Take Me Out to the Ball Game: Using the Seventh-Inning Stretch to Teach Law Students

Abstract

Major League Baseball recognizes the value of the Seventh-Inning Stretch to give spectators a break and maintain interest in the game. This article suggests that law school professors use this tried, true, and familiar practice to teach new concepts and skills to law students. The article also suggests that law school professors step away from the podium and allow a pair of students to teach the new concept or skill during the five-minute Seventh-Inning Stretch. Section I describes the educational theory which supports the method, focusing on the challenge of capturing and maintaining law students' attention. Section II describes the method, including asking students to stretch and sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Section III provides a very specific example of how to use the method to teach a new concept, legal citation, to first-year law students. Section IV considers the advantages and disadvantages of the Seventh-Inning Stretch teaching method.

Keywords: legal education, legal writing, student teaching