Virtual Reality in the Middle School Classroom

For this lesson plan, the class would be divided into halves. While one half of the room is learning about important places in Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, or the Renaissance, the other half of the class could be visiting these places in virtual reality. There are a variety of free applications like Google Expeditions, Viewmaster Destinations, and other small apps that students can tour. I have one set of Viewmaster Virtual Reality Goggles and my students where able to tour a Medieval castle last year. It was a hit! They were so excited to learn about the content anyways, but when they were told they could actually use the goggles to tour a castle, they were so engaged. They are sturdier than Google Cardboard and cheaper than Occulus.