• a deck of cards for each student
• teacher copy of Attachment One: Bridge Etiquette for making a poster or posting on the board
• teacher copy of Attachment Two: Reflection Activities to be used after the service project and after teaching Mini Bridge or Bridge
• student copies of Attachment Four: Points Counting Practice
• student copies of Attachment Five: Rules for Mini Bridge to take home and practice
• student copies of Attachment Six: Scoring Mini Bridge
• student copies of Attachment Seven: Basic Bidding Practice Worksheet
• copy of Attachment Eight: Basic Bidding Practice Worksheet Answer Key for each table
• copy of Attachment Nine: NSEW Guide Card for each table (copy and laminate for daily use)
• copy of Attachment Ten: Bridge Scoring Sheet for each table
• student copies of the two-sided Instant Scorer for students to keep on their laps as they play. Copy on two sides and laminate.
• student copies of Tri-fold Bidding Chart, printed on both sides and laminated
• bidding boxes if available
• pencil/paper
   

Teacher Note: For each of these lessons, recruit volunteers to assist the students while they learn the rules and practice the elements of Bridge. Having volunteers who are familiar with the game is helpful, but not necessary. If students have already learned to play Mini Bridge, skip ahead to the Bridge lessons below.  

Day One:

Anticipatory Set:
Ask if any students would like to share additional service project ideas they brainstormed or that were suggested by family members.  Add the new ideas to the chart paper.

• Explain that because the game of Bridge is played in a group and involves partners working together, it is a mini civil society. In addition to learning the rules for Bridge, they will be learning some etiquette, or polite procedures, that Bridge players follow. These are part of the Bridge experience because they promote fair play and sportsmanship. It is helpful if the students agree to follow them to enhance the experience for all players. Tell them that Bridge etiquette is similar to manners in the "game of life."
• Post on the board or a poster the information on Attachment One: Bridge Etiquette and review with the students. Discuss how following these guidelines, they are acting in the common good and in their own self-interest. Say, "Is acting in the common good always good for oneself?" Discuss. 
• Explain that Bridge has its own set of vocabulary words that they will be learning. For teacher reference, Attachment Three: Basic Bridge Vocabulary is available. The object of the game is for partners to win as many “tricks” as possible during the play of the hand. The game of Bridge is based on some simple rules, but playing the game well can take a lifetime to learn. Tell the students that they will begin by learning a simplified version of the game called Mini Bridge.
• Students sit at tables of four (or four desks pushed together). Put the NSEW Guide card (Attachment Nine) in the center of the table. Ask each group to determine who the partners are in their groups and to agree on which direction is clockwise. Ask the north/south partners to raise their hands to assess for understanding, and do the same with the east/west partners. Teacher Note: Posting geographical compass points of north, south, east and west on the classroom walls will be helpful. Students may be assigned to permanent Bridge groups, or groups can change daily.
• 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. Play one game of Tricks without trump:
  1. The player in the north position shuffles and deals all the cards. 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.

Day Two:

• 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 Three

• 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.
• Display the ace, king, queen, and jack cards on the board. These cards are called honor cards. Honor cards have special value.
• 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.  

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 trick makes the next lead Play progresses until all cards are played.
7. The partnership with the most number of tricks over six wins.
8. Play continues with the person to the left of the original dealer dealing (in this case west).
    

Day Four:

• Mini Bridge is very similar to Whist, but trump is named by the declarer. Today they will learn how to declare trump and play Mini Bridge.
• Tell the person in the north position to deal. The dealer reshuffles the deck and deals them one at a time to each player in a clockwise direction until all the cards have been dealt and each player has a total of 13 cards in his/her hand. Players should wait to pick up their cards until all cards are dealt. Then they sort them into suits and put the suits face-up on the table in vertical piles in order from Ace down to 2 (dummy style)..
• Tell the students the values of the honor cards: A = 4, K = 3, Q = 2, J = 1. They will use these values to find the point value of their hands. Each student totals the point value of his or her hand. Then, starting with the dealer, each student announces how many high-card points are in his or her hand.
• 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 who does not play is called the dummy.
• The dummy partner lays out his or her cards for the declarer to see. Dummy style is to lay the cards in vertical rows by suit, facing the declarer. The highest cards are on top. 
• 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.
• For additional practice in counting the value of a hand, give each student a copy of Attachment Four: Points Counting Practice. Have the students calculate the value of each hand. The answer key is here: 
  16, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 16, 19, 13, 17, 14  
• The object is to take at least half the tricks. How many should that be? (6 1/2) Have students guess how many tricks their partnership is going to make over book (book equals the first six tricks). 
• The declarer announces trump and predicts how many tricks the partnership will take (over six tricks).
• The player to the left of the declarer makes the opening lead. This player and his or her partner are the defenders.
• Play continues as it did for the game of Whist, but this time trump is named by the declarer.
• 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.

Day Five

• 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:

• 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.)
• 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 Six: Scoring Mini Bridge. Read and discuss the scoring criteria with the learners.
• Give each student a copy of Attachment Five:  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.

Day Six:  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.

• To move from Mini Bridge to Bridge, students must learn the process of bidding. Bidding takes place at the beginning of each hand and determines who will be the declarer, which suit (if any) will be trump, strain and the number of tricks (level)  the declarer and his or her partner must take, or win, in the play of the hand. The bidding process involves predicting the number of tricks teams will take based on the value of the partnership's hands.
• Teacher Note: The following instructions may be taught as a demonstration. The students gather around a single table on which the teacher deals out four hands of Bridge face-up as a sample. While describing the point values and bidding process, use hands as examples. Once the class feels more comfortable with the basic information, they may move to tables of four around the classroom.

Overview of Bidding

• The goal of bidding is to choose the best suit, or strain, for a partnership to play the hand. Partners use a formal method of "conversing" to determine the strength of their hands and estimate how many tricks they feel they can take with their combined hands. This bidding conversation (the auction) results in a contract with a specific level and strain. The partnership that wins the auction must fulfill their contract in the suit that allows them to control the play. 
• In the bidding, the partners try to determine how many of the 13 tricks they expect to win during the play of the hand. The first 6 tricks are called “book” and do not count in the number of the final bid, therefore, a bid of "1" means “Book plus one” or a total of seven tricks. Likewise, a bid of "2" means that the partners are expecting to take 8 tricks. The highest possible bid (all of the tricks) is a bid of 7 (book plus seven), since there are only 13 tricks in a hand.
• To bid a game in a major suit (hearts and spades), the partnership must hold 25 points between them and must take 10 tricks (book plus 4). To bid a game in a minor suit (clubs and diamonds), the partners must have 3 additional points because it is necessary to win 11 tricks (book plus 5). For this reason minor suits are given a low priority when deciding the best contract. Many Bridge players enjoy playing the hand in no trump because a game bid of no trump can be achieved with a bid of 3 no trump (book plus 3). 

• In addition to counting “high card points” to determine the value of a hand, special distribution points are determined by "interesting distribution" of cards. For example: 
• Bidding and responding is as important to the success in Bridge as the actual playing of the hand. Bidding and responding is an art that is mastered with years of Bridge-playing practice. This lesson teaches very basic Bridge guidelines for bidding and responding, however, this will provide a base of knowledge upon which you may continue to build.
• A bid is an announcement of how many tricks you think you and your partner will be able to take and which suit you will name as trump. When bidding progresses around the table clockwise, each bidder may respond in one of the following ways:
  • Bidders may pass.
  • Bidders may make a new bid.
  • Bidders may double or redouble. 
     
• When making a bid there are some important issues to remember.

1. Any bid starts with the assumption that the bidder can take at least six tricks, called book, plus the stated number of additional tricks.
2. The bid includes a level from one to seven (representing how many tricks beyond six the bidder proposes to make) and a suit or strain. For example, a bid of "3 hearts" suggests that this partnership can take nine tricks (book plus three) with hearts as the trump suit.
3. A player may bid at his or her turn as long as his or her bid is higher than his or her partner's most recent bid. A bid is considered higher if it specifies either a higher level or the same level but with a higher-ranking suit. The denominations are ordered, from lowest to highest, as clubs (♣), diamonds (♦), hearts (♥), spades (♠), and no trump (NT). Thus, after a bid of 3♥, bids of 2♠ or 3♣ are illegal, but 3♠ or 4♦ are legal. 

• Provide guided practice of bidding higher. For example, ask the students, "If the opening bid is 3♥, what bids are legal? Illegal?"
• Provide independent and small group practice in bidding. Attachment Seven: Bidding Practice Worksheet provides sample hands for students. Based on each hand, the students decide the best bid. Have students try it alone first and then talk about it with their Bridge group. Provide the answer key, Attachment Eight: Bidding Practice Answer Key, so groups can discuss the "correct" answer as a small group.
• Clubs and diamonds are referred to as “minor suits” and hearts and spades are referred to as “major suits.” This becomes more important as bidders work toward "game" and will be explained in later lessons.
• If the most recent bid was made by the opponents, a player may "double" that bid if his or her partner has not already done so. This essentially states that the player is so confident that the opponents cannot make their bid during play that the player is willing to double their score if they do (and double the penalty if they do not). If the most recent bid was made by the player or the player's partner, and it has been doubled by an opponent but not yet redoubled by the player's partner, the player may "redouble," further increasing the potential score or penalty.
• The auction ends either if all four players pass initially (in which case the hand is not played or scored) or when three players pass in a row after any bid(s) have been made. The last bid becomes the contract, and its strain determines the trump suit (or no trump). The pair that did not win the contract is called the defense. The pair that made the last bid is divided further: the player who made the first bid in the suit of the final contract becomes the declarer, and his or her partner becomes the dummy.
• Winning tip: Get in the habit of mentally adding your points to your partner’s any time you know your partner’s point range. This will allow you to figure out the proper contract even if you forget the specific rules!  
• Though the art of Bridge is to play with silent communication, during the learning of the game, it is most helpful to talk things over with everyone at your table. Once you become more accomplished, talking about your hands is forbidden.  
• It is helpful for Bridge players to have a scoring tip sheet. Go to this ACBL site to download a two-sided Instant Scorer for students to keep on their laps as they play. Copy the instant scorer on two sides and then laminate for quick reference.
• Give to each group a copy of Attachment Ten: Bridge Score Sheet. Both teams record their contract and final score on this sheet.