21 Ways to Use GeoPlunge in the Classroom

1. Use the quick and easy games to engage and immerse students in United States geography.
2. Develop communication skills, study habits, and community through GeoPlunge games and activities. Check out our resources!
3. Play GeoPlunge during indoor recess.
4. Use GeoPlunge games as an incentive for fast finishers.
5. Use GeoPlunge as a team builder and 5 minute movement break. Hand out 1 GeoPlunge card to each student. As quickly as possible, have them line up by state rank for statehood. Time them! Repeat with a different category. Did they beat their previous time? Make it a silent activity!
6. Keep students engaged by playing GeoPlunge games during morning arrival time or after they have packed up for the day. Many games may be played in just a few minutes.
7. Observe students playing GeoPlunge and take anecdotal notes regarding communication skills, behaviors, and/or content knowledge.
8. Use GeoPlunge cards to develop critical and creative thinking skills such as questioning, comparing and contrasting, building fluency and flexibility, visualizing and making decisions.
9. Use the GeoPlunge cards to ask state trivia during snack time.
10. Use feedback from GeoPlunge activities to fine-tune U.S. Geography lesson plans.
11. Select a student as the “State Expert” of the day. Their role is to share important state information from the GeoPlunge cards at various points during the day.
12. Use GeoPlunge for outdoor learning activities. See our resources for ideas.
13. Have students randomly select one of the GeoPlunge cards. The card they pick is the state they research for an in-depth research assignment.
14. Host a grade-level tournament by playing a series of games and crowning a grade level winner. Hold a play-off between grade level winners.
15. Explore the GeoPlunge cards with students as Flat Stanley starts traveling the country.
16. Every teacher has a few minutes here and there during transitions. Why not make it educational? Have a student select a card at random. Either provide facts or ask questions about the information on the card.
17. Blend GeoPlunge into curriculum instruction alongside technology like Google Maps, Google Earth, or learning how GPS works.
18. Collaborate with another classroom across the state or country. Learn about each other’s states. Play a game of GeoPlunge long distance through Skype or a Google Hangout!
19. What do you do when you have finished teaching your curriculum, taken your standardized tests, and still have 6 weeks until the end of the school year? Turn to GeoPlunge! What a great time to play the games, keep students engaged, and create a tournament within your school.
20. Many schools have a block of time for students to participate in enrichment activities or to remediate an area of weakness. GeoPlunge makes a great enrichment opportunity for students to learn United States geography or a way to practice non-fiction reading skills.
21. At the start of the year, sort out all of the GeoPlunge cards representing the states that students visited during the summer. Have them write a short description about something they remember from that state–landforms, places of interest, landmarks, or cities, and draw a picture to go along with it. Have students select a few facts from the GeoPlunge card to include in their design. Use their responses to make a geography-themed bulletin board.

Barb Bailey is the Director of Learning at LearningPlunge, Inc. She has a Master of Education degree and 15 years of teaching experience. Barb is committed to providing high quality educational resources for all children. Reach out to her at [email protected].