Mission: US
How I use this game in my classes.
I have an issue with the fact that most of the “creative” lesson plans and games in history are geared for middle school. So, we can’t do anything interesting in higher ed? And given the research that gaming can build empathy, which is one of our core learning outcomes, they can serve a greater purpose. I find that with enough preparation and scaling, these types of activities can be used very successfully in college courses. MissionUS is one example.
Mission US engages young people in the study of transformational moments in American history. Each mission consists of an interactive narrative game and curriculum materials aligned to national standards. The games immerse players in rich, historical settings and empower them to make choices that illuminate how ordinary people experienced the past. The educator’s guides provide a wealth of resources and activities for teachers and students that show the broader social, political, and economic context of events and perspectives featured in the game.
Mission US is part of an expanding body of “serious games” that immerse users in historical and contemporary problems in ways that encourage perspective-taking, discussion, and weighing of multiple kinds of evidence. Educators have found that games can be an effective way to help young people and struggling readers grapple with and explore challenging content.
So, here’s how I use one of these games.
In my United States History to 1877 course, we spend a fair bit of time on the causes and effects of the American Revolution. After students have read the textbook, engaged with primary sources, and completed an online discussion, they have a good understanding of the events and concepts. They can write their research essays on a topic related to the Revolutionary era. And, I assign the monograph After the Siege: A Social History of Boston 1775-1780 by Jacquelin Barbara Carr. So, “Mission 1 - For Crown or Colony” serves to amplify this information by putting students in the shoes of a 14-year-old printing apprentice in Boston who must make a series of choices regarding his personal loyalties.
Procedure
Assign background information and discussions before class to measure knowledge.
At the start of class, conduct a brainstorming session and write down the causes of the Revolutionary War. I like to use the Word Cloud feature in Poll Everywhere for this.
Explain how the game works. I read the introduction and explain that they will follow along as I play the game.
Throughout game play, I stop occasionally to allow students to weigh in on decisions. This can be as simple as saying “Type ‘A’ if you think he should go outside or type ‘B’ if you think he should get back to work” (or whatever the decision is).
Stop to expound and answer questions. You can remind them of things they’ve read, connect to earlier course topics, and expand on concepts mentioned in the game.
Exit Ticket. I use the feature on Socrative to do this. Overwhelming, students indicate that they learned about the complexities of living and making decisions in the time period.
A few other thoughts:
This works in both the virtual and analog classroom.
This can also work in an asynchronous online course. Students can play on their own and send a screenshot of their finished game, along with a written assessment of what they have learned.
Encourage questions. A large number of my students are not American, so they have unique and interesting questions to ask about culture and other aspects of the game play.
There is a good chance you won’t finish playing in an hour. That’s okay. It still serves its purpose.
I make the explicit comment that they are now even better-prepared to read the monograph. This helps reluctant readers gain confidence.
Have fun!
