WOW Game Title: Historical Figures Memory Game
Content Area: Social Studies
TEKS Focus: Famous American and Memorial Day
Physical Education Unit: Cardiovascular and Locomotor
Grade: 1
Resource(s): www.socialstudiesforkids.com , www.cowgirl.net
Picture Resources: http://www.cowgirl.net/honorees/Henrietta_King.aspx -Henrietta King
http://www.visitingdc.com/president/abraham-lincoln-picture.htm - Abraham Lincoln
http://texashistory.info/Sam-Houston.html - Sam Houston
http://www.njournalg.com/MarshallRemembered.htm - Thurgood Marshall
http://www.answers.com/topic/amelia-earhart - Amelia Earhart
http://encarta.msn.com/media_461515530/robert_fulton.html - Robert Fulton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Meriwether_Lewis.jpg – Meriwether Lewis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:William_Clark.jpg – William Clark
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carrie_Chapman_Catt.jpg – Carrie Chapman Catt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FDR_in_1933.jpg – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Equipment/Materials: Historical Figures Memory Game Cards (attached), 1 cone per team of 4
(Tip: Tape the cards onto poly spots to help weight them down and remain on the floor or laminate them
on poster board)
**Card-sized Printing Instructions: Go to File-Print. Under “Print Range” select “pages” and type in “320”. Then where it says “Zoom” check on “4 pages per sheet”.
Set Up:
Memory cards flipped over
scattered
Frisbees for the completed
matches to be placed
Activity:
Give the cards with the names of the historical figures on them to each team and scatter their matches
(who they are) faced down in the area in front of the teams. This activity is a relay in which they are
trying to be the first team to find all of the matches. Upon signal, the first person in the line will run and
try to find the match of their team’s first card/historical figure. Upon each turn, they will only get 1 flip
to see if they have found the correct match. If they find the match, they pick it up and take it back to
their team’s Frisbee. Teachers will review the matches at the end of the game to reinforce the historical
figures.
Variations:
 Place all of the cards face-down in the activity area and have the students flip 2 cards per each
turn. If the two cards match, they pick them both up and put them in their team’s Frisbee. The
team with the most matches at the end when all of the matches have been found is declared the
winners.
Review Questions:
Skill focus: What physical activities can you do in your self-space when it is not your turn
during the relay race?
Academic focus: Why is Amelia Earhart important to our history? Who is the town of
Kingsville, TX named after? Who was a Supreme Court Justice?
Sam
Houston
First president of the Republic of Texas.
He had gained fame as a soldier in the
Battle of Horseshoe Bend (during the
War of 1812). He served in Congress
and as Governor of Tennessee. When
Texas declared itself independent from
Mexico in 1836, it named him as its
president. He later became represented
Texas in the Senate and became
governor.
Abraham
Lincoln
He was the 16th President of the
United States. He is also one of the
most famous presidents ever. He
kept the country together during
the Civil War. He was also
assassinated shortly after the end
of the war.
Henrietta
King
Henrietta, the daughter of a Presbyterian
minister, married Richard King, the founder
of the King Ranch. As the ranch matriarch,
she was known for her hospitality and
compassion, extending help to the needy
and sick. Henrietta literally created the town
of Kingsville by donating the land. When
"Captain" King died, Henrietta became the
sole owner and manager of the world's
largest ranch. She ultimately created an
empire of over a million acres.
Thurgood
Marshall
He successfully convinced the
Supreme Court to rule that
segregation in education, then later
served on the Court itself. He
gained everlasting fame as the first
African-American justice of the
U.S. Supreme Court.
Amelia
Earhart
She is one of the most famous
early female aviators. Among her
many flying records is the first solo
transatlantic flight by a woman.
She set the record crossing the
Atlantic in fourteen hours and fiftysix minutes. In 1937, Earhart and
her navigator, Fred Noonan, set off
to circle the globe but disappeared
in the attempt.
Robert
Fulton
An American engineer and inventor
who is widely credited with
developing the first commercially
successful steamboat. He also
designed a new type of steam
warship. In 1800 he was
commissioned by Napoleon
Bonaparte to design the Nautilus,
which was the first practical
submarine in history.
Meriwether
Lewis
and
William Clark
They headed the first American
overland expedition to the Pacific
coast and back. They helped get
a
better perception of the
geography of the Northwest and
the production of the first accurate
maps of the area. Resources were
documented and they helped
establish friendly relations with the
Native Americans.
Carrie
Chapman Catt
She led the movement for the
women’s right to vote. She was
elected president of the National
American Woman Suffrage
Association (NAWSA) twice.
Franklin D.
Roosevelt
He was the 32nd President of the
United States during World War II.
He helped the American people
regain faith in themselves. He
brought hope as he promised
prompt, vigorous action, and
asserted in his Inaugural Address,
"the only thing we have to fear is
fear itself."