Simulation – Inquiry Teaching https://www.inquiry-teaching.com Lesson Plans for Inquiry Based Teaching Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:01:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-inquiry-home-v2-1-32x32.jpg Simulation – Inquiry Teaching https://www.inquiry-teaching.com 32 32 A Simulation of Congress https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/lesson/a-simulation-of-congress/ Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:25:31 +0000 https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/?post_type=product&p=5750 Regarding Current Events: We recognize that our democracy is under incredible stress today, and that the majority of Americans think  Congress is a broken institution.  With the release of this product, we hope that teachers can show students how the Legislative Branch is supposed to function.  With this inquiry based learning, students will also be better equipped to consider what reforms might improve and enhance this part of our government.   We have spent decades working on our Simulation of Congress.  This set of materials provides teachers with directions, resources, and guides to run a complete simulation of the House of Representatives.  Our students have often considered this simulation to be one of the highlights of their school year!  The learning is deep, and often quite meaningful to students.  As teachers, we also enjoyed this unit more than any other. Way back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, we created Version 1 of this simulation using Apple's HyperCard program.  Our Simulation of Congress Version 1 had 100+ fictitious Members of Congress for students to portray, a tool for writing bills, the ability to randomly select the Members to be assigned, and other features that only a software program could provide.  We sold a great many licenses for this software.  However, when teaching US Government classes ourselves, we found having our students portray the real members of Congress was better and as online resources became readily available for researching Members and their districts, students learned additional skills.  All of the materials you will find in Version 2 of our product are improvements we've made over the past 25. The Simulation of Congress Version 2 comes with our Analyzing Congress Database Activity which should be used as one of the preliminary lessons.  There's no need to purchase this additional lesson plan separately.
  • Subject Areas: Government, Civics, Social Sciences, Humanities
  • Materials Required: Printed copies of the materials we provide, recordings of CSPAN segments or Internet access to stream them.  For the Analyzing Congress activity: A virtual classroom or other screen sharing tool, or a large screen display with a computer.
  • Time Needed: Typically 5 to 7 weeks with five hour long class periods per week or a similar block schedule.
Below is an image showing the suggested scheduling of lessons and activities one could use with this unit: Calendar of lessons to be used with the Simulation of Congress]]> Regarding Current Events: We recognize that our democracy is under incredible stress today, and that the majority of Americans think  Congress is a broken institution.  With the release of this product, we hope that teachers can show students how the Legislative Branch is supposed to function.  With this inquiry based learning, students will also be better equipped to consider what reforms might improve and enhance this part of our government.  

We have spent decades working on our Simulation of Congress.  This set of materials provides teachers with directions, resources, and guides to run a complete simulation of the House of Representatives.  Our students have often considered this simulation to be one of the highlights of their school year!  The learning is deep, and often quite meaningful to students.  As teachers, we also enjoyed this unit more than any other.

Way back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, we created Version 1 of this simulation using Apple’s HyperCard program.  Our Simulation of Congress Version 1 had 100+ fictitious Members of Congress for students to portray, a tool for writing bills, the ability to randomly select the Members to be assigned, and other features that only a software program could provide.  We sold a great many licenses for this software.  However, when teaching US Government classes ourselves, we found having our students portray the real members of Congress was better and as online resources became readily available for researching Members and their districts, students learned additional skills.  All of the materials you will find in Version 2 of our product are improvements we’ve made over the past 25.

The Simulation of Congress Version 2 comes with our Analyzing Congress Database Activity which should be used as one of the preliminary lessons.  There’s no need to purchase this additional lesson plan separately.

  • Subject Areas: Government, Civics, Social Sciences, Humanities
  • Materials Required: Printed copies of the materials we provide, recordings of CSPAN segments or Internet access to stream them.  For the Analyzing Congress activity: A virtual classroom or other screen sharing tool, or a large screen display with a computer.
  • Time Needed: Typically 5 to 7 weeks with five hour long class periods per week or a similar block schedule.

Below is an image showing the suggested scheduling of lessons and activities one could use with this unit:

Calendar of lessons to be used with the Simulation of Congress

]]> Discovering Atlantis https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/lesson/atlantis/ Tue, 05 Sep 2017 02:39:50 +0000 http://www.inquiry-teaching.com/?post_type=product&p=336 culminating activity simulates the analysis of an archaeological dig on an imaginary island thought to be Atlantis. Students may work in groups or independently as they write an essay using deductive inferences.  Essays are then shared in a "read-around" activity.  This lesson packet contains all you need to run the simulation, with directions and step by step guidance for the read-around activity, too, plus additional resources that may be used as extensions of this lesson. Atlantis typically takes most classes two full periods to complete in addition to a homework assignment.  It may take three to three and a half class periods if the writing is done completely in class. Please consider adding a good introductory lesson to making deductive inferences by using our "The Flowers of Guatemala" lesson.
  • Subject Area: History, Social Sciences
  • Materials Required: Printed handouts, optional need for a whiteboard or display, too
  • Time Needed: Two full class periods, plus homework, or three in-class work days total.
 ]]> Always a fun activity for students, this culminating activity simulates the analysis of an archaeological dig on an imaginary island thought to be Atlantis.

Students may work in groups or independently as they write an essay using deductive inferences.  Essays are then shared in a “read-around” activity.  This lesson packet contains all you need to run the simulation, with directions and step by step guidance for the read-around activity, too, plus additional resources that may be used as extensions of this lesson.

Atlantis typically takes most classes two full periods to complete in addition to a homework assignment.  It may take three to three and a half class periods if the writing is done completely in class.

Please consider adding a good introductory lesson to making deductive inferences by using our “The Flowers of Guatemala” lesson.

  • Subject Area: History, Social Sciences
  • Materials Required: Printed handouts, optional need for a whiteboard or display, too
  • Time Needed: Two full class periods, plus homework, or three in-class work days total.

 

]]> Win as Much as You Can! – Simulation Game https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/lesson/win-as-much-as-you-can/ Wed, 23 Aug 2017 02:36:58 +0000 http://www.inquiry-teaching.com/?post_type=product&p=270 free Teachers Guide to Instructional Simulation Games which provides details about this lesson format and the methodology behind it. "Win as Much as You Can!" is designed to show how a perceived competition for resources can give a group (or groups) the appearance of success, while in reality the only way to truly "win" the game is through cooperation. After playing the simulation game, students will analyze and evaluate how cooperation and competition affect our world (or country) today.
  • Subject Areas: Social Sciences, Sciences, Humanities, Government
  • Materials Required: Optional – whiteboard or display for posting prompts
  • Time Needed: Typically an entire class period
 ]]> This simulation game never fails to get student involvement and lots of enthusiastic responses. It has worked very well with 5th graders all the way to high school seniors.  When introduced properly and followed up with a complete debriefing, usually runs an entire class period. Be sure to also download our free Teachers Guide to Instructional Simulation Games which provides details about this lesson format and the methodology behind it.

“Win as Much as You Can!” is designed to show how a perceived competition for resources can give a group (or groups) the appearance of success, while in reality the only way to truly “win” the game is through cooperation. After playing the simulation game, students will analyze and evaluate how cooperation and competition affect our world (or country) today.

  • Subject Areas: Social Sciences, Sciences, Humanities, Government
  • Materials Required: Optional – whiteboard or display for posting prompts
  • Time Needed: Typically an entire class period

 

 

]]> World War III Simulation Game https://www.inquiry-teaching.com/lesson/world-war-iii-simulation-game/ Mon, 21 Aug 2017 14:36:53 +0000 http://www.inquiry-teaching.com/?post_type=product&p=163
  • How was our game similar to the real world?
  • Does Mutually Assured Destruction “work”?
  • What facilitates trust?
  • What makes M.A.D. stronger and more believable?
  • Do these forces work against one another?
  • If you could play the game again, do you think you could achieve a better outcome?  Why or why not?
    • Be sure to also pick up our free Teaching Guide for Instructional Simulation Games to learn about this teaching strategy.
    • Subject Areas: Social Sciences, Sciences, Humanities, Government
    • Materials Required: Optional – whiteboard or display for posting prompts, printed handouts from this packet
    • Time Needed: Typically an entire class period
    ]]>     This lesson plan is intended for use with any study of the Cold War, or reading any post-apocalyptic literature.   It can also be used to facilitate discussions of the power of the President in the modern era.  The debriefing questions used for this lesson highlight what is hoped to be learned:

    • How was our game similar to the real world?
    • Does Mutually Assured Destruction “work”?
    • What facilitates trust?
    • What makes M.A.D. stronger and more believable?
    • Do these forces work against one another?
    • If you could play the game again, do you think you could achieve a better outcome?  Why or why not?

    Be sure to also pick up our free Teaching Guide for Instructional Simulation Games to learn about this teaching strategy.

    • Subject Areas: Social Sciences, Sciences, Humanities, Government
    • Materials Required: Optional – whiteboard or display for posting prompts, printed handouts from this packet
    • Time Needed: Typically an entire class period
    ]]>