293" height="141" align="center"]] ||= **National Geographic** ||
 * = [[image:Kaboose_SS.jpg width="294" height="142" align="center"]] ||= **Funschool** ||
 * = [[image:SchoolTime_SS.jpg width="298" height="145" align="center"]] ||= **School Time Games** ||
 * = [[image:PSL_SS.jpg width="265" height="95" align="center"]] ||= **Pine Shadows Library** ||

=LESSON PLANS=

**Example Lesson Plans**

 * **[|Viking Voyagers: Navigating Online Content Area Reading]** - This lesson plan integrates social studies, reading and writing and is appropriate for grades 6-8. The lesson incorporates prerequisite knowledge and is complete with research handouts and graphic organizers. Students apply the information they have learned about Vikings by playing the Viking Quest Game.
 * **Agroforestry Challenge** Enhance the experiences from the agroforestry challenge of the //**Peace Corps Challenge**// game with additional resources from World Wise Schools.
 * **Barren Fields** Enhance the experiences from the barren fields challenge of the //**Peace Corps Challenge**// game with lesson plans and additional resources from World Wise Schools.
 * **Microfinance Challenge** Enhance the experiences from the microfinance challenge of the //**Peace Corps Challenge**// game with additional resources from World Wise Schools.
 * **Postcards from Buster** Incorporate //**Where's Buster**// into the classroom using the provided lesson plans, recommended books, and much more to help you get the most from Buster's travels.The activities build children's awareness and appreciation of the many cultures in America and encourage them to make connections to their own lives.
 * **Tour Operators**In this lesson, students will research and learn about the culture, physical geography, and history of select countries in Africa, Asia, and South America using //**GeoSpy**//. Acting as "tour operators," small groups of students will create an imaginary tour group itinerary that highlights interesting and important destinations as well as characteristics of their selected countries.
 * **The Global Stock Game (GSG)** has been used by over 15,000 schools worldwide. Teachers often use the //**GSG**// to introduce students to the basics of how the stock market works. These lesson plans are designed to help teachers integrate the GSG into the school curriculum involving economics, business, language arts, social studies, and mathematics.
 * **The Underground Railroad:** Escape from slavery. To help use this online activity in the classroom, scholastic has provided a teacher's guide and interactive whiteboard ready resources.
 * **h.i.p. pocket change**. Developed by the U.S. Mint for elementary school students, this site uses coins to teach American history, math, and language arts. Also included are Lesson Plans for teachers.
 * **Westward Expansion** This site contains resources including: informational sites, online activities, lesson plans, and more.

**More Lesson Plan Websites**

 * **Social Studies Units and Lesson Plans** from Michigan State University College of Education and Ameritech
 * **Lesson Plans for Students and Educators** from Microsoft
 * **Lesson Plans and Teaching Strategies** from California State University Northridge
 * **Science and Social Studies Lesson Plans** from National Geographic
 * **Lesson Plans** from PBS

=**ORGANIZATIONS**=


 * The National Council for the Social Studies is the primary organization of K-12 social studies teachers and college-level teacher educators.
 * H-HIGH-S encourages scholarly discussion of teaching high school history/social studies and makes available diverse bibliographical, research and teaching aids.
 * The National Center for History in the Schools has the full-text electronic versions of several of the "National Standards" written for History.