Posts on “ icivics ”

March’s spotlights include  Women’s History and  The Law, so be sure to check out our featured movies and resources throughout the month! Ladies first… for this month’s first spotlight, Women’s History! We’ve packed this spotlight full of famous women to celebrate Women’s History Month. You’ll find movies on  Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, Judy Blume, Marie Curie, Oprah Winfrey, and more. BrainPOP Jr. movies for this spotlight include Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Susan B. Anthony. Test your knowledge on one of our favorite famous women in history, Jane Goodall, or learn more about Feminism with our FYI feature. Spotlight: The Law includes content covering topics such as Bill of Rights, Copyright, Miranda Rights, Supreme Court, and much more. BrainPOP Jr. also has a collection of law-focused movies including Branches of Government and Local and State Government. This month’s spotlight is full of valuable resources and includes a collection of Law Games on GameUp by our friends at iCivics, as well as lessons plans for educators to use in the classroom.  

You might remember Todd LaVogue from his guest blog post back in September. He continues to do incredible projects with his students and was able to organize and complete a field trip for 38 students to the 2013 Presidential Inauguration through 10 months of fund raising and planning.  BrainPOP was there to help him along the way, so check out his reflection of his presidential planning below! While the election and government related BrainPOP movies laid the groundwork, the biggest BrainPOP contributor to student learning was the GameUp section. Three games – Win the White House, Budget Hero and Executive Command proved to be addictive for the students, who quickly learned it is not a simple or easy job to be President of the United States. In Win the White House, students learned about the strategy involved with a campaign. The game reinforced higher-order thinking skills needed to successfully run a presidential campaign. “Politics seem complicated,” said seventh grader Eugena Butler. “Win the White House game made it easier for me to understand a campaign. Obama and Romney had to work real hard to get enough votes.” Budget Hero and Executive Command allowed the students to make future-altering decisions as… Read the Rest»

The presidential election is just around the corner and GameUp has quite a few games that will engage your students while learning about the election process.  With a special election edition of “Budget Hero,” students will form a better understanding of the budget impact of President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney’s policies, as well as those plans championed by their running mates.  Additionally, our friends at iCivics have created some excellent election-focused interactive games that you can find on GameUp.  “Win the White House” takes students on the campaign trail to explore both the primary and general elections and the Electoral College.  Once they’ve secured the president’s seat, a round of “Executive Command” will give them the opportunity to exercise their power and learn about the day-to-day obligations of our nation’s leader. Not sure of where to begin?  All of our GameUp games have related teacher resources to support the use of these games in the classroom.  And, don’t forget to check out our election spotlight for additional games and movies that are linked to the election.

Preparing your students for tonight’s 3rd and final presidential debate? Remember, BrainPOP has a plethora of resources for you to use in the classroom. Check out our election spotlight movies, our election discussion group, or even this archived webinar featuring our friends from iCivics. Get your students in the presidential mood by playing “Executive Command” or “Win the White House” on GameUp! We have lesson plans and discussion prompts for you, too. BrainPOP is an indispensable resource to help you demystify complicated concepts for your students this election season. Please let us know how you’re using it!

Wednesday, October 17th at 4:00 PM ET- On the Ballot: Election-Themed Games from iCivics It’s election season and we’ve got just what you need to teach your students about the path to becoming president. Our friends at iCivics join us for this hour-long webinar to discuss the fabulous teacher resources and interactive games they have to offer. The iCivics games such as Win the White House and Executive Command paired with our BrainPOP resources are the perfect tools for you to engage your students while teaching about the election process. With the presidential election just around the corner, this is one webinar you won’t want to miss.

The popularity of gaming in the classroom is rapidly growing and more studies are proving that it’s not just fun, it actually helps students learn!  iCivics, the developer of GameUp games Supreme Decision, Executive Command, Court Quest, Win the White House, Law Craft, Branches of Power, and Argument Wars, has recently released a video showing how the use of iCivics’ games is being implemented in the Waco Independent School District. To collect data that supports the success of a curriculum that integrates the use of these games, iCivics joined with Baylor University to get their games into the classroom.  The movie begins by explaining some of the important concepts students can learn through playing these games and further goes on to discuss the experiences of students and teachers in Waco ISD.  The positive response from the students and teachers featured in this movie is truly inspiring and motivating.  Be sure to visit the iCivics teachers’ section where you can find a collection of useful resources on how you can integrate the use of their games into your own classroom.    

The popularity of gaming in the classroom is rapidly growing and more studies are proving that it’s not just fun, it actually helps students learn!  iCivics, the developer of GameUp games Supreme Decision, Executive Command, Court Quest, Win the White House, Law Craft, Branches of Power, and Argument Wars, has recently released a video showing how the use of iCivics’ games is being implemented in the Waco Independent School District. To collect data that supports the success of a curriculum that integrates the use of these games, iCivics joined with Baylor University to get their games into the classroom.  The movie begins by explaining some of the important concepts students can learn through playing these games and further goes on to discuss the experiences of students and teachers in Waco ISD.  The positive response from the students and teachers featured in this movie is truly inspiring and motivating.  Be sure to visit the iCivics teachers’ section where you can find a collection of useful resources on how you can integrate the use of their games into your own classroom.  

That’s the name of the latest game added to BrainPOP’s GameUp. In Win the White House, students get to experience what it’s like to run a presidential campaign. Players choose issues that are important to them and their constituents, then hit the campaign trail as they set out to win 270 electoral votes.They must raise money, poll voters, and make strategic targeting decisions. We at BrainPOP love that this iCivics game offers an elementary, middle, and high school version so that students of various ages and abilities can participate. You can use the game in conjunction with our Presidential Election movie, or check out the Win the White House lesson plan to get more ideas for incorporating game play into your instruction. There are 5 other iCivics social studies games you can use to help students learn about government, presidential responsibilities, elections, laws, and other civics concepts.

Guest Blogger Brian M. Adams teaches at Copeland Middle School in Rockaway, NJ. He is caretaker of historyknowledge.com. He is a certified nerd and has no relation to the Canadian rock star.   As a history teacher, review of civics is a must.  In searching for new means of doing so and trying to find a different place to start, I checked with some old friends, Tim and Moby.  At the bottom of the BrainPOP site, I saw an icon for GameUp.  I found a link to Executive Command and I was set.   All my classes met in the computer lab one day.  My goal was for the students to better understand what the jobs and duties of the president.  The students brainstormed previously learned information and after that they logged on to the game.  I gave the students no instruction on how to play, what were the goals or how to score points.   I gave them a sheet which asked four questions: How do you earn points? How do you lose points? What roles do you fill as president?  (Create a list) What conclusions can you make about serving as president?   The assignment led to great… Read the Rest»

Are you a fan of GameUp? Do you love the BrainPOP Featured Movie App? Well then, we’ve got exciting news.  Our friends at Filament Games and iCivics have introduced the newest version of their most popular game: Pocket Law Firm for iOS. Win this game by taking on cases, matching advocates with clients and working hard for justice! You may have played this on the desktop before, but now you can take it with you!  Check it out and let us know what you think!