Check mate! My students have a growing passion for chess and critical thinking. Through chess, students can learn how to focus, problem-solve with step-by-step strategies, adapt to change, and learn how to be a good sport. There are also other board games to aid in this development, such as Settlers of Catan. More amazingly, is that there's a set that's for the Settlers of America-something we teach in 5th grade!
Chess, and critical thinking games, can help my students grow into adults who aspire to seek out the complex areas of life.
Since I teach in the gifted program, students come from all sorts of backgrounds from various areas of Anchorage, AK. Students with different backgrounds can find common ground in certain tasks, like chess and board games. Our school is situated in a neighborhood. I love that our school is blended and that students find ways to interact and help each other out. My class in particular is full of leaders and I'm hoping these complex games will help foster some of their social-emotional learning skills.
My Project
All students in my class enjoy playing games with each other and learning the best strategies to succeed. These gifted students need an outlet to continuously challenge them, and learn ways to be good sports in a loss. Chess and Catan are excellent games for challenging these 5th and 6th graders' brains to think critically while having a good time. It's also a great way to encourage playing games without technology and building on creating conversation and community.
These materials will make a difference in my students' learning by encouraging them to think critically and work together using unique learning strategies.
Students will benefit from these resources by learning to work with others, teach others, and grow alongside each other. My goal is to help students continue to grow into their best selves, and find enjoyable activities for in and out of school.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Sweeney and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
