My students love basketball more than any other sport we play. They have become avid students of the game, and even during recess, they play by the official rules. They demand fair play out of each other because they want the game to be as fun as possible. This demand for fair play is one of the reasons Government Basketball is so dynamic. Each team plays with different scoring rules representing the government's style. Students will realize that they will have to change their tactics based on the strengths of the government they are playing as, as well as identify the other team's strengths and plan their defense accordingly.

It is one thing to explain how governments are different from each other versus playing a game that demonstrates different styles of government by utilizing different scoring systems. This game is open-ended and does not emphasize one government system over another. Each has its strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for playing against them. This game is excellent to repeat for several weeks because the tenets of the game can be applied to almost any team sport you can think of: soccer, hockey, kickball, etc. Once you play the game, you can also introduce and incorporate different economic systems. If a team can successfully perform the objective of that economic system, they get a point boost at the end of the game.

Your students will love this versatile game, and you will love it because it can be played more than once. This means you can save time in the coming weeks because it will require less explanation the second and third time around. This will help cement the differences in the government systems for your students as they play the same concept weekly. However, you can keep the game fresh by changing each week's sport.

Materials: 

·      One to two basketballs

·      One coin

·      At least one basketball hoop, but two works the best for full-court play

o   I have the luxury of having four basketball hoops, so I had my students play two half-court games

·      A large playing area (preferably a gym or, if outside, an asphalt or concrete parking lot)

·      Optional - Scoreboard (analog or digital)

·      Stopwatch or phone with a clock

Minimum Number of Students Needed: You could play this game with as few as six students (3 V 3), but ideally, you would want at least ten students for two teams. If your class has twenty students, split the playing area in half so that two games can be played simultaneously.

Prior Knowledge: This lesson is the perfect introduction to different government systems.

Age: Upper Elementary and Middle School