Pigskin News Bowl
Object of the Game: Score the most points in a designated time period of 15-45 minutes.
How Points are Scored: Points are scored by touchdowns, field goals, and extra points. Each question from the News Bowl Weekly or the News Bowl Primer has point totals that are calculated into football field yardage, (i.e. 80 points equals 80 yards). A bonus question follows a touchdown and is worth 1 extra point. Teams can ask for a 10-point question anytime, but if they are on the 30-yard line or less the 10-pointer can be designated for a field goal try that will award their team three points. Once a team scores a touchdown or a field goal, the next team automatically takes possession on their own 20-yard line.
How to Play: Divide the class into 2-4 groups or teams (playing boys against girls is always a popular choice). Each team picks a quarterback (captain). The official team consensus answer must come from the quarterback.
Suggestion: Draw a football field on the blackboard for a fun visual aid.
Let’s Kick Off: Flip a coin to see which team gets the football first. Each team begins a possession on its own 20-yard line. The person in the group that chooses the category and yardage question is called the center, "ball-snapper." Each time the team gets a possession the center should be a different person, so each person in the group gets to ask their favorite category question. The teacher/facilitator reads the question aloud to the team. The team can choose any question from the News Bowl Weekly or the News Bowl Primer with any point or yardage total. The team continues choosing and answering questions until they give a wrong answer or they score. If a team asks for an 80-yard question “Go for the Long Bomb,” they risk missing the question.
What happens when a team misses a question: A missed question constitutes a fumble that is recovered by the next team on the yard line that the question was asked. This is why an 80-yard “Long Bomb” is risky. If missed, the other team will only need to answer a 20-pointer to score a touchdown. Optional: If a team misses a question allow the next team to correctly answer that question for a safety and 2 points. After the safety, the team scoring the safety get the ball at their own 20 yard line.
How long does the team get to answer a question or reach consensus?
The "huddle" should last 1 minute or less. After one minute, the teacher/facilitator needs an answer from the quarterback.
Goals: Pigskin News Bowl is a weekly current events quiz game with questions that children will have fun guessing. If they know the answer, it is great, but the fun is in the educated guessing. The cooperative learning activity teaches important social skills about teamwork and consensus. The secondary goal is great fun in the classroom. Your students will beg to play!!
News Bowl pointers:
- Be sure the children know they are not expected to know all the answers.
- Explain that disruptive team behavior will result in the teacher/facilitator throwing a yellow flag for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
- Explain to the students that questions come to your school weekly.