Got to Catch 'Em All!

Are you engulfed in Pokémon Go? I am! I am addicted to catching those little pocket monsters. Naturally, I began to think about how I can use it in school. While we were going around town playing, we kept finding the coolest historical markers. We learned so much about the history of our students.  I had the perfect idea! Why don’t I encourage families to play the game with their children?

I want families to be able to go out and learn more about the city they live in! Many of them come to class and not even know their city! If I can get the families out scavenger hunting for historical markers (and the Pokémon!) they can build up their background knowledge of many of our Social Studies standards. So, I just have to pair it with reading and writing! The pictures you see are from some of the historical Pokéstops around Nashville! These are located in Centennial Park, but there are so many more around the city, even in the neighborhood in which I teach!

Here’s the deal!

1.    Families that Pokémon together, learn together.

2.  Students write a paragraph about the landmark they visited, what they learned from it, their impression, and (yes!) what creature they caught!

3.  They bring the paragraph to me for a reward! (Maybe a piece of candy, a pencil, Pokémon stickers!)

I made several sheets to use in class. Some are full page sheets, and another one is a ink-saver. It allows 5 entries per page, and it is in black and white. Get your copy here!  

How are you using Pokémon Go in your classroom?