Rules of the Game: An Introduction to Government
By Mira Cohen

Overview

Political scientists sometimes compare political systems to games. Using this analogy, the class will examine and define rudimentary political terms such as constitution, laws and political participants (elected officials, judges, interest group members and leaders, voters). This introductory activity can be used with grades 8 through 12. It is designed for the political science section of government classes but can be used with history classes as well.

Objectives

Students will:

  • Define rudimentary political terms such as constitution, laws, political participants
  • Organize thoughts and arguments and work effectively in groups.

Time Required

This lesson will take approximately 40-50 minutes to complete.

Materials

  • two marbles
  • paper clips
  • erasers or other small objects
  • pen
  • paper

Initial Motivation

  1. Divide the students into four groups. Assign two groups to act as game players in two separate games and two groups to serve as recorders/reporters for each game. Each recorder/reporter group will be assigned to observe a game-playing group.
  2. Group I - Game Group #1
  3. Group II - Game Group #2
  4. Group III - Recorder Group #3
  5. Group IV - Recorder Group #4
  6. Visit Game Group #1. Give the group members a small object such as a coin or a marble to pass around the circle. Explain the "Rules of the Game" to the first group.
  7. Rules:
  8. a. All group members stand in a circle.
  9. b. One student stands in the center of the circle and turns around with his/her eyes closed while counting to three.
  10. c. When the student in the center has finished counting to three, the student will stop, open his or her eyes and guess the name of the student who he/she thinks is holding the object.
  11. d. When the student guesses correctly, the student who was holding the object will come take his/her place in the center of the circle and the process begins again.
  12. e. You may wish to keep score of how many times each person guesses correctly.
  13. Ask the students to begin playing the game. Meanwhile, ask the reporter/recorder group members who have been assigned to the first game-playing group (Group #3) to take notes and record what the game group number one is doing.
  14. Visit Group #2. Hand the group the object and ask the group to "begin playing". Group #2 will not be given rules. Meanwhile, ask the observer group (Group #4) members to take notes and record what group number 2 is doing.
  15. Allow the students to "play" for about five minutes.
  16. Debriefing. Ask each group to describe and explain what they saw happening. The second game-playing group may have copied the first group, created their own group, or dissolved completely. Did anyone step forward as a leader? What role did they play? Ask the students to explain the role of the rules in the game.

Procedures

1.  Ask the students the following question: How is government like a game? For each answer, ask students to explain their responses with political and historical examples. If they have trouble answering, you will want to help. Possible answers may include:

  1. Rules are needed to create order and understanding. Examples of rules in our political system are expressed with laws and the constitution
  2. Leaders step forward. Examples of leaders include elected officials and civic leaders.
  3. Sometimes cheating occurs. Students may point out corruption scandals in U.S. History including Tammany Hall.
  4. The rules can be changed if the game evolves. We have created new laws and amendments to the Constitution.
  5. Different players have distinct and defined roles. Examples of players in our political system include elected officials, voters, interest group leaders and members, the press, judges, etc.

2.  Examine the role of the observers. Did all observers record the events objectively or did they include their own interpretation. What is the role of interpretation and reporting in a political system? Students may notice that different students picked up on different events to record and report. Some students found certain aspects of the game to be more important than others did. Similarly, real reporters often choose to report on different stories or different aspects of the same event.

3.  Ask the students to write out a definition of the following terms: laws, constitution, political participants, elected officials, voters, interest group, lobby, media. You will probably want to ask them to consult their textbook for guidance.

Assessment

  • Game: You will want to make sure each student is involved and participating. If a student seems uninvolved, you may want to assign the student a different role.
  • Definitions: You will collect and correct the students' vocabulary definitions.

Additional Resources

Mira Cohen teaches U.S. Government and U.S. History at Beverly Hills High School in California.