MediaMix: 'Flight to Freedom' for Black History Month
RSSBy Phyllis Levy Mandell
In Mission US: Flight to Freedom, players take on the role of Lucy, a 14-year-old slave in Kentucky in 1848. Students examine primary sources and meet and hear from members of her family, slave owners, abolitionists, and others as they make decisions that influence the outcome of the game, including helping her escape to Ohio via the Underground Railroad. Players learn about the experiences of runaway slaves, and find that the life of a former slave in the North was very difficult. A comprehensive education guide includes activities and more. The game is educational, fun, and will definitely hold the attention of students in grades 5 to 8. The first game in the series, For Crown or Colony, was launched in 2010. Players take on the role of 14-year-old Nat Wheeler, a printer's apprentice in 1770 Boston. During the Boston Massacre, he must decide if he will be loyal to the Patriots or the Loyalists. In 2011, Education Development Center (EDC) surveyed the use of Mission US: For Crown or Colony by 1,118 seventh and eighth graders in 50 schools. The study found "measurable gains in students' historical knowledge and skills, and yielded positive feedback from teachers." Also, "teachers reported that during and in between episodes of game pla Mission US: The Race for the Golden Spike, to be released in 2013, will deal with the building of the transcontinental railroad. In the 2014 release, The Sidewalks of New York, players will take on the role of a muckraking journalist and explore early 20th-century New York. This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.
February 2, 2012
Just in time for Black History Month, THIRTEEN (WNET/NY) has launched Flight to Freedom, its second free interactive, immersive role-playing game in its "Mission US" series. These games are designed to get middle school students excited about history and to have them see events through the eyes of teens from the past.
y, Mission US students were more likely than students in comparison classrooms to engage in literacy activities associated with critical thinking, such as writing about historical figures' views, reading and analyzing historical documents, and arguing about perspective and bias-skills that new education standards, such as the Common Core State Standards, seek to improve."
