TEKS US Government
Statecraft US Government simulation fulfills the TEKS US Government requirement by allowing students to play all of the major positions of the US political system as they work to pass bills, get elected, run campaigns, set foreign policy, conduct budget negotiations, and work to challenge or defend the constitutionality of bills and executive orders in federal court.
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
4.85 out of 5 stars
Based on Spring 2022 User Satisfaction Survey
Organized by Standards: TEKS US GOV Alignment
The US Government Simulation matches multiple TEKS US Government standards completely, mostly, and partially. Below is an overview which standards are met as such:
Completely
- B(1), B(6), C(2a-b) C(4a), C(5a-b), C(6a-d), C(6f), C(7a-c), C(7e-g), C(8a), C(8c-d), C(9b-c), C(12a-c), C(12e-f), C(13a), C(19a-e), C(20a-b), C(21)
Mostly
- B(8), C(7h), C(8b), C(9a), C(10a), C(11b), C(13b), C(15a-b), C(17a)
Partially
- B(4), C(6e), C(10b), C(11a), C(12d), C(12g), C(13c), C(14a-b), C(16a)
Length of Simulation & Class Time
The US Government Simulation contains 5 individual Periods where students make decisions with Period 0 being a Tutorial for students to establish a basic understanding of the simulation. Each Period lasts about a week, but can be condensed into 1 to 3 days.
Note: A general rule of thumb is that each period requires about 1.5 to 3 hours of work from the students.
We recommend establishing a 7 day per Period schedule with 30 – 45 minutes of a specific class day devoted to each Period in the simulation so that students can hold meetings and negotiations in class or over web conferencing.
Period 0
Period 0 is a tutorial week that gets students acquainted with their role, student profile, and basic abilities in the simulation. Period 0 is a low stakes scenario that can give students a small sim point boost heading into period 1.
Period 1 – 4
At the beginning of each Period in the US Government Simulation, students receive a Period Briefing based on their role along with grading incentives that motivate them to act and take actions similar to their real world counterparts. They gain key information that pertains to a larger storyline that connects students and facilitates collaboration and problem solving within the US political system. Instructors have access to each of the four Period Briefings for all roles in the instructor dashboard.
We recommend reviewing these briefings ahead of the class so instructors can better understand what to expect in the simulation.
Suggested Base Knowledge of Students
No base knowledge is required, however, to maximize the learning experience for students, we recommend the simulation be started after students learn the basics of the course such as: What is Congress? What is the Executive Branch? What are the Bill of Rights? Basic understanding of their powers and processes of their interactions can help in making simulation decisions.
Time of year to use
Instructors use the simulation all throughout the school year to engage their students. Many use it in the middle of the term to provide a connection with concepts before the final exam or as a final simulation debriefing presentation and essay assignment.
Class Assignments
- Role Research Assignment: When registering, students are prompted to identify their level extroversion and responsibility. They also choose their top 5 roles and after submitting the simulation takes all students information into account to assigns roles. Prior to registering, student can research and provide reasons why they chose their top 5 roles in this simulation.
- Memos: Reflection is key in students understanding their education and Statecraft simulations are no exception to the rule. Instructors can provide students with a list of memo prompts from which they can choose the one that applies to their unique experience on a weekly basis.
- Debrief Presentation: This presentation is designed to illuminate, for the entire class, key concepts that are experienced most intensely by certain students rather than the whole class. For example, members of Congress will most directly experience the pressures of seeking reelection and passing legislation, and these questions prompt members of Congress to share these experiences with others. It is recommended that you spend at least 30-60 minutes of class time focusing on debriefing after the simulation has concluded for the semester.
Student Engagement Tracking
- Weekly emails go straight to the instructors inbox and describe: an overview of sim play; a list of students who are performing well; and a list of students who might need more encouragement.
- Within the instructor dashboard, there is a Student Events tab that lists every action a student takes and can be perused to gain a overview of the direction of the sim.
- Instructors can log into each students’ dashboard and read their messages and chats to see with which peers a student may be interacting.
Grading
The following grading criteria is a basic recommendation and can be customized to fit your classroom needs.
- 5% – Simulation Performance: Students’ simulation performance score is out of 100 points possible, and is based on your achievement of in-game goals. For example, members of Congress will earn points for reelection and achievement of policy goals. Details of students’ goals and an updated performance score throughout the simulation will be available on the student simulation dashboard and viewable by instructors. Students who achieve a score of 71-75 (out of 100) which implies satisfactory (though mediocre) performance and they will receive full credit (5%). Higher scores will earn students up to 2.5% (.5% per every 5 additional Sim Points) extra credit toward their course grade.
- 5% – Role Research Assignment: Students research the roles and submit an assignment that include their top 5 roles, descriptions, duties, and why they are interested in each role.
- 10% – Simulation Participation: Students can connect the course materials more meaningfully to their US Government class by writing weekly memos. Each completed memo per Period can count as 2% of their overall grade.
- 15% to 25% – Debriefing Presentation: The debriefing presentation puts students into presentation teams with a representative from Congress, the Executive Bench, the Media, and an interest group. Students present their 360 degree perspective of major simulation events. For example, part of the presentation may ask them to describe conflicts between the President and Congress in the U.S. Gov simulation and relate these to the Constitutional powers given to each branch of government. Students can explain their perspective from the simulation and answer questions as the class reflects on key moments in the simulation that influenced major simulation event outcomes. (Highly recommended, students love it)
- 10% to 25% – Debriefing Paper: A paper that accompanies the debriefing presentation over the same topic. Students turn in their paper after they present their debrief to the class on their chosen US Government topic.