Psst! Are you looking for the 2020 version of my bingo cards? If so, head over to this year’s post, download, and enjoy! If you really want 2018’s cards, scroll down.

Let’s face it – it’s been a rough political year. Really rough. I don’t drink and I really want a drink.

However, the 2018 State of the Union speech is upon us again. So, let’s make the best of it!

When I taught US Government, my students had to watch the President’s speech each year. For many of my students, this was the first political speech they had ever watched. And it’s LONG with lots and lots of interruptions. They got real bored real fast.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”For first-time watchers, the State of the Union can get REALLY boring!” quote=”For first-time watchers, the State of the Union can get REALLY boring!”]

To make it more fun, I modified a bingo board that I found at the National Constitution Center’s website and had the students play bingo. Their competitive instincts kicked in and I discovered that many more paid attention to the speech. (I also shared it with non-teacher friends who enjoyed playing along during the speech as well!)

I also discovered that these can be used outside of the classroom as well. My friends enjoy playing along each year as well. So whether you teach Social Studies or just want to make the speech more fun, find out how to use these bingo boards (and download them!) below.

2018 State of the Union Bingo

For Funsies

Print out copies for your friends and watch away. Have a prize for the first person (or people) to get bingo!

For Teachers

Be sure to copy all 4 versions of the cards and hand out randomly to students. While watching the speech, students should mark off the terms or events on their boards. Consider offering a small prize (I usually gave candy) to whoever reaches bingo first. You can assign this as homework or complete it in class. If assigned as homework, you will need to have all 4 boards out while watching the speech so you know which board gets bingo first. There is also an optional watching guide you can assign as well or use an in-class activity.’

And because I want to encourage people to watch the State of the Union, here are the bingo boards and the watching guide for FREE. You don’t even have to hand over an e-mail address to get them! Just click on the button below.

Which card won? Let me know in the comments below!

Related Posts: Make the 2019 State of Union More Fun with Bingo, My Favorite Podcasts for Social Studies Nerds, How Useful is Khan Academy AP Exam Practice?