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Mission US: Think Fast! About the Past

Test your knowledge of history as you race against the clock! Featuring characters from the online role-playing adventure game Mission US, Think Fast! About the Past is a fast-paced trivia game that introduces hundreds of fascinating facts about different eras of American history.
Category Price Seller Device
Education Free Thirteen/WNET iPad

Players can choose from two different Think Fast “missions,” each connected to one of the Mission US adventure games. In Mission 1, the sharp-tongued Patriot Royce Dillingham challenges players to navigate 1770 Boston by answering questions about colonial history. In Mission 2, Lucy King challenges players to deliver a message to her brother, who is enslaved on a plantation in 1850 Kentucky, by answering questions about slavery and resistance during the pre-Civil War era.

Each correct answer advances players to another location on the map. Players have five minutes to move through all ten locations to complete the challenge, but answering correctly more quickly will earn a higher ranking. The clock pauses whenever explanations appear to allow players time to read them. Each “mission” includes approximately 100+ questions randomly served up during the course of the game.

The Think Fast! About the Past app, developed by Thirteen/WNET, the producers of Mission US, and Very Memorable, was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Verizon Foundation through EDSITEment, the NEH site for high quality teaching resources. Mission US, a series of free interactive US history games for tweens and teens, was funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more Mission US content, visit mission-us.org. (Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this app do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.)

Reviews

Fun
5FamilyFun5

Fun to play. Enjoyed the map movement. Would like to see more time period quizzes...but maybe they are there and I just haven't found them.


More quiz than game
Noheakamalii

The timing and"goals" of the missions seem to be there to make these quizzes feel like games, but even only getting 1 of 10 incorrect leads to a "loss" in the silly missions. If its that hard for me (an adult) to win...good luck to kids. And there's no motivation for anyone to read the supporting information after the correct/incorrect notice. I'd have to make a whole separate quiz if I wanted to see if my students had read.


More quiz than game agreement
Teacher8LCMS

Enjoy taking the quiz but found the timing to be too fast to win a game. I'm a great reader and teach the topic yet couldn't win. This would frustrate my 8th graders especially for the ones that need it the most!


Very annoying
machineknitter

Snarky comments and incessant fife and drums run in the background while the player tries to read the questions. This app doesn't seem to know who its audience is. Childish goal to find a puppy and teen goading make this unsuited to either group. Better than a shoot 'em up, but not something the kids will get involved in playing.


Interactive!
Computer screen

Fun to play, and learn, you get to make your own choices and complete fun missions!


Informative and Engaging
mmorrill

In the high stakes testing world we live in, it is important we teach students how to think both quickly and critically. This app does a good job of encouraging that by including basic facts and more complex principles. The time limit helps to focus their attention and it is not unreasonable. Plus, time pauses after each question to allow for review. While students may not be extrinsically motivated to complete the missions, they may be engaged simply in answering the questions, as it's fun to hear the responses that sound as though they come from the colonial period. Finally, it is easy to turn off the sound within the app if the background music is a point of distraction for anyone's concentration. Overall, great app I will definitely recommend to students -- especially since it's freely available to them.


Good info, but snarky comments
Kikilini

The information is good, but you have to be QUICK and perfect to win. The snarky comments by the male in Game 1 is completely unacceptable, especially for kids. "You're pathetic!" Really???? The creator(s) couldn't be an educator or parent. Very disappointing. I downloaded the app for our school iPads but will delete now because of that. Too bad - the info is great.


LOVE this App!!!!
Marty's Genius

I LOVE playing this game!!!! I am learning a ton, and it is fun!!!! I will buy anything educational you develop. (A geography app would be fun.)


Yuck
Georgian Georgia

This game stinks


iOS 6
NikaShelby66

Doesn't work on my iPad