Snapshots Across America Game

Name: Snapshots Across America Game
Brand: Sandell Gameshttps://snapshotsusagame.com/

by Sandell Gameshttps://snapshotsusagame.com/

Social_studiesGrades 2–12

About This Curriculum

A board game that teaches US geography by having players travel across a map to visit tourist attractions from all 50 states.

What makes it unique: Dr. Toy Award-winning geography game that combines fun family gameplay with educational content about US states, landmarks, and tourist attractions

Snapshots Across America Game: Geography-Focused Board Game

Snapshots Across America Game is a board game curriculum that teaches US geography through gameplay where players travel across a map to collect tourist attraction cards from all 50 states. Created by a homeschooling family, it serves as an alternative approach to traditional geography instruction for ages 8 and up.

Best for

Families seeking a supplementary, game-based approach to US geography learning, particularly those using unschooling methods or wanting to add engaging geography activities to their curriculum

Evaluation Criteria

1 strength · 4 concerns · 2 neutral

Geographic KnowledgeStrength

The game strongly emphasizes US geography, teaching state locations, regional differences, and tourist attractions across all 50 states.

Reviews highlight that players learn 'states, their locations, historical sites, and tourist attractions' and must navigate 'through one state at a time' while learning about weather patterns by region

Primary SourcesConcern

The curriculum does not incorporate primary source documents as it is primarily a geography-focused board game.

Reviews describe the game as using 'tourist attraction cards with photos and descriptions' but make no mention of historical documents, letters, or other primary sources

Teacher TrainingConcern

No teacher training materials are provided as this is designed as a standalone board game rather than a comprehensive curriculum.

Reviews describe only 'a brief, two-sided instructional page included with the game' for rules, with no mention of pedagogical guidance or background content for teachers

Direct InstructionConcern

The game provides minimal direct instruction, relying primarily on incidental learning through gameplay.

Reviews indicate learning happens through gameplay mechanics and card descriptions, with one noting parents might 'throw in quick bits of historical information,' but no structured lesson plans are mentioned

Chronological KnowledgeConcern

The game includes some historical sites as tourist attractions but does not systematically build chronological historical knowledge.

Reviews mention that 'many of the tourist attractions are historical sites' and cards include 'Revolutionary War sites,' but the game focuses on geography rather than historical sequencing

Retrieval PracticeNeutral

The game incorporates some retrieval practice through repeated exposure to state locations and attractions during gameplay.

Players must repeatedly navigate between states and recall locations of attractions, and reviewers note playing 'four games the first day' suggests natural repetition

Vocabulary BuildingNeutral

Limited vocabulary instruction as the game focuses on place names and basic geographic terms rather than academic social studies vocabulary.

Reviews mention 'short descriptions of attractions' on cards but do not indicate systematic vocabulary instruction or academic terminology development

Sources: cathyduffyreviews.com, thecurriculumchoice.com