Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators

(Paperback)

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Description

This book helps educators and librarians prepare students to succeed in University Interscholastic League (UIL) Chess Puzzle. Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators is the first book to show the connection between accepted educational theories and chess. It features lesson plans teachers can use immediately, and from which they can learn the basics of the game. Since the plans meet academic goals through chess, teachers also learn that chess can be a part of reading, math, science, and social studies. An appendix showing how chess meets the requirements of curriculum standards is another plus. Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators is the first book to show the connection between accepted educational theories and chess. The relationship of chess to academic and humanistic educational goals is convincingly illustrated as curriculum and psychological theories from John D. McNeil, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and Howard Gardner are outlined and applied to the question why chess Children and Chess features lesson plans teachers can use immediately, and from which they can learn the basics of the game. Since the plans meet academic goals through chess, teachers also learn that chess can be a part of reading, math, science, and social studies. An appendix showing how chess meets the requirements of curriculum standards is another plus. Grades 4-8.

Reviews

[A] book that provides plenty of solid explanations highlighting the value to students of learning and playing the royal game. Where necessary, the language of chess is translated into the language of education. * Chessville.com *
Root provides interesting and informative lesson plans but also gives educators the reasons and methods for including chess in their grade 3-8 classrooms; these reasons include the range of problem-solving possibilities and the few resources required. She provides planning tips and samples of lesson plans as well as a list of resources. * Reference & Research Book News *
[A]n in-depth analysis. . . . Introducing readers to the incorporation of chess into a classroom curriculum, Children and Chess deftly explores the contribution which the game can have with respect to enhancing children's reading, math, science, and social studies skills. Providing a remarkably comprehensive grasp of the game's value for a child's intellectual skill development, Children and Chess is very strongly recommended reading for teachers and homeschooling parents of young students searching for a fun and highly educational activity. * Library Bookwatch *

Author Bio

Alexey W. Root has a PhD in education from UCLA. Her work history includes public high school teaching (social studies and English). Her most notable chess accomplishment was winning the U.S. Women's championship in 1989. Since the fall of 1999, Root has been a senior lecturer at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). She has taught UTD education classes, tutored prospective teachers for certification exams, and supervised student teachers. Root's current assignment for UTD is to teach, via the UT TeleCampus, online education courses that explore the uses of chess in classrooms. Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators (2006) and Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving (2008) were both published by Teacher Ideas Press.