Other Learning Activities
Besides playing the official GeoPlunge games, below are some fun and quick ideas using your GeoPlunge cards that will engage students in mastering United States geography.
War
Use the Map cards and play “War.” Both players turn over a card and the first player to identify their state receives both cards. If it is tie, there is a “War.” The player with the most cards at the end is the winner. Play for 10 minutes.
States Up (Version 1)
This is similar to the games Heads-Up or Password.
- 2 players. Use the GeoPlunge cards. Place the deck on the playing surface in the middle of the players. Player 1 selects the top card, does not look at it, and places it on his/her forehead so Player 2 sees it. Player 2 provides 3 clues from the card and Player 1 tries to guess the state on the card. If Player 1 guesses correctly, he/she keeps the card. If not, it goes into a discard pile. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins. To increase or decrease difficulty, change the number of clues and/or which clues to provide.
- 4 players: Play the same way except a teammate provides the clues. Alternate the clue giver and receiver so each player does both.
- Variation: Make this a race against time to name as many states as possible. When the clock begins, Player 1 places the first card on his/her forehead. Player 1’s teammate gives as many clues as needed to help Player 1 say the name of the state. Put all correctly identified cards into a pile. If Player 1 gets stuck, they say “pass” and put the card in a separate discard pile. Play for 20 seconds. Each player gets 2 turns to identify the cards. The winner is the team with the most cards. Shuffle and re-use the discard pile if additional cards are necessary. Adjust the time as needed.
States Up (Version 2)
Play similar to States Up 1 except this time, Player 2 says the state name. Player 1 has 10 seconds to provide as many facts as possible about the state. Player 1 earns a point for each fact, including one for each border state and each of the top 5 cities. Each player receives 5 turns. The player with the most points at the end is the winner. This may also be done with teams.
Maps Up
Use the Map cards. 4 players. Place the deck on the playing surface in the middle. Player 1 from Team 1 holds a map card over his/her head. Player 2 from Team 1 has 15 seconds to provide clues to Player 1 to get Player 1 to say the name of the state on the Map card. Clues may include descriptions about the state–region of the country, relative location (i.e This state is located south of Canada, borders the Pacific Ocean), names of bordering states,etc. To differentiate, allow players to decide what information they are allowed to provide during the game.
Time Zone Trivia (Advanced)
2-4 Players. Use the GeoPlunge cards and the Challenge cards. Place both decks of cards in the center of the playing surface. Team 1 selects the top Challenge card and does not show it to Team 2. Team 1 also turns over the top GeoPlunge card for both teams to see. The color of the time zone at the top of the GeoPlunge card is the color of the Challenge question asked to Team 2. A team has 10 seconds to respond. If a team correctly answers the trivia question, it keeps the card. Whoever has the most cards at the end of the game wins. There is only brown card (Alaska) so very few of the brown questions will be used. If someone turns over Hawaii (orange), that is a wild card. The person asking the question decides which question to give.
- Alternative: Allow the teams to use a computer or resource book to find the answer. Teams may need to adjust the time provided. This enables players to practice research skills.
2 Truths and a Lie (Advanced)
Use the GeoPlunge cards. 2 players. Place the deck face-down on the playing surface in the middle. Player 1 picks up a GeoPlunge card and does not show it to his opponent. Player 1 tells Player 2 the name of the state it has and then 2 truths and 1 lie about that state. If Player 2 correctly guesses the lie, she/he receives the card. Whoever has the most cards at the end of the game wins. Play for 5-10 minutes.