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JFK Challenge

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This JFK Challenge app also includes:

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. And so begins your invigorating, innovative learning experience in the JFK Challenge app! Learners choose from two "missions" and go back in time to discover what training one might have experienced to volunteer overseas with the Peace Corps or prepare for a moon landing as an astronaut. This is a stellar resource for every elementary social studies instructor! 

4th - 11th Social Studies & History 74 Views 38 Downloads
CCSS: Adaptable
Concepts
john f. kennedy, the cuban missile crisis, the space race, the peace corps, united states presidents, humanitarian work, nasa, space exploration, space programs, space flight, astronauts, space shuttles, space travel
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Additional Tags
social studies
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App Overview

Main Features

  • Choose from two "missions" to train for
  • More than 10 games and activities 
  • Highly engaging interface with variety of interaction types
  • Narrated, informative introductory videos for each mission 
  • Archival photos, film footage, and audio clips

The Peace Corps Mission

  • Practice translating Spanish words that might be used on a humanitarian mission
  • Identify country flags
  • Locate countries around the globe where Peace Corps missions were launched
  • Identify the type of humanitarian work done in foreign countries like India, Thailand, and the Philippines

The Space Race Mission

  • Identify components of a space suit
  • Land and launch spacecraft carefully, and describe what technology must be considered in the process
  • Land a crew safely on the moon
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Curator Rating
  • Adherence to task
  • Worth the money
  • Fun factor
  • Scaffolding of learning
  • User safety
  • Control and feedback
  • How techie do I need to be?
    Novice
See rubric.
Instructional Ideas
  • View the intro videos with your class when you begin a unit on United States presidents, community service, or space exploration
  • Ask learners to answer questions that will assess their learning at the end of each level. For example, why was it important to dig the canal? What materials were needed to make bricks for the housing project? How did your experiences playing the space games help you understand what it might feel like to be an astronaut?
Classroom Considerations
  • Missions are "locked" until the activity in the preceding level has been completed
  • While most of the activities are best suited for an individual player, consider having students work with partners for help with more complicated concepts or skills, and to practice taking turns for each activity
Pros
  • Highly engaging, dynamic graphics, illustrations, and videos
  • Highlights several noteworthy quotes by JFK
  • Includes narration for intro videos to access more auditory learners
  • Large collection of information presented in an exciting format
Cons
  • No way for teacher to track student progress