In this lesson the students will learn a game that they can teach to others. They will practice skills of partnership. 
 

The learner will:

• recognize that many of the games he/she plays are learned from others.
• describe how helping someone learn something might be considered a service.
• learn to play two new card games.
• describe the importance of a partnership.
• predict winning cards by logical thinking.
• provide a service by teaching others how to play a game.
   

• a display board
• two decks of playing cards for each group of four learners
• one copy of Attachment One: Scenarios cut into individual cards
• NSEW Guide Card (See Lesson One)
• card holders if necessary
• paper and pencil for each player
• student copies of Attachment Two: The Game of Whist to take home

Teacher Note: As a service project, learners may teach a game to another group of students. To prepare for this component, you may contact another teacher to set up the time for the shared experience (after at least three days). The teaching and playing may require three 45-minute sessions. Alternatively, the students may help you choose to whom they will teach the game. See Day Five of this lesson for guiding the students to design the service project.

Day One
Anticipatory Set:
Arrange the class into groups of four and hand each group a scenario card from Attachment One: Scenario. Tell them you are giving each group the name of a familiar game. They should keep it secret from the other teams for now. Tell them they are going to play the game of Charades to act out the name of the game on their scenario cards. The rules of this game:

1. The teams work cooperatively and use game etiquette.
2. The goal is to communicate the name of their game to the other groups.
3. The acting team may use actions without words.
4. The other groups may use words and ask questions.
5. The acting team may gesture and shake their heads in response but not talk.
6. When another team guesses the game, that round is over.

Play the game of Charades by having each team take a turn to act out the game on their scenario card.

• Review the role of rules and etiquette in playing a game. Discuss how the rules and etiquette improve the game experience (and life experience). 
• In the Charades game, they guessed the names of several games. Ask what all these games have in common. (For example, they are all played with other people.) Then ask the learners how they learned the rules and etiquette required to play these games safely and fairly. (Did they teach themselves, by reading a book, by watching it on TV, by observing the game, by someone who knew the game and taught them?) Discuss whether most games are learned by somone teaching them.
• Introduce the School Bridge LEAGUE. Go to www.schoolbridgeleague.org and show the students some highlights of the program. You will find information on the website about why Bridge is a good thing to do academically and socially. There are many schools participating in School Bridge LEAGUE and doing service projects to connect to other Bridge players around the world. Tell the students that they will learn a variation of Bridge called Mini Bridge.
• When someone teaches us something they are 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 then in a few days they will teach the game to others. They will be providing a service for others by helping them to learn. 
• Tell the students that in the game of Mini Bridge, the players follow a specific procedure for shuffling and dealing the cards. Bridge players all over the world expect players to follow this procedure. Remind the students that they will be teaching this to other students, so it is helpful to pay close attention.
• Prepare to play the new game by teaching the shuffling and dealing procedure:

1. 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 decks. (Each group will use two decks of cards, but only one is in use at a time. The other is shuffled and set aside in order to keep the game moving between hands.)
2. The player in the north position spreads the cards from one deck face-down on the table. Each player draws a card. The player with the highest card is the dealer. If two players draw the same high card, the highest suit (suits rank from lowest to highest alphabetically: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades) wins the deal. 
3. The person to the left of the dealer shuffles the cards and then passes them to the dealer. The dealer passes the shuffled deck to the player on his/her right. This player cuts the deck for the dealer (lifts a portion of the top of the deck and places the top portion of cards in front of the dealer). The dealer then places the bottom portion of the deck on top). 
4. The dealer deals all the cards one at a time face-down in clockwise rotation. No player should touch his/her cards until the dealer has finished dealing the last card.  This is part of good etiquette for the game. Each player then has a hand of 13 cards. Ask each player to count their cards face-down before sorting into their hand.
5. Explain that after the play of a hand, the deal moves around the table clockwise, so there is a new dealer for each hand. It is traditional to use two packs of cards during a game. During each deal, the dealer's partner (across the table) 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 his/her left and passes them across to the right to be cut. (This procedure saves time and reminds players whose turn it is to deal.)
6. When the cards are dealt, the players pick up their hands and arrange the cards by suit. (Teacher Note: It is easier to play the hand if cards are arranged red, black, red, black.) It is helpful to arrange the suits in descending order (from ace to two). See Lesson Three, Attachment Three for handout on sorting cards.

Day Two

• Remind the students that on the previous day they learned how to deal the cards for the game of Mini Bridge. Ask the students to recall the steps involved.
• Have the groups practice dealing and organizing a few hands, if desired, to show comprehension.
• Explain to the learners that the object of Mini Bridge is to win tricks for their side. A trick is made up of four cards, one from each player. Today they will learn to play a game called Tricks.

1. Follow the shuffling and dealing procedure. The four players arrange the cards in their hands by suits in descending order.
2. The player to the left of the dealer places a card in the center of the table (start with a high-value card). This first card played is called the lead. 
3. After the lead, the next three players must play a card in the same suit as the lead. For example, if a spade is led and a player holds any spades, he/she must play a spade. If a player has no spades, he/she may play any other card. 
4. When everyone in the group has played one card in turn, the trick, or round, is complete. The winner of the trick is the player who placed the highest card of the suit led. It is actually the player and his or her partner that win the trick.
5. After each trick, the players move their played cards to the edge of the table in front of themselves. Winning cards are placed perpendicular; losing cards are place parallel to the edge of the table.
6. The person who wins a trick leads the next round. This player may lead with any suit, and the other players try to follow suit. Play continues this way for all 13 tricks. When the teams have played their hands (all 13 cards), they count the number of tricks won. The partnership with the most tricks is the winner of the hand. They may keep track of hands won on a sheet of paper. The teams names are North/South vs East/West.

• At the end of a hand, it is time to shuffle and deal again for another hand. The new dealer picks up the shuffled card deck from his/her left.
• Allow the groups to play until the end of the class period. The winning partnership is the one with the most winning hands.

Day Three

• Remind the students that on the previous day, they learned a game called Tricks. Ask questions about how to play the game to check for understanding. Tell them that today, they will add another element to the game. The new element is called trump. Write the word trump on the board. Tell them that trump cards are cards that have more power than other cards because cards from the trump suit win over the highest card of the suit that was led.
• Have the learners sit in their groups of four to play a game. Have them determine the dealer as they did before (by picking the highest card). The dealer deals 13 cards to each player, and the players arrange their cards by suit in descending order.
• Now tell the students that for this game only, the suit of hearts is trump. This means that no matter what suit the first player leads with, hearts are the most powerful cards. (Later they will learn how to determine trump, but for this game, tell them that hearts are trump for everyone.)

1. The player to the left of the dealer leads with a high-value card. This may be in any suit.
2. The next three players must play a card in the same suit as the lead. For example, if a spade is led and a player holds any spades, he/she must play a spade. If a player has no spades, he/she may play any other card, including a trump card (in this case a heart). Important note: The players (after the lead) may only play a trump if they do not have any cards in the suit the first player led.
3. When all four cards in a round have been played, the trick is complete. The winner of the trick is the player who placed the highest card of the suit led. However, if someone played a trump card, that player is the winner of the trick. If more than one player played trump, the one who played the highest trump card is the winner of the trick.
4. The winner of the trick begins the next round.
5. Play continues until all 13 cards are played. Hearts remains trump for all 13 hands.
6. The partnership with the most tricks is the winner of the hand.

• At the end of a hand, it is time to shuffle and deal again for another hand. The new dealer picks up the shuffled card deck from his/her left. Before the cards are dealt, the dealer decides what the new trump (one suit) will be for this hand.
• Allow the groups to play until ten minutes before the end of the class period. The winning partnership is the one with the most winning hands.
• Reflect on the game played today. Have the students share their thoughts about winning tricks. Ask what they learned and feel about the rules and etiquette of the game. Encourage them to relate how they like to be treated in a game with how they like to be treated in life. Ask whether they think they practiced any academic skills in this game (math, language arts, social studies).

Day Four

• Tell the students that today they will be playing the game of Whist, a game that has been around since the 17th century. In this game, we refer to the partners as the north/south team and the east/west team. Have the students wish their opponents good luck. It is important to have proper etiquette when playing the game of Whist. Ask, "What happens if your partner makes a mistake? The correct thing to do is to say, 'good try, partner.'  Remember, we all make mistakes, and in this game, both partners are responsible for the outcome. When your opponent wins the game, it is correct to say, 'well done.'" 
• Teacher: Another important part of a partnership game is to remember to not talk to your partner, look at their cards, or tell them what you want them to lead. A good partner sits up straight, never changes their expression when partner leads a trick, and respects their partner's ability to play. This is done to prevent cheating. Your partner never should know how you feel about a lead or a play while the cards are in play. Does anyone know what a poker-face is?
• Have students practice a poker face to make sure they understand.

Teacher Note: These aspects of partnership and good etiquette are essential to a respectable game of Bridge. Students need to understand that this is how the game is played.

• Display the ace, king, queen, and jack cards on the board. These cards are called honor cards. Honor cards have special value. Remind students that they have already learned about the rank of cards, and that an ace is the highest ranking card in a suit. The king ranks higher than the queen, the queen higher than a jack, etc.  
• Now display cards 10 - 2 and tell students these cards will be referred to as spot cards. 
• Display a jack and a ten, and ask students which card ranks higher. Show examples to make sure students have a clear understanding of the rank of cards.
• Have students move into groups of four and get ready to play Whist:
• The player in the north position deals the cards clockwise. Remind students that the first person to get a card is the person to the left of the dealer. If the cards are dealt correctly, the dealer will receive the last card.
• Tell the learners that Whist, like Bridge, is a partnership game. When your partner wins a trick, you are also the winner of that trick. Ask, "If your partner wins a trick, should you try to top your partner's card?" Tell students to try not to win partner's trick.  
• Play the first game, similar to Tricks, but with a partner. There will be no trump in this hand. The person to the left of the dealer makes the opening lead. Remember to follow suit when you can, and to discard a loser if you can't follow suit. Watch the cards your partner plays.
• After each round, players put their played cards along the edge of the table in front of them. Tell the students, "if your or your partner wins, turn the card toward your partner. If the opponents win, turn the card toward the opponents. You will easily see which team wins after all thirteen cards are played.
• After the first game is played, ask which team at each table won the most number of tricks over six. Be sure to remind students to congratulate their opponents.
•  Ask what is different about playing with a partner. Discuss strategies that helped partnerships win tricks.
• Have the students play at least two of these types of hands before giving directions for Whist. 

Scoring for Whist: The partnership with the most number of tricks over six wins. Ask the learners why they think we count winners after the first six tricks. (Answer - You have to take more than half the tricks to win the game.)

Play the game of Whist:

Teacher Note: The game of Whist is a trick-taking game played without bidding for 4 players in partnerships. And while the rules are quite simple, there are enormous possibilities for probability and statistics, as well as inductive and deductive reasoning skills. 

1. Have the dealer deal all 52 cards. The 52nd card, which is the dealer’s final card, is placed face-up on the table. That suit becomes trump. It is immediately placed back in dealer's hand.
2. Player to the dealer's left leads the first trick. Any card can be led.
3. The other players, in clockwise order, play a card to the trick. Players must follow suit by playing a card of the same suit as the card led.
4. If a player has a void in the suit led, they play any card, including a trump.
5. Highest trump played on a trick wins.
6. Player who won the trick makes the next lead

• Play progresses until all cards are played.
• The partnership with the greater number of tricks over six wins.
• Play continues with the person to the left of the original dealer dealing (in this case east).
   

Day Five and Beyond

• Tell the students that they are going to teach another group how to play this game. This may be arranged by the teacher in advance (as indicated in the teacher note in the beginning of this lesson). As an alternative that promotes student voice and empowerment, you may discuss student ideas for who they would like to teach as a service project.
• The group may be another group at their school, a school group across town, or a group of seniors at a local retirement facility. Discuss what they would be sharing with the other group as they teach them. This may include sharing time and attention and providing skill practice.
• Make a plan for carrying out the service plan, including how the groups will be arranged and the best way to teach the rules. It may be best to have two students pair up with two people from the other class (or group).
• Talk about ways they (as teachers) can share the rules of a game so the learners understand and enjoy it. This may include stating the goal first, speaking slowly and clearly, giving step-by-step instructions, showing patience and enthusiasm, modeling, encouraging, checking for understanding, and using game etiquette. 
• Carry out the plan by teaching the game to the chosen group and playing for one or more sessions.
• Reflect on the experience, giving students a chance to tell how they felt about teaching the game to others and how the others felt about the experience. Some of the following questions may guide the discussion:
• 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 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?

 

Followup to Tricks:

• This is a good time to ask students to think about the cards that won and lost. Was a king captured by an Ace? Did you win more tricks if you had a short suit or a long suit? With experience, students should begin to analyze their hand and see how to make losers into winners. Why did they lose a trick they thought they could win? What observations did the students make about the playing of Tricks?
• Allow the learners time to play this game again. Playing Tricks gives the learner the opportunity to recognize that while playing in no trump, a low card can win a trick. 

Followup to Trump:

• Allow the learners time to play this game. Playing Trumps gives the learner the opportunity to recognize that while playing in a trump contract, a low card can win a trick. 
• This is a good time to have students think about why they named a suit as the trump suit. Did they play a long suit or a short suit? What happened if they had a long suit, but did not have the high ranking cards in that suit(promoting tricks)?  Was it better to play all of your high cards first, or wait to see what other cards were played? Could they predict how many tricks they could win? Why? Why not?
• Students should be analyzing their hands and watching the cards played by their opponents to develop tricks in their hand. 
• Print a direction sheet for playing Trump and ask the students to teach their friends or family.

Followup to Whist:

• While observing students participating in the game, teachers can ask questions to help them think critically about strategy.
  • How can a low spot card win a trick? 
  • Is it best to lead all honor cards when you get the lead? 
  • Does a player want to capture a spot card with an Ace or an honor card with an Ace? 
  • Do you think it is a good decision to play a queen if you do not have the Ace and King? 
  • How can the player promote their tricks? Does a player have a long suit? 
  • Is it better to play long suits or short suits first?  
  • How can a player decide whether to discard a low card or a high card?
  • Were any of your suits blocked when a partner won a trick over yours? 
  • What strategies would help a partnership win more tricks? (Example: second plays low to give partner a chance to win the trick.)
  • Is there a way of telling your partner through the cards what cards are in your hand?
• Below are ideas for winning at the game of Whist for teacher reference. It should be the goal of the instructor to have the students draw their own conclusions and think logically. At no time should the players be told these techniques. They can be reinforced and confirmed when the students have the idea from play.
  • It is best to open with your strongest suit, the one you have the most cards in.
  • If you have only one card in a suit, this may be a good lead because your partner may be able to follow suit with a higher card.
  • If you have a lot of trump, lead with another suit of which you have a lot of cards.
  • If you don't have much trump, lead with another suit of which you don't have many cards.
  • In the first trick, if you have a sequence of honor cards, play the king.
  • In the second trick, play low.
  • In the third trick, play high.
  • When discarding, play a low card in an unwanted suit, especially if you can run out of a suit.