TimeSnap Description: Travel back in time to 1770 Boston to gather evidence to determine who was responsible for the violence that erupted during the Boston Massacre. Designed for high school American history classes, TimeSnap is a 12-15 minute game-based learning experience that helps students make sense of challenging primary sources, while immersing them in pivotal historical moments. Locations include The Royal Exchange Tavern, the colonial jail cell holding Captain Preston, Paul Revere’s workshop and the Long Wharf where the British Troops landed in 1768. Documents include Revere’s Massacre Print, Captain Preston’s Letter, and Revere’s print of the landing of the troops. Using the wand, players analyze documents and objects, listen to the thoughts of people, and choose key items to bring back through time to build a museum exhibit. The player is guided by Director Wells who models historical thinking skills such as sourcing (Who wrote this document? For what purpose?) and contextualization (What else was going on when this happened?) .

TimeSnap received funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. Based on future funding we hope to develop additional TimeSnaps around other turning points in American history, such as the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law and the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

If you would like a PDF copy of the associated lesson plan, please contact us at: [email protected]

If you have any suggestions for this or future experiences, please contact us at: [email protected]