Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving

Chess captivates children. Connect their interest to education with Science, Math, Checkmate, an activity book and teacher resource for grades 3-8. Students learn chess rules and strategies through activities coded to the 32 pawns and pieces on a chessboard. The 16 pawn activities require no chess knowledge, 14 of the piece activities build on students' growing familiarity with chess, and the two king activities challenge budding chess experts. Within the chess activities, students practice national standards of scientific inquiry and mathematical problem solving. Improved thinking in science, math, and chess are the winning results: Checkmate!

The introductory chapter discusses the scientific inquiry and mathematical problem solving standards, explains the coding system for the chess activities, and details what materials should be purchased. Chapters 2 (scientific inquiry), 3 (mathematical problem solving), and 4 (inter-disciplinary) each contain 10-12 activities at different grade and chess levels. The book ends with an appendix of the rules of chess. It includes approximately 100 chess diagrams. Grading rubrics and check lists are offered with each activity to assist teachers in assessing student learning.

Chess captivates children. Connect their interest to education with Science, Math, Checkmate, an activity book and teacher resource for grades 3-8. Students learn chess rules and strategies through activities coded to the 32 pawns and pieces on a chessboard. The 16 pawn activities require no chess knowledge, 14 of the piece activities build on students' growing familiarity with chess, and the two king activities challenge budding chess experts. Within the chess activities, students practice national standards of scientific inquiry and mathematical problem solving. Improved thinking in science, math, and chess are the winning results: Checkmate!
The introductory chapter discusses the scientific inquiry and mathematical problem solving standards, explains the coding system for the chess activities, and details what materials should be purchased. Chapters 2 (scientific inquiry), 3 (mathematical problem solving), and 4 (inter-disciplinary) each contain 10-12 activities at different grade and chess levels. The book ends with an appendix of the rules of chess. It includes approximately 100 chess diagrams. Grading rubrics and check lists are offered with each activity to assist teachers in assessing student learning.

ALEXEY W. ROOT has a Ph.D. 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.