The First Red Scare "Dot" Game

Randomly hand out the cards* after you have printed out in color and cut out (I printed them out on cardstock paper to make them not so see-through). Remind students to not show anyone their card or better, put the cards in their pockets. Then they must go around and try to figure out which of their classmates are "communists" or red dot cardholders. The goal of the game is for the red dot "communists" to sneak into a group of black dots. To add tension and heighten suspicions I would go around and question kids (e.g. "Oh so you think that _____ is not a communist? Hmmm well are you sure?) It seemed to make them very suspicious of each other much like in real life in during the 1st Red Scare when people were being accused of being communists because they were immigrants or different from the the "norm".

My students absolutely loved the game and begged me to play it every day of the unit! BIG HIT with my high schoolers!

*Sometimes I would hand out only 1 red dot card or I would hand out 5. One time I did not hand out any red dots and the students still freaked out and found reseasons to think that they had communist classmates.