The Reacting to the Past game was a truly exciting activity to witness. The students all received ample historical source material (around 20 pages on average) regarding the historical figure who they are assigned to “play.” From this source material and through their own research, the students write speeches for their characters.
The teacher prompts these speeches and other interactions via an educational-focused social media app, but the students only know their own part, so the students experience the historical event along with each other in “real-time.” On the day I observed, the last day of the Ratification Convention in New York in 1788, federalist and anti-federalist delegates gave their closing arguments for ratifying or rejecting the Constitution.
One delegate challenged another to a duel, and they “fought” to the death (the outcome was decided by a dice roll)! Finally, after the final vote in which the Convention narrowly chose to ratify the new Constitution, a large number of disenfranchised peoples rose and spoke about the inequalities implied in the new Constitution for people of color, women, the uneducated, and the poor.
The Reacting to the Past game fostered a high level of student engagement and execution. I was extremely impressed with the level of writing that I heard in the students’ speeches, and I believe that the game provided excellent scaffolding to help the students in writing their speeches. The students watching the action stayed engaged throughout, reacting with cheers, boos, and pounding desks with fists. I have never before seen such a large class so involved in a lesson. Everyone seemed to be genuinely enjoying the experience, and just as importantly, the students showed that they had actually engaged with history.