Good tool for an introduction to the Supreme Court

Good introduction for the Congressional Hearing that my students do at the end of the year. It helped them understand part of the process involved in Supreme Court decision. They wanted to hear and learn more after this lesson. It also got them thinking about the fact that you have to look at all sides of an issue, not just the possible obvious one. You definitely need to work further through the process after doing this, but it is a good start.

I think that this lesson is great as a supplement during a unit on the US government and/or the Constitution. It is not comprehensive enough to be a stand-alone lesson on the Supreme Court but is good as entry into thinking about the different arguments the Supreme Court has to weigh. It's good also for my students who are struggling readers or need multiple opportunities with the similar content because it's audio-based (though the text is also supplied so students who are limited English could read and listen at the same time). It's a bit slow as a game, and my students think of it as an enriched assignment rather than a game. Even though you can get points for getting comprehension questions correct, the points weren't much of an incentive for my students. I use many of the iCivics games (on the iCivics website and through Everfi's Commons), and this isn't as engaging as some of the other games. Students complete the assignment, but rarely choose to replay it.

I really enjoyed the gameplay tied to actual history. My opinion about the game is that I will definitely use it. Some APPS that are out there have too much "fluff" without actual history in them. This APP combines both and I like that it came full circle by the end of the game.