Tag Archives: games

Three Great Digital Resources for Social Studies Courses

December 7, 2012, 8:16 am • Posted by Matthew Green
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Do I Have a Right? - a game about Constitutional rights by iCivics.org

Are you interested in integrating some engaging, interactive and informative online resources to augment your students learning experience in Social Studies? Here are three great ways to incorporate world geography, Constitutional rights, and U.S. Policy in the Middle East through gaming, cartoons, and interactive media.

  1. 10 Ways to Teach About Geography (New York Times Learning Network)
    The NY Times Learning Network does an excellent job in curating The NY Times’ multimedia content and suggesting great activities and applications for use in the classroom with direct alignment to  Common Core State Standards.  This particular lesson is a fascinating step-by-step approach to teaching students about world geography and demographics.
  2. “Do I have a Right?” – an  interactive game exploring Constitutional rights (icivics.org)
    Among the handful of creative games produced by iCivics.org, “Do I have a right?” is a really interesting approach to exploring which rights are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Participants step into the shoes of a lawyer and hear legal complaints from clients, and must then decide if the case should be brought to court.
  3. U.S. Policy in the Middle East: Analyzing Political Cartoons (choices.org)
    The Choices Program presents an interesting lesson on exploring U.S. political involvement in the Middle East through the lens of political cartoons. The lesson emphasizes media literacy and the techniques used by cartoonists to express political opinion.
Filed under: Social Studies/Lang. Arts
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Summer Games with PBS LearningMedia

July 10, 2012, 11:31 am • Posted by Almetria Vaba
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Photo by peve.de/Flickr

Educators and parents are turning more frequently to open educational resources including online games and educational apps to engage 21st century learners. Summer can be a great opportunity to blend a child’s interest in science or history with their fascination for digital games. And studies show that summer is a crucial time for students as much learning is lost during the hot months. PBS LearningMedia, launched a year ago, has a robust collection of free interactive games to experiment, manipulate, and investigate with this summer.

Below are a sampling of games from  PBS LearningMedia.

Amusement Park Physics How do physics laws affect amusement park ride design? Find out by designing your own roller coaster in this interactive from Annenberg Learner. Discover how physics laws are used to design a variety of amusement park rides. Understand how physics keep riders safe while providing a thrill.

Continue reading »

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Do Now #24: Fun and Games

March 16, 2012, 5:36 pm • Posted by Kristin Farr
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photo by John-Morgan/Flickr

To respond to the Do Now, you can comment below or tweet your response. Be sure to begin your tweet with @KQEDEdspace and end it with #KQEDDoNow

For more info on how to use Twitter, click here.

Do Now

Name a game you played as a kid that you could reference in an artwork. Do you remember distinct characters or colors? Which games were most significant for you?

Introduction

Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders (and Uncle Wiggly too) are classic board games that many of us remember playing as kids. Candy Land was designed by a woman from San Diego in 1945, and Chutes (or Snakes) and Ladders is an ancient Indian game. Today's definition of games more often brings to mind computer and video games, which are a popular subject among students, both inside and outside of school. Gaming and game design serve an entertainment purpose but can also be an engaging, educational tool. Check out a new episode of PBS Off Book that introduces video games as a personal, storytelling art form.

Watch Off Book: Video Games on PBS. See more from Off Book.

Resource

KQED SPARK segment on artist Thai Bui in Looking East - June 27, 2005
On the more physical, fine art side of the game world, KQED Spark-featured artist, Thai Bui, creates sculptures that are partly inspired by games he played as a child growing up in Vietnam. His extraordinary objects combine references to his experiences in both the United States and Vietnam, simultaneously communicating a witty humor and a sense of loss. Learn more about his work and hear him discuss how he made a sculpture using wet clay bowls he's throw on the ground to to create a sound -- the activity references a simple childhood game in which the participant that makes the loudest sound wins.

To respond to the Do Now, you can comment below or tweet your response. Be sure to begin your tweet with @KQEDedspace and end it with #KQEDDoNow

For more info on how to use Twitter, click here.

More Resources

KQED Spark: Thai Bui Educator Guide

KQED Spark: Kerry James Marshall Video and Educator Guide

PBS Off Book: Video Games

Filed under: Do Now, Do Now: Art and Popular Culture, PBS LearningMedia
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PBS LearningMedia: Top California Clicks

March 7, 2012, 7:14 am • Posted by Almetria Vaba
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I got caught up in a mob scene, became an indentured servant and helped Phillis Wheatley write a poem with the top resource being viewed by California educators in PBS LearningMedia:

Mission US is a multimedia project featuring free interactive adventure games set in different eras of U.S. history. The interactive, "For Crown or Colony?" puts students in the shoes of Nat Wheeler, a 14-year-old printer's apprentice in 1770 Boston. As Nat navigates the city and completes tasks, he encounters a spectrum of people living and working there when tensions mount before the Boston Massacre. Ultimately, the player determines Nat's fate by deciding where his loyalties lie.

Mission Us is an opportunity for 6-8th graders to jump into Revolutionary Causes in Social Studies. My 3rd grade son liked it more than Mario Brothers Wii.

Filed under: PBS LearningMedia
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