"Reacting to the Past" (RTTP) is an innovative role-playing pedagogy designed to engage undergraduate students in the history of ideas. The curriculum consists of elaborate games, set in the past, in which students are assigned roles informed by seminal texts in the humanities and sciences. Class sessions are run entirely by students; instructors advise and guide students and grade their oral and written work. It seeks to draw students into the past, promote engagement with big ideas, and improve intellectual and academic skills.
Pioneered by Professor Mark Carnes at Barnard College in 1996, the project is supported by the Reacting Consortium of colleges and universities.
Learn more about how Reacting can enliven your classroom at reactingconsortium.org
Reacting to the Past and its materials are copyrighted.
The game materials are college reading level. We have used the Athens simulations with 9th graders and the Constitutional Convention with 10th graders at my school (private school). Based on two years experience, I had better simulations with stronger groups of tenth graders (i.e. Students who goof off can lower the quality of a simulation. Weaker students finder the material for challenging, but that don't necessarily lower the tone of the class.) I imagine that you could take a game and simplify it. That said, I have also seen similar simulations (like putting Andrew Jackson on trial) for a middle school class.
Had several Reacting classes throughout my time studying History @ SIUC - by far my favorite way to study history; That's coming from a history major lol
Apparently SHE used information to win. Sad, she seems like a decent person who just made a mistake in a moment of weakness. I hope she has learned a valuable lesson and becomes a better person because of it.
I was lucky enough to experience React to the Past twice in college. I made my closest friends, and studies my hardest. It was an amazing experience and I hope every higher lever history teacher gives this a try!
