World History / Civilization Builder
River & Reed
Build a society worth living in. Lay out a settlement, listen to its people, and guide twelve seasons of food, trade, water, and public decisions.
4 sessions · 12 seasons · Included with educator membership · Students use a teacher assignment link.
River & Reed
A fictional ancient river valley
Select a character above to walk over, or explore with the keyboard.
Learning goals, level structure & teacher guide
Learning goal: Explain how irrigation and settlement decisions change an environment and create economic interdependence. Compare benefits and costs for different groups.
Course connections: WH.G.2.2 · WH.E.1.1. These are supporting practice connections, not a claim of full standards coverage or mastery. The ancient settlement is a conceptual introduction; use specific historical cases to make the comparison explicit.
| Level | Practical missions | Written checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hear three advisers; use at least 2 building types; set resource policy; complete seasons 1–3. | Claim or decision, specific evidence, limitation or tradeoff, and transfer. |
| 2 | Hear three advisers; use at least 3 building types; set resource policy; complete seasons 4–6. | Claim or decision, specific evidence, limitation or tradeoff, and transfer. |
| 3 | Hear three advisers; use at least 4 building types; set resource policy; complete seasons 7–9. | Claim or decision, specific evidence, limitation or tradeoff, and transfer. |
| 4 | Hear three advisers; use at least 5 building types; set resource policy; complete seasons 10–12. | Claim or decision, specific evidence, limitation or tradeoff, and transfer. |
Allow roughly 35–50 minutes per level including discussion and writing. Timing is a design estimate and needs classroom testing. A student can complete the mechanical actions faster; depth comes from evidence, comparison, and revision.
Review each checkpoint for factual accuracy, relevant evidence, explanation, and acknowledgment of limits. Word counts only prevent blank submissions. Neither completion nor a resource total is a grade. Have students download their portfolio for Google Classroom; this version does not submit or grade work automatically.
Progress saves in this browser when storage is available. Students can export and restore a campaign file on another device. On shared computers, export and then clear the local campaign. No names are requested. Characters use authored dialogue, not live AI. Movement uses W A S D, arrow keys, click-to-walk, or the location buttons.