Story
Game Directions
Government Baseball
Game Preparation
Play the game
Objectives
Credits
Copyright Notice
A Homemade PowerPoint Game
By
Jim Norton
University of Georgia
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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Time to play “Government Baseball”
Bonus Ball Trivia
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Game Directions
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…
Chance Card 10
Stolen 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 1
The Dred Scott decision on the issue of slavery
upheld the Southern viewpoint that
the 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 2
The Fourteen Points and the Atlantic Charter were
both
statements 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 decisionmaking
Homerun Question 2
United States annexation of the Philippines (1898)
and military involvement in Vietnam (1960’s and
1970’s) are similar because in each event the
United States
achieved 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
Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero, Jose
Canseco
Jose 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