Using AgentSheets Simulations in the Social Studies Classroom

By way of background, the simulations included with these materials were developed by high school students in grades 9-12. Students created simulations on topics including: how peaceful protest marches turn violent, the UFW Grape Boycott, the Kent State demonstrations, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Ludlow Massacre, the labor strikes in Flint, Michigan in the 1030s, the growth of suburbs following WWII, and the impact of the automobile on 20th century society. In nearly every case, the students who designed and developed these simulations were NOT computer savvy, in any sort of computer club, or particularly fond of computers at all. Each simulation is embedded in a web page that includes historical background, links to relevant web pages, and information about how to "run" the simulation. The simulations were developed as a way of demonstrating student understanding of concepts related to courses in "Protest and Reform in U.S. History" and "20^th Century U.S. History." A longer description of the classroom setting in which these simulations were developed can be found by going to The Social Education article

There are currently eight AgentSheets social studies simulations. While each has similar attributes, they are also unique in their content and approach to simulating complex social and historical phenomena. The eight simulations are summarized below:

• Grape Boycott Project: This simulation focuses on the Cesar Chavez-led boycott of grapes as part of the unionizing efforts of the United Farm Workers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The simulation creates two "venues:" the farms where workers faced difficult working conditions and intolerance from farm owners and the markets where the actual grape boycott played itself out. Students gain an understanding of labor practices in the California grape fields and how a boycott takes time and organizing to accomplish its goals. The simulation has a good degree of interactivity in that students can manipulate different Agents to see how conditions in the fields and in the market might change under a variety of circumstances. The web page provides links to the UFW web page, photos, an historical overview of the events surrounding the organizing of farm workers, and recent labor issues related to the United Farm Workers.

• Protest Project: Students have simulated how hecklers and agitators can turn a planned peaceful protest march into a violent one and how the police react to violence in protest marches. T he goal is to simulate the experiences of civil rights and anti-war protesters who attempted to march peacefully for their causes, but faced angry counter-protesters or had rock throwing individuals within their own group. It also shows what happens when the police, who are acting in their capacity as law enforcement personnel to protect the right of assembly, face stone throwing protesters and agitators. This simulation has a high degree of interactivity and enables students to easily manipulate Agents to see what happens when there are more or fewer violent protesters. The web page provides background on the simulation.

• Flint Strikes: In the 1930s workers at General Motors automobile assembly plants engaged in a sit-down strike for improved labor conditions. In this simulation, students see how the strike progressed, how supporters outside the factory played crucial roles in the strike’s eventual success, and the reaction of management and local officials. There is less interactivity in this simulation; students created a project that shows what happened, but left few opportunities for users of the simulation to adjust variables. The web page provides an excellent and comprehensive overview of the history of the Flint Sit Down Strike, one of the more significant events in U.S. labor history.

• Kent State Demonstrations: In May of 1970, four students protesting U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war and the spread of that war into Cambodia were shot by National Guard troops on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio. The simulation shows the movement of the protesters and the National Guard in relation to one another and illustrates how tensions between the protesters and National Guard eventually escalated to actual gunfire. Students who use this simulation are able to change a number of variables to play out different scenarios for the protest and to see whether the shootings were necessarily inevitable. The web page gives a day by day and hour by hour account of the events at Kent State and provides links to related sites on the internet.

• Ludlow Massacre: One of the most brutal engagements between labor and management occurred in coal fields of southern Colorado in 1913-1914. The events at the small town of Ludlow, where striking miners were massacred by company officials, are portrayed in this simulation. Like the Flint Strike simulation, there are few variables to manipulate in this simulation, but students can gain a better understanding of this important event in labor history by working with the simulation and using the comprehensive narrative provided in the web page.

• Montgomery Bus Boycott: One of the most important events in the recent struggle for civil rights was the bus boycott that was lead by Dr. Martin Luther King in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. This simulation combines AgentSheets technology with video clips to illustrate the events surrounding the arrest of Rosa Parks, the subsequent organizing efforts, and the eventual integration of the Montgomery bus system. The video clips combine well with the web page to help students understand the nature of segregation and the struggle for equal rights by African Americans in the American south.

Rise of the Suburbs: This simulation illustrates some of the dynamics involved in urban sprawl and the growth of suburbs, specifically after WW II. Students see that as developers build new homes, there is an increase in demand for roads and more housing and a parallel decay of the former urban centers. Like several other simulations, this one his a relatively high degree of interactivity that allows students to manipulate variables related to urban sprawl and the rise of the suburbs. The web page provides a summary of suburban growth, primarily after WW II and links to relevant web sites.

• Impact of the Automobile: Linked to the Rise of the Suburbs simulation, this one illustrates how the automobile came to change nearly everything about life in the 20^th century United States. The simulation begins with an entrepreneur on horseback who decides to settle in a particular place. With the rise of centers of population came the invention of the automobile. Students see how, over time, demands for gasoline, convenience stores, motels, and other auto-related businesses grew along with roads and traffic jams. Students are not only able to manipulate Agents, they must do so in order to prevent gridlock in the simulation. The web page for this project provides a basic overview of the impact of the automobile on society and links to other web pages.

There are a variety of places in the social studies curriculum where AgentSheets simulations can be used as classroom teaching tools. The original simulations were built as projects in a class called "Protest and Reform in U.S. History." The focus was on the protest movements that have shaped this country from the initial protests of the American colonists through the Abolition and Women’s Suffrage movements to the Civil Rights and anti-war movements of recent history. Other simulations were built for a class on "20^th Century U.S. History" and focused on the growth of suburbs and the impact of the automobile in American life. These simulations might also be useful in Sociology and Anthropology courses or in Civics classes. The chart below illustrates possible curricular "fits" for these simulations.

There are a variety ways in which AgentSheets simulations can be used in a social studies classroom. When only one computer is available, the teacher can use an LCD projection device and work with the class as a whole. When a computer lab is available, or some smaller number of computers, students can work in pairs or small groups to discover the content that drives these simulations. The instructional materials included here should help teachers use these student-developed AgentSheets simulations in their own classrooms.

The are two ways in which the existing simulations can be used with students. The simulations can be used by the teacher as a powerful teaching tool for whole class instruction to help students understand the specific content that is the focus of a particular simulation. Secondly, students can learn via their own manipulation of the existing simulations and by interacting with the content based web pages. Each of these means of instruction are addressed in these materials. These simulations and their web pages are also excellent resources for teachers to teach themselves about the particular historical events or phenomena addressed by the simulations. A rigorous process of historical inquiry is at the foundation of each simulation and web page.

Teaching with AgentSheets simulations can be done in a variety of configurations–from one class period to several days. The lesson plans that follow provide specific guidelines for how long a particular activity should take. One way of using these simulations would be for a single class period as a way of introducing the concepts related to the simulation topic. For example, a class exploring social change in the 1960s and 1970s might want to spend a class period working with the Grape Boycott simulation. This could serve as an introduction to the ideas of Hispanic/Latino/Chicano rights and how boycotts work as a means of bringing about social change. Another class exploring labor history might want to examine the Ludlow Massacre simulation and web page as a way of learning about this historical incident. Another class might want to examine its own community’s growth by interacting with the Suburban Growth simulation. Insights gained from a class period learning about the forces that led to suburban sprawl could be expanded with other class activities. Thus, these simulations can serve as a way of generating interest and questions about different historical topics.

It is also possible to use the simulations in a more extended format–covering two or more days of class time. In this case, students would have opportunities to delve further into the actual simulations, manipulate the variables in different ways, and explore the content found in the web pages. Lesson plans for these sorts of activities are also found in these materials.

The model lesson plans included with these materials are only a beginning for exploring ways of using AgentSheets simulations in social studies classrooms. The plans can be readily modified to fit a different simulation, or can be extended to serve the particular needs of a given classroom. One of the best ways of using the simulations is to "play" with them yourself to discover the particular bits of content and skill building that best fit your particular curriculum and student population.