*(This post is NOT sponsored by the makers of these apps. I discovered and implemented these apps by my own free will. The opinions stated are mine and mine alone.)*
Ok so, I know very well that teachers don't like to buy things if they don't need to, however, I'm going to ask you to bear with me for a minute and hear me out. I have decided this is one of the best (it not THE best) app ever created for the classroom. Never in my life have I ever paid more than 99 cents for an app, but let me tell you, EVERY SINGLE PENNY WAS WELL SPENT! Ok, let me just dive on in and introduce you to.....

At the beginning of the year I started off by setting a foundation for the class. I decided the bast way to start would be teaching about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  I assigned each student a different section of the constitution. Their task was to read it, then write it in their own words. I told them to write it as if they had to explain their section to their best friend; summarize it. Afterwards. They had to go around to all their classmates and write their section summary as well. At the end of the day they would have the whole constitution in short and easily understandable terms. I plan to have them u this as a quick reference. Hopefully they will be able to tell me what part of the constitution (and eventually the amendments) that a particular idea or viewpoint stems from. Then we can discuss how different interpretations of the constitution affect history in different ways.

The next day I had them GIST the amendments to the constitution. They had to write about each amendment but they can only use 5 words maximum. This keeps them from just rewriting it, and they have to think about what is actually important. It helps them pull out meaningful words and gives them a quick reference guide. 

When I realized I was going to have to teach the Cold War conflicts I realized right away that my students would either think it was boring or wouldn't understand how the events related. I remembered thinking both the US and the USSR were just overreacting and making stupid decisions, but hindsight is 20/20. 
For my simulation, I used fake country names and divided my students into the US and the USSR. I told them that the object of the game was to be the country with the most land and the most control. It was a fantastic success. The students acted the same way both countries did during the Cold War. It really helped them to understand the reasoning behind the decisions that were made and why these different conflicts were so important to the future of the world. 

I've decided to make it available to anyone who would like it. The files below contain the procedures, the discussion questions, and the map I used. I created the map using a fantasy world generator and Notebook. 

NOTE: the procedure looks like this is long and arduous, but actuality it took about 45 minutes. 

let me know what you think! If it worked for you, if it didn't or any changes you made to fit your specific needs. :)