Golden History Museums gameplay in the classroom makes history and economics fun

An interactive classroom game that uses decision-making and fun scenarios to combine history and economics in the classroom is entering its second year in Denver-area schools.

Third- and fourth-grade students are using the fully facilitated Building Colorado program offered by Golden History Museums to study historical topics and economics—part of official state standards. The game was developed with Jefferson County Public Schools teachers and content experts.

Students exercise choice-based learning in the game to observe how actual historical events might have turned out differently. “Student teams decide whether they want to invest in silver during the Silver Boom of 1878, for instance,” says Interpretation Coordinator Katie March. “Those that don’t diversify their investments realize the consequences by losing all their money when silver goes bust in 1893.”

“We’ve also added additional cities to the game so students will be able to get a broader view of Colorado and people who have lived here,” says March. “It’s a great way to celebrate the historical and modern human diversity in our state.”

Building Colorado “has been a huge asset to meeting the common core standards,” said Mitchell Elementary fourth-grade teacher Suzanne Scohy, of the 90-minute program. “The students were engaged immediately and didn’t even realize they were applying concepts they had learned during the units.”

Museum Director Nathan Richie said, “the biggest strength of Building Colorado is that by combining history and economics, students can make a personal connection to Colorado history while also experiencing abstract economic concepts. Both subjects are easier to understand when the kids are inspired and engaged. That’s our goal with every class we visit.”

Enrollment is open now and throughout the school year at GoldenHistory.org/BuildingColorado or by calling 303-278-3557.

Golden History Museums engages and inspires visitors by preserving and sharing Golden’s history.