Educational Applications Using

Generations^TM has been positively reviewed by students, parents, historical organizations, story-telling and library professionals, genealogists, and educators.

• For grades 4-6: the game board portion of Generations^TM can be utilized as an extra-curricular activity during school hours or for after-school programs. It provides fun while also developing logical reasoning skills. When story-telling is encouraged, it can also enhance U.S. history and communications skills.

• For grades 4 - 12+ : As an added plus, educators have found that the Generations^TMED instructions free students from the gameboard, while providing a creative and fun resource for learning. Generations^TMED builds on knowledge of U.S. history while developing library research and communications skills using the theme of family history. This creative classroom adaption may be used with individual students in a homeschool environment or for groups as large as 31 students. The Generations^TMED classroom version utilizes multiple critical thinking skills in conjunction with U.S. history and library research assignments.

  The Generations^TMED adaption frees students from the game board by having them "draw" a series of cards and numbers (from the game) to determine the generation (time in history) in which a particular fictional ancestor lived and his/her career, lifestyle, and U.S. birthplace. These "facts" are used to outline the lives of the fictional ancestors, forming the basis of learning assignments. Opportunities for exploring native-American and international cultures are provided by exploring where the ancestors in the "oldest" generation were born. When born outside of what is now the United States, discussions can include why and how they left their birthplaces.

  Once the outlines of ancestors lives are known, classroom assignments are derived through the development of stories that depict lives of make-believe individuals through-out various periods of U.S. history. Educators may incorporate library research, written assignments, oral presentations, role playing, notebook development, and illustrations into classroom projects. Students are encouraged to utilize stories and artifacts from real ancestors' lives to provide a more personal and real historical perspective of our nation's history.

• Add to the fun of oral presentations by assigning an interviewer (parent ,volunteer, or student playing the role of a well known personality) to ask questions. One educator even video taped the interviews as students dressed in costumes played the role of the ancestor they had researched. Such videos could be shared with parents and other classes.

• A high school American history teacher in Frenship, Texas incorporates Generations^TM in his classroom assignments. He aligns the time-span for each generation with a major unit in American history, following the family throughout the year. Ancestors who are "alive" at the end of each unit are "interviewed" to determine the impact on their lives and their reaction to historic events.