Class GeoRaces:  10 To 60 Players

What You Should Know Before You Play

The object of the game is for your students to try to be on the team that first gets 50 points by quickly using what they learn about U.S. state capitals, border states of U.S. states, and the rankings of the states (from 1^st to 50^th) in size, statehood and population.  The goal of this game is to --  as fast as your students can -- find winning groups of cards among those they were dealt.  Make no mistake about it – THIS IS A RACE.  And the team to find winning groups of cards the fastest will win. 

Play one round at a time until one team gets 50 points (or the class period ends, in which case the team with the most points at the end of class wins).  The teacher should decide how many teams to have, but in no event should there be more than 6 teams (and if the teacher wants to have more than 3 teams, you’ll need to use 2 GeoPlunge decks).  Teammates should sit or stand next to each other and can talk to each other. Use only the GeoPlunge cards and shuffle the deck after each round.

How to Play

Ø      To start each round, deal each team 16 GeoPlunge cards.  The students should not look at the cards until they’re all dealt, and the teacher says “GeoRaces Begin.”

Ø      Then each team, using only the cards it was dealt, tries to – as fast as it can -- find three groups of 2 cards each, in which

1.   For one group the state capitals of the two states begin with the same first letter;

2.   For a second group the two states border each other; and

3.   For a third group the two states have consecutive rankings in a category (for  example, are ranked 8^th and 9^th in size).

Ø      No card can be used in both groups.

Ø      A team should say “GeoPlunge” as soon as it finds all 3 winning groups.

Ø      Each round, the first team to say “GeoPlunge” and then immediately place face-up in the middle of the table the three winning groups of cards (and no other cards) wins the round. 

Keeping Score

A team get 10 points for winning the round.