Book

We all know the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, but to often we forget that the colonies were almost a year into the Revolutionary War by the time of the signing. Can you replicate historical success? Or will your colonies fall back under British rule? Building upon 1775: Rebellion, an award winning board game, this book presents a week-long unit with detailed lesson plans, primary source documents, and additional instructional resources for teaching the American Revolution through play.

Slavery is a sensitive topic in American history. This book provides resources and lesson plans for a week-long unit covering slavery, the Underground Railroad, and the abolition movement built around an award-winning board game. In Freedom: The Underground Railroad, students will take on the role of abolitionists helping slaves reach freedom in Canada. Background knowledge, primary source documents, and detailed lesson plans on teaching slavery and using the game provide full support for instruction. Customized Freedom mini-game scenarios designed by Brian Mayer and Christopher Harris.

This book provides broad support for using games in middle and high school science classes including Earth science/living environment, biology, chemistry, and physics. The lesson plans and resources support a play-based approach to evolution, ecosystems, cellular organisms, elements and compounds, and vector motion. Though easy to learn, the included games provide detailed scientific accuracy allowing complex simulations and immersive learning experiences.

Games:

Evolution. Dominic Crapuchettes, Dmitry Knorre, Sergey Machin. North Star Games, 2014.

It may only be play money, but the games in this book can help students better understand how important financial literacy is in their real lives. Play-based lesson plans in the book cover topics including spending and saving, risk assessment, and return on investment using fast-paced board and card games. A larger capstone game pulls together all of the concepts in a market-driven game that places students in the role of stockholders investing in and managing train companies. Who will use financial savvy to turn the biggest profit?

Games:

In this groundbreaking and timely book, antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility. Referring to the defensive moves taht white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue.

When students believe that dedication and hard work can change their performance in school, they grow to become resilient, successful students. Inspired by the popular mindset idea that hard work and effort can lead to success, this updated 2017 edition of Mindsets in the Classroomprovides educators with ideas for ways to build a growth mindset school culture, wherein students are challenged to change their thinking about their abilities and potential.

Teachers nationwide are adopting immersive technology -- devices and software that provide augmented, virtual and mixed reality experiences -- to enable students to go on virtual field trips, manipulate 3D objects and augment the world around them. Immersive technology resources can be far less costly than many believe, but there are issues school districts should resolve before making purchases and implementing this technology.