In this lesson the teacher introduces the game of Mini Bridge. The learners practice the rules, etiquette, and vocabulary that specifically pertain to the game of Mini Bridge as a precursor to the game of Bridge. Learners use mental computation and reasoning skills to successfully play the game.
 

The learner will:

• deal cards according to game playing etiquette.
• organize a hand of playing cards in a usable way.
• use mental arithmetic to count points for a hand.
• practice interpersonal communication and collaboration, following game rules.
• estimate and predict a “winning” bid.
• learn and play Mini Bridge.
   

Anticipatory Set:
Write the word philanthropist on the board. Tell the students that they are philanthropists. Help them with pronunciation and then show the short, humorous video that will help them define it, "Philanthropy: It's Easier Done than Said." Define philanthropy as "giving time, talent, or treasure or taking action for the common good." Discuss what that means to the learners. Review the rules for the game of life developed on the chart paper in the previous lessons. Ask the students whether they were philianthropists when they taught the game of Whist to another group and followed these rules for life when they were playing the game.

Day One:

• Tell the learners that today they will play Mini Bridge. Mini Bridge is a simplified version of the advanced game of Bridge that people all over the world play. Assure them that they already know much of the vocabulary and skills of Mini Bridge. Remind the students that they discovered during the last class period how easy it was to take tricks if they had a lot of aces, face cards, or trump cards. Tell them that this is true in Mini Bridge also.
• Explain that the goal of Mini Bridge is for partners to win as many tricks as possible during the play of the hand. (Ask the learners to recall the meaning of the word trick from Lesson Four). 
• Arrange the class into groups of four and assign east/west and north/south partnerships. Ask the students if anyone can point out the direction in which the sun sets. Help them to identify that as west. Point out the direction the sun rises and identify it as east. North and south will be partners, east and west will be partners. NSEW Guide cards on tables indicate where the directions are located. 
• Review how to count the points in their hand (Lesson Three). Ask the students how many points are available in a single suit? What are the total high-card points available in the deck? (The entire deck of cards has 40 high card points. So, with four players, an average individual hand would hold 10 “high card” points.)

Ace:         4 points
King:        3 points
Queen:     2 points
Jack:         1 point
=               10 points      x     4 suits    =      40 points

Teacher Note:  In this section, students learn how Mini Bridge is different from Whist and Tricks. Mini Bridge is like Tricks, but in Mini Bridge they determine which player is the "declarer." The declarer decides which suit is trump and also how many tricks his/her team will take. In addition, the partner of the declarer holds the "dummy hand."  Mini-bridge can also be played in no trump.

• Tell the students that in Whist the trump was decided by the dealer, but in Mini Bridge, the trump suit is decided by the "declarer." Explain that before they start playing tricks, they have to determine who is in control of each hand, or the declarer. The declarer is the player who names the trump suit (or he/she may call "no trump") and who will lead the play of the hand.

1. The person in the north position deals the cards as if for Tricks. Remind the players not to pick up their cards until all cards have been dealt. Players arrange their hands and then count the points in their hand (aces and face cards). 
2. Each player, starting with the dealer, announces how many high-card points are in his or her hand. (Reminder: The total of all four hands should add up to 40). 
3. The partnership with the most points is in control of the hand. The player with the most points in the partnership is the declarer and plays both his or her hand and his or her partner's hand. The partner lays out his or her hand face-up on the table by suit and rank (dummy style). 

   Note: If both sides have 20 points, dealer redeals. If both partners have the same number of points, partner to first announce his or her points is the declarer. 

4. The object is to take at least half the tricks. How many should that be? (6 1/2) Have students guess how many tricks they are going to make over book (book equals the first six tricks). 
5. Students should play this first hand in no trump.
6. The player to the left of the declarer makes the opening lead. This player and his or her partner are the defenders.
7. Play continues until all cards are played.
8. To show you have won a trick, place the winning card face down in front of you, slightly to your left, pointing toward the middle of the table. Players who lose a trick place their cards, slightly to the left, so that the long side is along the table’s edge. (Check to make sure players understand how to place a card on the table after a trick is played.)  Cards are placed next to each other along the edge of the table in order of play so students can quickly see who has won or lost each trick. Cards are not stacked.  Example: l l l l l - - - l l - - l  This player has won 8 tricks.

• It is recommended that teachers use a desk as a blackboard to display a Mini Bridge hand. Deal out the cards with the following hands:
  • North hand: (♠) Q, J, 10, 9, 8    (♥)  6,5    (♦)  4, 3, 2     (♣)  Q, 9, 7
  • South hand: (♠) 6, 3, 2    (♥)  Q, J, 10, 9    (♦) A, 10     (♣) J, 5, 3, 2 
  • East Hand: (♠) 5, 4    (♥) A, K,  7, 3    (♦) 8, 7, 6      (♣) K, 8, 6, 4
  • West Hand: (♠) A, K, 7    (♥) 8, 4, 2    (♦) K, Q, J, 9, 5     (♣) A, 10 

• Have the students work together to add up the points for each hand, decide which seat will be the declarer, and who will make the opening lead. The declarer decides which suit will be trump for the game. (West will be the declarer, North will make the opening lead. It is a good time to suggest that North lead the queen of spades. This promises that the hand also holds the Jack. It is a signal to your partner that you like the suit.)         

Day Two:

• Review the rules of Mini Bridge, encouraging the students to discuss strategy and ask questions about the game. At the start of this class, have the learners play the Mini Bridge game as they did in the last class period.
• After one or two refresher hands, tell the learners that today they will learn how to score the game of Mini Bridge.
• Give each student a copy of Attachment One: Scoring Mini Bridge. Read and discuss the scoring criteria with the learners.
• Give each student a copy of Attachment Two:  Rules for Mini Bridge. 
• Ask one group of learners to play a demonstration hand of Mini Bridge, while the other groups observe. After all the rounds are played, the teams count up their tricks. Assist them in counting the score and recording it on the score sheet. Allow the students to ask questions about scoring.
• Allow the players to play Mini Bridge in groups of four until the end of the class period. Encourage them to hold themselves, as well as their partner and opponents, accountable for rules and etiquette in the game.
• Tell them to do the same in all the games they play, as well as in their classroom school, family, and community.

• Online link to video, "Philanthropy: It's Easier Done than Said." http://learningtogive.org/videos/what_is_phil_large.asp

For additional children’s games using playing cards: 

• House of Cards (accessed 4/30/2010) http://thehouseofcards.com/
   

For websites that feature Bridge resources:

• The Bridge World, Introduction to Bridge (accessed 4/30/2010) http://www.Bridgeworld.com/default.asp?d=intro_to_Bridge&f=introtoBridgemainpage.html

• Contract Bridge Course (accessed 4/30/2010) http://www.jazclass.aust.com/Bridge/br0.htm
   
• American Contract Bridge League (accessed 4/30/2010) http://www.acbl.org/
   
• "Statistically Speaking," American Contract Bridge League (accessed 4/30/2010) http://www.acbl.org/documentlibrary/news/statisticallyspeaking.pdf
   
• Baron Barclay Bridge Supplies (accessed 4/30/2010) http://www.baronbarclay.com/ 
   
• Kardwell Bridge Supplies (accessed 4/30/2010) http://www.kardwell.com/Bridge-access.htm (Bidding helper)
   
• Kitty Cooper Bridge Lessons (accessed 4/30/2010) http://www.kittycooper.com/Bridge/index.php