Class GeoPower Pick:  10 To 50 Players

What You Should Know Before You Play

The object of the game is for each student to try and win the “Starting Round” for his or her group, and then win the Championship Round among all of the finalists. Your students’ success will depend upon the state rankings (from 1^st to 50^th) in size, statehood, and population of the GeoPlunge cards they’re dealt. The Alaska card has the best (i.e., 1^st) size ranking, Delaware has the best statehood ranking, and California has the best population ranking. 

Your students’ success also depends upon a little luck as well.  Each round, the teacher randomly selects a GeoPower card.   Each GeoPower card says either “Size”, “Statehood”, or “Population.”  The GeoPower card picked by the teacher for a round determines which ranking is important for that round.     

The teacher should divide the students into groups.  There can be as few as 2 groups or as many as 8 groups, depending upon what the teacher believes will work best for the class.      Both the GeoPlunge cards and the GeoPower cards are used.  Shuffle each deck after each round.

How to Play and Win

§         First, the Starting Round is played.  Then the Championship round is played.

§         All students participate in the Starting Round.  There is one winner per group for the Starting Round.  Only the group winners participate in the Championship Round.  The winner of the Championship Round wins the game. The students who lose in the Championship Round are recognized as having been “Finalists”.

§          To start each round, the teacher says either “Top Dog” or “Bottoms Up,” and then deals each participating student 1 GeoPlunge card. 

§         The teacher then randomly chooses a GeoPower card from the GeoPower card deck. That card determines which ranking is important for that round.  For example, if the GeoPower card picked by the teacher says Size, the size ranking of the students GeoPlunge cards for that round is the ranking that matters. 

Determining Who Wins the Starting Round for Each Group

If the teacher says “Top Dog” before dealing the cards for the Starting Round, a student will win the Starting Round for his or her group if that student has the best ranked GeoPlunge card among the students in his or her group.  

If the dealer says “Bottoms Up” before dealing the cards for the Starting Round, a student will win the Starting Round for his or her group if that student has the worst  ranked GeoPlunge card among the students in his or her group. For example, if the teacher says “Bottoms Up” and then randomly picks a GeoPower card that says Population, the players’ GeoPlunge cards will be ranked based on population, with Wyoming being the best card because it has the worst population ranking (i.e., 50^th).

Determining Who Wins the Championship Round Among the Finalists

Only the group winners for the Starting Round (i.e., the finalists) participate in the Championship Round.  Finalists do not get to keep the cards they used in the Starting Round.  Each finalist is dealt 1 card. 

If the teacher says “Top Dog” before dealing the cards for the Championship Round,  a student will win the Championship Round if that student has the best ranked GeoPlunge card among the finalists. 

If the teacher says “Bottoms Up” before dealing the cards for the Championship Round, a student will win the Championship Round if that student has the worst ranked GeoPlunge card among the finalists.

Skill Level:  Very Easy

What You'll Learn:  State Rankings

Class GeoPower Pick is one of over 60 geography games you can play with GeoPlunge cards!