1. Settlers of Catan

This widely loved board/video game can be a useful tool to get the students thinking about settlement, resources, and human migration. Break the class up into groups of 4, and use the online version of the game if there aren’t enough board games to go around.

Follow up questions:

• Which resources did you find the most valuable? Why?
• What did you think about when trading with other players?
• How did the placement of resources on the map determine where you would move the settlements?

2. Know-Wonder-Learn

This brainstorming and discussion activity can be used well once students have had at least several lessons within a unit. On a Post-It note, and keeping with a central unit theme, students should write something they know and something they wonder about. Once all the stickers are on a board, the group can go through them and discuss.

3. Jigsaw 

This discussion and cooperative learning activity works best when content-heavy classes roll around! Divide the class into “expert groups”, and give them some time to become acquainted with their particular area of expertise. Once you feel that enough time has past, create new groups where every single area of expertise is represented.

4. Newspaper Article

Task 2-4 person groups to come up with either a newspaper article or newsreel “skit” that describes a certain event or events that fall under a theme or unit subject. The goal in this assignment is to strive for authenticity, so you may wish to show the students an existing newsreel from a certain period.