Game baseball

Government Baseball
A Homemade PowerPoint Game
By
Jim Norton
University of Georgia
Play the game
Game Directions
Story
Credits
Copyright Notice
Game Preparation
Objectives

The Story of “Government Baseball”
You are in the World Series and the series is tied 3-3.
To help your team win Game 7, you must answer
Government questions to get hits and score enough runs
to beat the opposition. “Government Baseball” is a great
way to review for a test, bringing two of America’s great
past times together. Instead of giving the winning team
extra credit points, they can feel the joy of knowing your
team won. Good luck!
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Game Directions
The goal of the game is to answer Government trivia
questions to get hits and score runs. To play the game you
have to answer questions at particular levels of difficulty to
get different types of hits to score runs for your team. If you
don’t want to attempt a trivia question, you can click on a

chance card and see what happens during your at bat. To
keep up with who is on base, students can either set up a
baseball diamond in the classroom where each student can
move forward from base to base, or the teacher can keep
track of the field on a chalkboard. In addition, teams can hit
back-to-back homeruns by answering baseball trivia
questions. To win the game you have to score more runs
than the other team.
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Game Preparation
Game board: All you need is a cleared out space in your classroom
and a make-believe baseball diamond. You can also keep track by
drawing a baseball diamond on a chalkboard to keep track of who is on
base where.
Trivia Cards: Print out questions for the trivia cards that relate to your
next American Government exam.
Bonus Question Cards: Click on the bonus ball to answer individual
baseball trivia questions for back-to-back homeruns only after a
homerun question is answered correctly.
Scoreboard: Someone should keep score by making a scoreboard on
a chalkboard or dry-erase board.
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Credits
All teachers and students at non-profit schools can use, revise, or adapt this game at will
at no cost on the condition that all prior designers are cited.
Originally designed by Jim Norton, University of Georgia, 2003
“Government Baseball”.
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Educational Objectives
Audience
9-12 students
Subject Area Objectives
Students will be able to….
Standard: Assesses the development of the relationship
between the three branches of government, including
executive vs. legislative power shifts and struggles and
impact of the line-item veto and judicial activism.
Standard: Describes the uniqueness of American
federalism.
Standard: Describes the development and nature of public
opinion in America.
Standard: Acquires and processes information by using
thought processes (recall, translation, interpretation,
application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation).
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Copyright
Copyright 2003 Jim Norton
Permission to copy this game at no cost is granted to all teachers and
students of non-profit schools.
Permission is also granted to all teachers and students of non-profit
schools to make revisions to this game for their own purposes, on the
condition that this copyright page and the credits page remain part of
the game. Teachers and students who adapt the game should add their
names and affiliations to the credits page without deleting any names
already there.
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Home Page Game Directions
Time to play “Government Baseball”
Bonus Ball Trivia

Chance Cards

Chance Card 1
Struck out looking. That’s what happens when you’re afraid
of the ball.
Next…

Chance Card 2
Up in your kitchen. Hit by pitch, take your base. Don’t even
think about charging the mound.
Next…

Chance Card 3
Balk. Any runners on base can take an extra base.
Next…

Chance Card 4
You struck out swinging on a wild pitch and made it to first.
Good hustle.
Next…

Chance Card 5
You got robbed of a homerun. Boohoo.
Next…

Chance Card 6
Ball four. Take your base.
Next…

Chance Card 7
Liner up the middle. Base hit.
Next…

Chance Card 8
Sacrifice bunt. Unless there were already 2 outs. In that
case, you’re out!
Next…

Chance Card 9
Reached on an error. The third baseman overthrew the ball.
Next…