To teach learners to communicate with their partners through their playing cards.

The learner will:

• keep statistics. 
• explain how a lead talks to a partner.
• name the major and minor suits.
• understand that a contract is a commitment.
• identify sure tricks.
• play in no trump or a trump contract.
• score the game of Mini Bridge.

Anticipatory set: 

Say, "How do you think the cards can talk to the partnership and the defenders?" Tell the students that in Mini Bridge, opening leads communicate to your partner what you are holding and whether you are interested in developing tricks in that suit. 

• Review the rules of Mini Bridge.
• Lay out the following teaching hand on the table for all to review. North is dealer.

• Ask the following questions based on the hand:
  • How many points does each player have?
  • Who has the contract? A contract is a commitment to take a specific number of tricks in the declared strain.
  • Who is declarer
  • Who is dummy?
  • Which player makes opening lead?
  • How many tricks can the declarer make?
• Ask the declarer to count their "sure" tricks.
• Have students play out the hand. (This can be done with four players as a demonstration, or each group of four may get the same demonstration hand as above.)
• Discuss how the game went. How many tricks did the declarer make? If all the tables played the same hand, did everyone play it the same?
• Have students play a few hands. Ask them to keep track of how many points each partnership has. In other words, keep track of how many points take how many tricks. Ask if any of the students notice a pattern.
• Gather students around a table. Have one group deal a hand. Have the students announce their points. Partnership with the most points has control. Ask the person to the left of the declarer to lead a card.Then ask declarer to:
  • count their sure tricks.
  • decide whether the hand should be played in "no trump" or in a trump contract. Remind students about the game of Trump. Ask students how many trump cards a partnership should have in a trump contract. (8 or more).
• Remind students that in the previous games of Whist, they learned that it is better to have a long suit. Have the student declare the contract in a suit contract (naming trump) or in no trump. Ask students to estimate how many tricks above book he or she will make. Make students aware of total number of points the partnership is holding.
• Students should play and keep statistics.

Day Two:  Keeping Score

• Review rules of Mini Bridge. 
• Ask:  Why does the declarer have to take more than half of the tricks to score?  Remind students that only the tricks won after the first six count for their score. These tricks are known as book.
• Tell students that if the declaring side does not make book, the defending side gets 50 points for every trick that declaring side is short of its goal.
• Explain suit rank and scoring: 
  • Clubs and Diamonds are known as minor suits. Each trick after book in a minor suit is worth only 20 points.
  • Hearts and Spades are known as major suits. Each trick after book in a major suit is worth 30 points.
  • When played in No trump, you score 40 points for the first trick after book, and then 30  points for every trick afterward.
  • Note: For the same number of tricks, the partnership earns more in a major suit and in no trump than a minor suit.
  • Scoring is determined by the "strain" you choose. Strain is the suit (or no trump) named in a contract. 
  • When estimating a contract, you must declare the strain and level you expect to make (in other words, number of tricks over book and the suit).  For example, 3 hearts has a level of 3 and a strain of hearts.
• Ask, how many tricks does a partnership have to win to make 2 hearts? (8) How many tricks does partnership have to win to make 2 clubs? (8)
• Now play a few hands and determine if the scoring helps you to choose playing in no trump or in which suit. Keep track of your points and your score. Remember, if you don't make your estimate, your opponents get 50 points for ever trick you do not earn. Have students keep track of their total points and how many tricks they actually made.