The learner will:

• recognize that many of the games he/she plays are learned from others.
• comprehend how helping someone learn something might be considered a service.
• learn to play a new card game.
• complete a service activity by teaching others how to play a game.
  

• A display board
• One deck of playing cards for each group of four learners
• Scenarios (Attachment One)
  

Teacher Note: An optional part of this lesson is to have the learners teach a game to another group of students. If this is an activity of interest, prior arrangements with another teacher are recommended in order to allow time to have your learners spend approximately one hour teaching this other class the rules and etiquette of this game.

Anticipatory Set:
Have the word trump written in large letters on the board. Ignore these for now and arrange the class into groups of four and hand each group a Scenario (Attachment One). Tell them that they are to read their scenario in their groups and decide how they are going to show the rest of the class the game that they are acting out, without words.  Review the importance of rules and etiquette after each game is guessed.  Ask what is the same about teach game. (They are all played with others people.) Then ask the learners how they learned these games and the rules and etiquette required to play them safely and fairly.  Did they teach themselves how to play the game, by reading a book, by watching it on TV, by observing the game being played, by someone who knew the game and taught them, etc?  One way most people learn new games is by being taught how to play by someone who already knows how to play the game. When someone teaches us something they are helping us to learn and therefore providing a service. Tell the learners that today they will learn the rules and etiquette of another new game that will prepare them to play Mini-Bridge, and that they will help others learn the game as well. They will be providing a service for others by helping them to learn.

 

• Take some time to talk about some of the things the learners should do to help share the game in such a way that helps the others learners understand and enjoy it.  You can suggest things such as being sure that they fully understand how to play the game, talking slowly and clearly, checking periodically  to be sure that they are understanding the rules, demonstrating how to play the game, being  patient, etc.
  
  
• Arrange the learners into groups of four and give each group two decks of cards.  Tell the groups to remove the two Jokers from the playing card decks and place them back aside.
  
  
• Each group will use two decks of cards (jokers removed). In Bridge it is customary to have two decks of cards with similar but contrasting designs on the back for use at each table.
  
  
• Using one of the decks, ask the learner in the North position to spread all cards of this deck face down on the table.  Each player will then draw a card in order to determine the person to deal the cards (the dealer). The person with the highest card in the highest suit (suits rank from lowest to highest alphabetically: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades) wins the deal. The person to the left of the dealer shuffles the cards and then passes them to the dealer who then passes them to the opponent on his/her right.  This player will cut for the dealer (lifting a portion of the deck and placing it in front of the dealer who then places the bottom potion of the deck and places it on top). The dealer deals all the cards face down, in clockwise rotation one at a time, until each player at the table has a hand consisting of 13 cards.  No player should touch his/her cards until the dealer has finished dealing the last card.
  
  
• Explain that after the play of each hand is completed, the deal moves around the table clockwise so that each person has a turn to deal the cards.  It is traditional to use two packs of cards during a game. During each deal, the dealer's partner shuffles the other pack and places it to his/her right. The dealer for the next hand then simply needs to pick up the cards from the left and passes them across to the right to be cut. (Provided all the players understand and use it, this procedure saves time and works as a reminder of whose turn it is to deal, because the spare pack of cards is always to the left of the next dealer.)
  
  
• Allow time for the learners to practice shuffling and dealing the cards, so that each player has an opportunity to deal the cards and all groups understand the procedure and rotation of the deal. Observe for understanding and cooperation in the groups.
  
  
• Tell the learners that once all cards have been dealt, the players pick up the cards and arrange the cards into their hand.  Cards are arranged into the players’ hand by suit. (Teacher Note: It is easier to play the hand if cards are arranged red, black, and red, black.) Many beginning players like to arrange their cards in descending order (with the highest card to the left, by suit, in their hand) so that during the play of the hand keeping track of the cards is easier. Demonstrate organizing a hand and have the groups practice dealing and organizing a few hands.
  
  
• Explain to the learners that the object of Bridge is to win tricks for their side. A "trick" is a group of four cards, one from each player. Today they will learn to play a game called "Tricks." The first card played to each trick is called the lead. 
  
• Tell the learners that after the lead, the next three players must play the same suit as the lead.  For instance, if a spade is led and your hand contains any spades, you must play one of them (any spade you choose). If you have no spades, you may play any other card.  When everyone in the group has played a card, the trick is complete. The rules for determining the winner of a trick are:

1. A trick is won by the highest card of the suit led.
2. After each trick, one player of the side that wins it should collect the cards and arrange them neatly so the number of tricks won can be counted easily. 

3. The person who wins the trick, leads first to the next trick. Play continues this way for all 13 tricks.
   

   Play continues this way for all 13 tricks.

• Next have them deal another hand, count their points and tell them that hearts are trumps for this hand only. Tell them that unlike other card games in bridge any suit can become trumps. They will learn how trumps are determined later, but for now you are just deciding that hearts are trumps.
  
  
• Tell the learners that after the lead, the next three players must play the same suit as the lead. For instance, if a spade is led and your hand contains any spades, you must play one of them (any spade you choose). If you have no spades, you may play any other card including a trump which would win the trick if no higher trump card is played. If you have a spade but it is not higher than the spade that was led, you should play your smallest card in that suit. When everyone in the group has played a card, the trick is complete. The rules for determining the winner of a trick are:

1. If a trick contains no trump card, it is won by the highest card of the suit led.
2. If a trick contains a trump card, the highest trump played wins it.

3. After each trick, one player of the side that wins it should collect the cards and arrange them neatly so the number of tricks won can be counted easily. Play continues this way for all 13 tricks.
   

4. • Ask the learners to play a practice hand of tricks. Let the dealer decide what suit he would like trumps to be. The person to the left of dealer leads a card, any card they like. Players continue in a clockwise direction, each laying down a card, in the suit led if possible. After each player has laid down one card, the learners should determine who is the winner of the trick, the highest card being led or a trump, if someone could not follow suit. The winner of the trick leads the next trick. After all the tricks are taken, learners can determine a winner by the player who has most total tricks.
     
     

   • Allow time for the groups to deal and play at least one practice hand.
     
     

   • After the groups are finished with this practice hand, ask them to reflect on what they observed and learned from the experience about winning tricks. Ask the learners to share how through playing this game they have come to understand the important role that rules and etiquette have in playing games. Ask them also share how learning to play this game might help them in developing other skills such as those stressed in math, science, social studies, and character development.
     
     
   • Ask the learners to play a couple of hands to familiarize themselves with the game and reflect on today’s terms trump, taking the “trick”, as well as some of the other vocabulary learned to this point: etiquette, rules, suits, rank/value, hand, North, South, East, and West and partners.
     

    

    

OPTIONAL: Conclude by asking each learner to teach this game to someone of their choice (or another class) and spend a few minutes prior to the next lesson giving those who were involved in teaching someone this game an opportunity to review and reflect on their service experience.  Asking such questions as: Was it hard or easy to teach the others the game? What went really well and what could be been improved?  Do you think that your group taught the other group how to play the game? Did your group have to talk about the etiquette of game-playing.? If so, Why? How easy or hard was it to teach the other group who probably was not familiar, or as familiar, with the terminology of the game. How did you feel while providing the service; helping others learn? Do you think you’ll help others learn new things in the future? Why or why not?

 

• For additional Web Sites that feature children’s games using playing cards: 
  http://www.usplayingcard.com/gamerules/childrenscardgames.html
  
  http://thehouseofcards.com/
  
  http://www.acbl.org/documentlibrary/news/statisticallyspeaking.pdf
  
  
• For additional related Units and Lessons see also www.learningtogive.org