Government Baseball

A Homemade PowerPoint Game

By

Jim Norton

University of Georgia

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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 PreparationGame 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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CreditsAll 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 ObjectivesAudience

9-12 students

Subject Area ObjectivesStudents 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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CopyrightCopyright 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 9Reached on an error. The third baseman overthrew the ball.

Next…

Chance Card 10Stolen base for any runner on base, but you struck out. Should’ve tried to answer a question.

Next…

Chance Card 11

Ground rule double.

Next…

Chance Card 12

Deep fly to the warning track but caught. You’re out!

Next…

Trivia Cards (Single)

Nice hit

Singled through the hole.

Back to game

Single Question 1The Dred Scott decision on the issue of slavery

upheld the Southern viewpoint thatthe power of the Supreme Court does not extend to cases of race Congress could not pass a law depriving territorial residents of their property a national vote should be held to decide the legality of slavery the economic well-being of the western states depended on slave labor

Single Question 2

The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan represented attempts by the United States to deal with the

National debt

Spread of communism

President’s political opposition

Arms race

Trivia Cards (Double)

Double

Line drive down the left field line.

Back to game

Double Question 1

Which statement about Japanese Americans interned during World War II is most accurate?

Many were forced to return to Japan at the conclusion of the war.

No Japanese Americans were allowed to serve in the United States armed services during the war.

Most were released after signing a loyalty oath

Many lost their homes and businesses

Double Question 2The Fourteen Points and the Atlantic Charter were

bothstatements of post-war goals for establishing world peace plans of victorious nations to divide conquered territories military strategies for defeating enemy nations agreements between nations to eliminate further development of weapons

Trivia Cards (Triple)

Triple

Liner down the right field line.

Back to game

Triple Question 1

In stating the principle of a "clear and present danger" in Schenck v. United States, the Supreme Court established that

constitutional rights are not absolute

the Constitution guarantees the right to privacy

Congress can pass a law to eliminate any part of the Bill of Rights

all individual rights are eliminated during wartime

Triple Question 2

In situations where the President is suspected of wrongdoing, such as the Watergate scandal, the official role of the House of Representatives is to

investigate and bring charges against the President

conduct the impeachment trial

provide attorneys to defend the President

determine the punishment if the President is convicted

Trivia Cards (Homerun)

Homerun Question 1

A constitutional issue that was frequently raised about United States involvement in the Korean conflict and the Vietnam conflict was the

right to regulate commerce with foreign nations

use of deficit spending to finance wars

lack of a formal declaration of war by Congress

Supreme Court’s role in foreign policy decision-making

Homerun Question 2United States annexation of the Philippines (1898)

and military involvement in Vietnam (1960’s and 1970’s) are similar because in each event the United Statesachieved its long-range foreign policy objectives put the domino theory into action demonstrated the strength and success of its military power provoked domestic debate about its involvement in the internal affairs of other nations

Bonus Baseball Trivia

Bonus 1

Who are the only members of the 40/40 club? Ken Griffey Jr, Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Alex RodriguezAlex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero, Jose CansecoJose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr.

Bonus 2

Who has the most homeruns as a switch hitter?

Mickey Mantle

Chipper Jones

Willie Mays

Lou Gehrig

Bonus 3

Who holds the record for career strikeouts by a lefthander?

Sandy Koufax

Dizzy Dean

Steve Carlton

Randy Johnson

Bonus 4

Who holds the record for highest batting average in a season?

Pete Rose

Ty Cobb

Ted Williams

Hugh Duffy

Bonus 5

What three teams did Pete Rose play for?

Reds, Phillies, Cardinals

Phillies, Padres, Reds

Reds, Expos, Phillies

Reds, Cardinals, Royals

Bonus 6

Who holds the record for longest homerun in a game?

Mickey Mantle

Sammy Sosa

Babe Ruth

Cecil Fielder

Homerun

Back back back back back

GONE!!!

Back to the game

Boo-yah!!!

WRONG!!! Add another out to your total

Back to the game