GameWize Social Studies

Use Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint to spice up lessons. Bring even the most hesitant learner out of their lazy daze. Invigorate your classroom with a learning-based, competitive enthusiasm that will have students begging to play (and learn) some more. Tailor each game to meet the needs of your unique classroom environment. Play as a whole class activity, or set up stations in the classroom for partner or small group competitions. Modify game components to make it relevant to current topics of study, and create a memorable learning experience for yourself and your students.

Includes 15 games!!

See below for the list of games, a brief description, and sample image from each game.

#1 Bust the Trust

Each team starts with 500 points. When a team answers a question correctly, they earn the opportunity to roll a six-side die and move around the game board. Teams buy unowned spaces in an attempt to own all of one color. They earn additional points when other teams land on one of their owned spaces or by landing on one of the paying corner squares. Teams pay points if they land on a space owned by another team. They can also lose a turn by landing on the detention corner. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

#2 KaBlam!

The KaBlam board randomly displays numbers in colored squares. Numbers in the squares range in value from 1 to 20. There are also three special squares: the ½ square, the times 2 square, and the black KaBlam square. Teams answer teacher-prepared questions. For each correct response, they earn the chance to gain points from the KaBlam board, loose points (if they hit the ½ space), or get KaBlammed and start over at zero. As the game progresses through three rounds of play, there is an increased probability of a team being Kablammed.

#3 Concentration

Teams take turns revealing what is hidden underneath cards by turning over two cards at a time. If the information “matches”, then they get a point for making a pair. Matched pairs could include pictures and their names, elements, body parts, etc. If the revealed pair doesn’t match, then the information is hidden and the next team gets a turn. Teams “concentrate” to remember what is hidden beneath the cards that have been revealed but not matched. The winning team is the one with the most correct matches.

#4 Connect 5

Two teams of students take turns answering questions. Each time a team correctly answers a question, they choose one of the yellow numbered circles. After clicking on it, the numbered circle will move to fill in a circle on the game board at the top of the slide. The first team to earn five yellow circles in a row either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally wins the game.

#5 Face the Facts

Teams select a topic and money value from the game board. The higher the money value, the more difficult the question. If the team answers the question correctly, they are awarded the money value for that question. If the team is incorrect, another team gets a chance to answer the question. Play continues until the game board is cleared or until time is called.

#6 Hangperson

Students take turns guessing a letter. Clicking on the blue letters at the bottom reveals whether or not the letter is in the puzzle. Letters not in the puzzle appear at the top of the screen.

#7 Make It Quick

Teams select a question to answer. When the question is revealed, they have 20 seconds down to 10 seconds to answer the question. The higher the number for the question, the less time they have to answer correctly.

#8 Person Place or Thing

Students select squares to gradually reveal a picture hidden beneath. The first student to correctly identify the picture wins.

#9 Smarter Than an Nth Grader

Students answer ten questions starting with topics learned in lower grade levels and progressing to topics covered during their current school year.

#10 Stair Climber

After each correct answer, teams roll a six-sided die and “hop” their player up the stairs the number of times shown on the die. To win, a team must land exactly on the top step. If a team goes too far, they go back to the bottom and start climbing again.

#11 Tic Tac Toe

Students are divided into two teams, the X team and the O team. They then answer questions to earn an X or an O for their team on a Tic Tac Toe board. The first team to earn three X’s in a row or O’s in a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins the game.

#12 Triangle Trivia

Four teams take turns selecting a question by clicking on one of the game board’s numbered triangles. If they answer the question correctly, they click to fill in a corresponding triangle in their team’s game piece. The first team to fill in all four triangles of their game piece wins.

#13 Vocab Velocity

A student sits with their back to the computer or projected image of four words. Another person from their team has approximately 10 seconds per word to get their teammate to say the words shown on the screen before the words fade.

#14 Where's Weirdo

Teams, pairs, or individual students read the clue at the top of the slide and click on the region, state, province, or country that it describes.

#15 Who Wants to be a Zillionaire

Students progress through increasingly difficult multiple choice questions. For each question they have three helps available:
• 50/50 eliminates two incorrect answers
• Ask the Class allows the contestant to poll the class for the correct answer
• A third button links to an Internet site or other tool to help them find the answer