Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Convene the Council is a game for grades 6-12 by iCivics that focuses on foreign policy and diplomacy. Students take on the role of the President of the U.S. and preside over the National Security Council. By playing the game, students might pick up a few things about foreign policy decisions, specifically what motivates decisions, how decisions impact the United States and the world, and what agencies/departments are responsible for carrying out policies. However, students might also just quickly click through the text and select a decision without any consideration. The game makes this surprisingly easy, displaying how a decision will likely affect the priorities. It's also difficult to do really badly. In this way, Convene the Council is a decent platform for introducing foreign policy decision-making, but it'll really come alive with active teaching that encourages students to discuss and think through decisions, and maybe even dig into past and present foreign policy struggles.
For more, check out our review of Convene the Council: commonsense.org/education/reviews/convene-the-council
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Convene the Council is a game for grades 6-12 by iCivics that focuses on foreign policy and diplomacy. Students take on the role of the President of the U.S. and preside over the National Security Council. By playing the game, students might pick up a few things about foreign policy decisions, specifically what motivates decisions, how decisions impact the United States and the world, and what agencies/departments are responsible for carrying out policies. However, students might also just quickly click through the text and select a decision without any consideration. The game makes this surprisingly easy, displaying how a decision will likely affect the priorities. It's also difficult to do really badly. In this way, Convene the Council is a decent platform for introducing foreign policy decision-making, but it'll really come alive with active teaching that encourages students to discuss and think through decisions, and maybe even dig into past and present foreign policy struggles.
For more, check out our review of Convene the Council: commonsense.org/education/reviews/convene-the-council
---------
Sign up for our weekly newsletter: commonsense.org/education/newsletter
Follow us on Twitter:
twitter.com/commonsenseed
Join us on Facebook: facebook.com/CommonSenseEd
Check us out on Pinterest: pinterest.com/commonsenseedu
