Chess Instruction Design

Running head: TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO PLAY CHESS 1

Teaching Middle School Students to Play Chess Online

Martha Rice

Texas A&M University - Texarkana

Teaching middle school students to play chess online 2

Abstract

I designed these instructional units to teach middle school students chess and to teach

them how to play chess and then to regularly use an online chess application called chesskid.com

(www.chesskid.com). According to research, the skills students learn and hone in learning and

playing chess, especially critical thinking skills, can help them become better math students as

well as better self-directed learners. Students in the project will be 7th graders taking technology

applications at Pewitt Junior High School. These students will need to learn chess basics and

advanced chess strategies. They will also need to be able to use chess symbols to both document

game play and also to use in problem solving situations. As students become comfortable with

playing chess in sequential instructional units, they will learn tactics and strategies to enhance

their chess skills. They will use these tactics and strategies to practice problem solving tasks

using chess problems. In the final instructional units, students will use problem solving skills to

solve arithmetic problems and puzzles using chess symbols. Goals in the project include

improving student attitudes toward mathematics and improving scores in mathematics-related

topics including arithmetic reasoning, spatial ability, and computation.

http://www.chesskid.com/


Teaching Middle School Students to Play Chess Online

Introduction

The purpose of the project is to teach 7th grade students at Pewitt Junior High School

(PJHS) taking technology applications classes to play chess online. These students are also

studying to be successful in mathematics and other standardized tests. Students do not like

mathematics because they feel uncertain and nervous about mathematics (Geist, 2010). Over the

years 2003-2009, Texas 7th grade students have not performed as well on mathematics TAKS

tests as they have on reading TAKS tests (“Percent of Students,” 2009). During that same

period, from 2003-2009, PJHS 7th grade students performed better on reading TAKS tests than

on mathematics TAKS tests in all but two years ("TAKS Campus Aggregate," 2009). Research

suggests that learning and playing chess enhances learners' attitudes toward problem solving and

increases aptitude in skills like memory, visualization, and critical thinking which aid

mathematical performance. When students learn and regularly play chess, they should become

more successful and confident problem solvers, particularly with mathematics.

Problem Identification

Students need to build skills and confidence in mathematics. Researchers have suggested

that there is a link between mathematics and chess. Gobet and Campitelli (2005) suggest that

students who learn and play chess do better scholastically. Mathematics success depends on

memory (Ashcraft & Krause, 2007), and according to Ferguson (n.d.), learning and working to

master chess improves memory.

Ferguson also suggests that success in chess encourages all kids to practice self-regulated

learning (SRL) and peer-guided learning. Ferguson also suggests that no matter what their


learning style, students benefit in playing chess because chess poses many problems to solve in a

competitive environment in which they want to succeed. Ho (2005) found that SRL has a

positive connection with academic achievement. Samuelsson (2008) found that problem-solving

increases students’ SRL, which in turn, alleviates mathematics anxiety. Marcou and Philippou

suggest that the key to SRL, which, in itself, is an important characteristic successful

mathematics students use, is the students’ belief in the task, the goal, and themselves. In fact,

SRL has become more important in schools, with teachers attempting to empower their students

to perform more independently, especially in mathematics problem-solving.

Teachers can help encourage students to practice SRL by promoting their students’

feelings that they will be successful. Students who understand that accurately gauging their self-

efficiency will increase their success in mathematics will feel more confident, and in turn, do

better in mathematics. Teachers who teach students problem-solving strategies produced the

greatest gains in a study carried out by Samuelsson (2008). When students used problem-solving

skills together with their peers, they were more interested in mathematics and more self-

confident about themselves and their abilities to solve problems and be successful in

mathematics. In fact, Reid (1992) found that cooperative learners benefited from individual

accountability, advancements in interpersonal skills and self-esteem, and achieved at a higher

level in mathematics. Intergroup competition seemed to be one of the reasons that these students

benefitted.

Experts in teaching mathematics using chess also promise leaps in mathematics

achievement (Root, 2008; Buky, 2007). Frank (1979) proved that chess can increase students’

mathematics (and verbal) scores. Ferguson (n.d.) proved that chess can increase students’

critical thinking skills. Buky (2007) and Buky and Ho (2008) proved that specific mathematics


skills can be improved when coupled with chess lessons. Margulies (1991) proved that the

process of learning chess increases students’ self-confidence in other problem solving situations,

a conclusion reinforced by Unterrainer, Kaller, Halsband, and Rahm (2006). Therefore, learning

and playing chess should enhance students’ success in mathematics.

Needs Assessment

Instruction in basic rules of chess;

Instruction in advanced chess strategies;

Instruction in problem solving techniques using chess problems.

Goal analysis

Aim: To increase success in mathematics performance and attitude of 7th grade students taking

technology applications class at PJHS.

Goals: 7th graders in technology applications at PJHS will…

Increase attitudes toward mathematics according to scores on mathematics inventory;

Improve scores in arithmetic reasoning in occupational assessment;

Improve scores in spatial ability in occupational assessment;

Improve scores in computation in occupational assessment.

To reach these four goals, I began with a set of behaviors I wanted the students to attain upon

completion of the project. I wanted students to improve their grades in mathematics class,

improve their attitudes toward doing mathematics, be better able to solve problems in

mathematics, be more self-regulated learners, improve scores on mathematics attitude

inventories, and become better and more advanced chess players. In becoming better chess


players, I wanted the students to increase their arithmetic reasoning and computational skills, and

their visualization and spatial abilities.

I refined these goals, keeping in mind that the goals would have to be measurable and that I

needed to be more specific. The second set of goals, ranked in order, included improving

students’ scores on mathematics attitude inventories, improving students’ grades in mathematics

class, arithmetic reasoning assessments, spatial ability assessments, and computation

assessments, and improving students’ chess skills. I felt that overall, improving students’

attitudes toward mathematics would probably be the most effective, long-term method of

improving mathematics performance.

I ultimately dropped the goal of improving students’ scores in mathematics class because this

goal is too dependent upon too many variables, including teacher personalities, testing day

problems, student absenteeism, and other factors. I also dropped the goals about improving

students’ chess skills because the skill of the chess player does not necessarily influence

mathematics performance more than the simple fact of learning and continue to play chess does,

according to my research. Goal analysis detail is in Appendix A.

Learner analysis

The learners involved in this project are 12 or 13 year old children enrolled in the 7th

grade at PJHS and take technology applications. These students tend to become engrossed in

what they like to do and resist doing what they do not like, as most children do. As digital

natives, these students enjoy technology, especially video gaming, and have been enthusiastic

this semester when given the opportunity to spend long periods of time playing educational video

games. These students are very creative and like to solve problems, especially when they


are collaborating with peers in accomplishing projects. These students are more intelligent than

they tend to show; although they portray lackadaisical attitudes outwardly, they do want to

succeed and will dedicate themselves to improving their skills. These students learn better from

each other than from a teacher and learn better from experimentation than from a teacher.

Unfortunately, they tend to dislike mathematics.

Contextual analysis

The program will be conducted through the 7th grade technology applications class at

PJHS. Each Monday and Friday, technology applications students will be given time to learn

chess strategies and play online chess with their fellow 7th grade students as part of a chess club

using www.ChessKid.com. The learners will be using desktop computers with Internet access

in my classroom, which is the computer lab at Pewitt Junior High School. The computer lab has

22 desktop computers. I teach five 50-minute technology applications classes each day. Each

class consists of from 10-20 students. I would be the sole instructor of the chess program. All

7th grade students in technology applications classes at PJHS will play chess online for at least 30

minutes each week.

Each student is enrolled in an online classroom management Moodle at

http://pjhtechapps.freewebclass.com. Each student logs into the class Moodle every day to get

daily assignments and submit work. The chess strategy lessons will be available on our Moodle.

All resources will be linked on the class Moodle. I will also be using SchoolTube.com,

Wikispaces.com, and other Web resources to provide interactive and multimedia lessons to the

students.

http://pjhtechapps.freewebclass.com/


Students will play chess using the online chess club ChessKid.com. Students will be able

to play each other live, play games over time with students in other classes, and play games

against the computer. Students can also play games against the computer in which the program

analyzes flaws and weaknesses and the student can remake moves. Students will be able to hone

chess skills like problem solving, visualization, and critical thinking that they will be able to

apply to mathematics classwork.

Task Analysis

The purpose of this task analysis is to identify the necessary elements learners will need

to master in order to be successful at attaining the educational goals of the instructional unit.

First, students will need to be able to identify each chess piece. Students will also need to be

able to move each chess piece. Once learners master these topics, they should be able to master

the rules of chess, including more obscure chess situations, chess terminology, chess symbols,

and recording chess games. Next, learners will begin to learn to use the online chess application

chesskid.com, where they can play against other learners and learn more advanced tactics and

strategies. Finally, students will use what they know about chess symbols and practice critical

thinking skills through solving chess problems and mathematic logic problems using chess

symbols.

In all, I identified four objectives: given a set of chess pieces, the learner will correctly

name each piece and describe its movement on the board; after initial instruction on chess basics,

the learner will successfully complete a game of chess with another student; given a chess

problem, the learner will use problem solving techniques (hypothesis, testing, revising

hypothesis, testing) to respond with an appropriate chess move; and given a code using chess


symbols to represent numbers, the learner will solve Sudoku logic problems and mathematical

equations. I sequenced these objectives in this order because learners logically need to gain

necessary knowledge of chess in this order, chronologically. Task Analysis detail is in Appendix

B.

Instructional Objectives

The purpose of this project is to plan instructional units to introduce learners to chess

rules and to have learners review problem solving methodology and to apply problem solving

methodology to solving real-world chess problems. The project addresses two objectives. The

first objective dictates that the learner will be able to name 100% of all chess pieces and will

describe their initial setup on the chessboard and how these pieces move. Initially, this objective

did not include how the chess pieces are first placed on the chessboard. The second objective

says that given a chess problem, the learner will use problem solving techniques (evaluating

evidence, forming hypothesis, testing hypothesis, re-evaluating hypothesis, retesting hypothesis)

to respond with an appropriate chess move. In re-evaluating this objective, I specifically noted

the phases of problem solving that the learners would be using as they solve chess problems.

Objective 1: Student will be able to name 100% of all chess pieces, describe their movements,

and set up the chessboard.

Objective 2: Given a chess problem, the learner will use problem solving techniques (hypothesis,

testing, revising hypothesis, testing) to respond with an appropriate chess move.

Instructional Strategy


I chose to concentrate on two instructional goals in this project: learning chess piece

names, setup, and movements; and problem solving basics. These are the two most basic tenets

necessary for students to improve their critical thinking through elements of chess. I used

multimedia elements including slideshows, online videos, and interactive online quizzes.

Because I will be using the instructional unit in my middle school technology class, I also

used face-to-face instruction and demonstration and practice. As I use the unit, I plan on making

original instructional videos using my students (or allowing them to make their own videos) in

order to have original instructional multimedia. I created the slideshows and interactive online

quizzes myself. Luckily, learners will be able to access the chesskid.com online instructional

videos in order to enrich any independent chess instruction in tactics and strategy. Instructional

Strategy detail is in Appendix C.

Instructional Message Plan

I set up the message matrix to organize strategies according to specific objective. For my

first objective, chess basics, I planned for a five minute introduction followed by three 30-minute

sessions which include slideshow, demonstration lesson, and instructional video. Each lesson

builds in hands-on practice time for learners to play chess with each other. Each lesson also

builds on the one before it, from chess piece names to chess board setup to chess piece moves.

Closure is a self-reflective writing.

The second objective, problem solving, similarly begins with a brief introduction which

uses humor to stress the importance of problem solving. The three-30 minute lessons include

slideshow, learner practice, and application videos. Most of the lesson content and all objectives


include opportunities for learners to stop and check their understanding by participating in online

quizzes. Instructional Message detail is in Appendix D.

Instructional Unit

Following my instructional message plan, I imagined how I would teach these lessons to

my middle school students. Because these students respond best to multimedia and hands-on

lessons, I tried to avoid lectures in favor of multimedia and hands-on practice with intermittent

quizzes. I created slideshows called "Chess Pieces and Moves" for the introduction to chess

basics and "Problem Solving" for the introduction to problem solving. I also used a script

writing app to create html code to write the quizzes I posted online for all topics. I used

professional online videos from chesskid.com; these videos are narrated by master chess players.

I also used a couple of YouTube videos to pique learner interest by using humor. Instructional

Unit detail is in Appendix E.

Evaluation

I designed several online quizzes using html code and embedding that code in my wiki

class site so students could easily access quizzes. The quizzes tested learners' knowledge of

chess piece names, chess piece movements, and problem solving terminology. I tried to make

simple, quick quizzes that tested the necessary basics of each objective. I also set up hands-on

practice so that students could demonstrate that they understood how to set up chess boards and

how to move pieces. I created rubrics so that learners could understand how they earned points

for their demonstration tasks. Evaluation detail is in Appendix F.


Conclusion

Working through this project was confusing at times. It was sometimes confusing

knowing exactly why I needed to do the steps required. When it all came together, however, I

understood better than ever before the work that truly goes into an instructional unit. I felt most

comfortable with the initial research: finding out what needed to be taught and why. Instead of

working through task analysis next, however, I was directly inclined to what I usually do as a

classroom teacher: designing the instruction and writing lesson plans. I had to be redirected

toward my task analysis, and I can already see how task analysis will strengthen my classroom

teaching. Today as I planned a lesson for my middle school students on designing a multimedia

holiday card, I found myself doing task analysis before writing my lesson plans.

In future, when I plan instructional units, I believe I will begin with a more organized

process. I need to re-evaluate my past thoughts and beliefs about what goals are and what

objectives are. I need to pay more attention to the enabling goals that my students will need to

learn to be successful. In retrospect, the entire project seems so logical, and is very logically

constructed. In the midst of putting it together, I was confused several times; but in overcoming

my confusion, I believe that I have a far better grasp of what is necessary for building a

successful instructional unit, from the preparation in research, to the organization in writing

goals and objectives and analyzing the elements of the task, and ultimately to the imagination of

creating instructional scripts and effective evaluation instruments.


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Appendix A:

Goal Analysis

Terminal goal

To gain skills that may contribute to better math scores, students will learn how to play chess,

improve their chess skills, and play chess regularly online.

Sub goals

1. The student will learn to play chess and will play chess online.

2. The student will become more comfortable with arithmetic by working with chess symbols.

3. The student will apply chess skills to mathematical problems.

4. The student will become more successful independent problem solvers through continually

solving real-world problems faced while playing games of chess.

Sequencing Instruction

I used Reigeluth’s Elaboration Theory to sequence instruction. I began with instructional units

that address the simplest facets of learning chess: facts about chess pieces, then rules of chess.

As students learn to play chess, I added complexity, teaching students to record their games

using Algebraic chess notation. Next, as students repeatedly play games of chess and begin to

seriously learn chess tactics and strategies, they not only review the basics they have learned, but

also begin to understand the relationships between problem solving and success at chess.

Finally, as students apply the problem solving skills they have practiced in learning to play chess


better, they demonstrate assimilation of those problem solving skills in successfully solving

mathematical problems (Morrison, et al., 2011).

Enabling goals

1. Student will be able to name 100% of all chess pieces, describe their movements, and describe

their symbols.

2. Student will be able to correctly describe 90% of the rules of chess and will be able to

correctly record 100% of the moves in an observed chess game.

3. Student will be able to play a complete chess game online at ChessKid.com.

4. Student will be able to describe five chess tactics or strategies after watching chess strategy

and tactic videos in the online chess application chesskid.com.

5. Student will be able to apply at least five chess tactics or strategies during game(s) of chess

and will be able to explain what strategy or tactics he used and why.

6. Student will be able to describe problem solving steps he used to successfully solve given

chess problem.

7. Student will use chess symbols to solve arithmetic problems with 70% accuracy.

8. Student will use chess symbols to solve Sudoku puzzles with 70% accuracy.


Appendix B:

Task Analysis

Enabling goal: Student will be able to name 100% of all chess pieces, describe their movements,

and describe their symbols.

Topic Analysis:

1. Names of chess pieces

1.1. Pawn

1.2. Rook

1.3. Knight

1.4. Bishop

1.5. Queen

1.6. King

2. Movements of chess pieces

2.1. Pawn

2.1.1. Initial movement--one or two spaces forward

2.1.2. After first movement--one space forward

2.1.3. To capture enemy--forward one space diagonally only

2.1.4. Special movement--turn to queen if reaches enemy's back row

2.1.5. Number on each side--8

2.1.6. Starting position--8 pawns fill the front row of each side.

2.2. Rook

2.2.1. Movement--horizontal or vertical, any number of squares


2.2.2. Limitation--cannot "jump" over other pieces

2.2.3. Number on each side--2.

2.2.4. Starting position--lower corners of the board.

2.2.5. The Rook is the second most powerful piece.

2.3. Knight

2.3.1. Movement--L shape, two up and one over, or one up and two over

2.3.2. Can "jump" over other pieces


2.3.4. Starting position--to the right and to the left of the two Rooks.

2.4. Bishop

2.4.1. Movement--diagonal, any number of squares

2.4.2. Limitation--cannot "jump" over other pieces


2.4.4. Starting position--to the right and to the left of the two Knights.

2.5. Queen

2.5.1. Movement--like rook and bishop combined--vertical or horizontal or diagonal,

any number of squares.


2.5.3. Starting position--on the open space to the right of the left bishop (the Queen on

her color--the black Queen will be on a black square, the white Queen will be on a

white square).

2.5.4. Special significance--the Queen is the most powerful piece.

2.6. King


2.6.1. Can move or capture enemy pieces within one space in any direction.

2.6.2. Special move: castling--when spaces between King's Rook and King are vacant,

King can move toward Rook and Rook can "jump" over King to be on his left.


2.6.4. Starting position--on the open space to the left of the right bishop.

2.6.5. Special significance--the King must be protected above all other pieces; when he

is captured, the game is over.

3. Symbols of chess pieces

3.1. Pawn:

3.2. Rook:

3.3. Knight:

3.4. Bishop:

3.5. Queen:

3.6. King:

Enabling goal: Student will be able to correctly describe 90% of the rules of chess and will be

able to correctly record 100% of the moves in an observed chess game.

Topic Analysis:

1. Basic rules of chess

1.1. White moves first.

1.2. The Knight is the only piece that can jump other pieces.

1.3. To capture an enemy piece, move to that enemy piece's square and take the enemy piece

off the board.


1.4. To win the game, take (checkmate) the enemy King.

1.4.1. Getting King out of check

1.4.1.1. Take the piece that threatens the King.

1.4.1.2. Place another piece between the attacker and the King.

1.4.1.3. Move the King out of danger.

1.5. Chess games can be won, lost, or drawn (stalemated).

2. Chess terminology

2.1. Check: the King is in danger.

2.2. Checkmate: the King is taken.

2.3. Correspondence chess: chess game in which players make moves and transmit them to

each other; usually suggests that the game takes days or months (or longer) to play.

2.4. Gambit: an intentional sacrifice, perhaps as bait for a trap, made early in the game to

help a player gain advantage.

2.5. Grandmaster: a top-ranking master player who has accumulated more than 2500 points.

2.6. Strategy: long-term planning

2.7. Tactics: short-term planning

2.8. Tempo: gaining advantage early on by making an opponent move a piece twice or

making an opponent back a piece off attack.

3. Recording play

3.1. Board setup

3.1.1.The bottom row of the board should begin with a black square.

3.1.2. Rows are horizontal and are numbered from the bottom, 1-8.

3.1.3. Columns are vertical and are lettered a-h from left to right.


3.1.4. Individual squares are named by corresponding row number and column letter; for

instance, the first square on the bottom is a1.

3.2. Algebraic chess notation:

3.2.1. Piece notation

3.2.1.1. Pawn: no letter, just column letter

3.2.1.2. Rook: R

3.2.1.3. Knight: N

3.2.1.4. Bishop: B

3.2.1.5. Queen: Q

3.2.1.6. King: K

3.2.2. Denoting moves

3.2.2.1. Use letter of piece with coordinate of square where piece moves to (Nc3

means the Knight moved to c3).

3.2.2.2. Use x between the letter of the piece and the coordinate of the square

when the moving piece takes the piece on that square (Nxc3 means the Knight

captured the piece on c3).

3.2.2.3. Castling is denoted as 0-0 or 0-0-0 depending on side (0-0 for kingside).

3.2.2.4. Check is denoted with +

3.2.2.5. Checkmate is denoted with #

3.2.2.6. 1-0 means white won; 0-1 means black won.

Enabling goal: Student will be able to play a complete chess game online at ChessKid.com.

Procedural Analysis:


1. Accessing online chess application chesskid.com

1.1. Go to www.chesskid.com.

1.2. Login using your school username and password

1.3. Click the Play link at the top of the page.

2. Available games

2.1. Online Chess: challenge or accept challenges from PJH Chess Club members (can be

correspondence game).

2.1.1. Challenging an opponent online

2.1.1.1. Click Start a new game.

2.1.1.2. If there are challenges that your club members have made, the program

will randomly choose a challenger for you to play against.

2.1.1.3. If there are no unanswered challenges, your challenge will be queued until

another challenger requests a game.

2.1.2. Playing the online game.

2.1.2.1. Depending on whether you are assigned white or black, you will either go

first or second.

2.1.2.2. Make your move.

2.1.2.3. Click Submit Move.

2.1.2.4. Your opponent will have up to 3 days to respond with his move.

2.2. Blitz Chess: play fast chess games.

2.2.1. Click Play Live Chess.

2.2.2. Click Start New Game

2.2.3. Choose game length--5 or 10 or 15 minutes.


2.2.4. Wait until an opponent accepts your challenge.

2.3. vs. Computer: play versus the computer; the game automatically starts.

Enabling goal: Student will be able to describe five chess tactics or strategies after watching

chess strategy and tactic videos in the online chess application chesskid.com.

Procedural analysis:

1. Tactics and Strategies videos

1.1. On the homepage of chesskid.com, scroll to the bottom of the page.

1.2. Click on the daily tactic or strategy video.

1.3. Watch the video.

Enabling goal: Student will be able to apply at least five chess tactics or strategies during

game(s) of chess and will be able to explain what strategy or tactics he used and why.


1. Practice online by playing vs. computer

1.1. Make a move.

1.2. Look on the right to see whether the move was beneficial or damaging to game score.

1.3. Click Takeback to redo damaging moves.

1.4. Continue playing through endgame.

Enabling goal: Student will be able to describe problem solving steps he used to successfully

solve given chess problem.


1. Tactics and Puzzles.


1.1. Click Learn.

1.2. Click Tactics and Puzzles.

1.3. Click the Start Training button on the right.

2. Solving puzzles

2.1. Respond to the computer's initial move.

2.2. If correct, click Next Problem.

2.3. If incorrect Click Try Again or Show Solution.

2.4. Click Next Problem when ready to go on.

Enabling goal: Student will use chess symbols to solve arithmetic problems with 70% accuracy.


1. Examine the code the puzzlemaker uses, where each number is represented by a chess

symbol.

2. Substitute the number for the symbol in the arithmetic problem.

3. Solve the problem.

4. Substitute the chess symbol for the number to submit your answer in chess symbol.

Enabling goal: Student will use chess symbols to solve Sudoku puzzles with 70% accuracy.

Topic / procedural analysis:

1. Sudoku form

1.1. 1.1.Sudoku grid contains 9 rows and 9 columns.

1.2. Sudoku grid is broken into 9 sections, 3 rows by 3 rows each.

1.3. Each 3 x 3 subgrid must contain the numbers 1-9.


1.4. Each row (1-9) must contain the numbers 1-9.

1.5. Each column (1-9) must contain the numbers 1-9.

1.6. Each 3 x 3 subgrid, row, and column cannot duplicate any of the numbers from 1-9.

1.7. The puzzlemaker provides starting clues by filling in random squares.

2. Solving Sudoku using chess code.

2.1. Examine the puzzlemaker's code, where each number is represented by a symbol.

2.2. Substitute the number for the symbol in the Sudoku puzzle.

2.3. Solve the Sudoku puzzle using chess symbols instead of numbers.

Objectives

1. Given a set of chess pieces, the learner will correctly name each piece and describe its

movement on the board.

2. After initial instruction on chess basics, the learner will successfully complete a game of

chess with another student.

3. Given a chess problem, the learner will use problem solving techniques (hypothesis, testing,

revising hypothesis, testing) to respond with an appropriate chess move.

4. Given a code using chess symbols to represent numbers, the learner will solve Sudoku logic

problems and mathematical equations.


Appendix C:

Instructional Strategy

Instructional Goal: The learner will be able to name 100% of all chess pieces and will describe

their initial setup on the chessboard and how these pieces move.

Objectives and Presentation Strategies

Objective 1: Student will be able to name 100% of all chess pieces, describe their movements,

and set up the chessboard.

Topics:

a. Chess piece names

b. Chess piece movements

c. Chessboard setup

Type of content: facts about pieces' initial settings, rules of game of chess

Initial Presentation

Introduction to the chess pieces (objective 1-a) and their movements will be introduced to

learners via slideshow (http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/file/view/chess+intro.pptx).

Slideshow contains one slide describing initial setup of the chessboard and one slide for each

chess piece: pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, and king, to describe its movement and any other

information the learner needs to begin playing chess.

Learners will watch demonstration of instructor setting up chessboard and making

demonstration moves (objective 1-b). The Instructor will show proper board setup (with black

square at bottom left corner) and will place each piece on its proper starting position. The

instructor will make sample moves for each piece.


Learners will watch a multimedia online instructional video demonstrating the basics of chess,

published by the online chess applications ChessKid.com

(http://www.chesskid.com/video/player/the-magic-of-chess). In the video, the instructor

explains chessboard setup (objective 1-c), initial starting positions for each piece, movements

each piece can make, and poses intermediate quizzes to check for learners' understanding of how

each piece moves.

Generative strategies

Learners practice setting up a chessboard and making practice moves with a partner.

Assessment Plan

1. Learners will demonstrate recall of facts about chessboard in answering multiple choice

questions about chess piece names with an accuracy of at least 80% (4 questions of 5 answered

correctly). Assessment link: http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/chesspieceid

2. Learners will answer multiple choice questions about chess piece movements with an accuracy

of at least 80% (8 of 10 questions answered correctly). Assessment link:

http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/ChessQuiz

3. Learners will demonstrate application of chess piece movement by matching moves to

pieces on an actual chessboard with target of 100% accuracy.

Objective 2: Given a chess problem, the learner will use problem solving techniques (hypothesis,

testing, revising hypothesis, testing) to respond with an appropriate chess move.

Topics:

a. Problem solving terms and techniques:

i. Examining the situation


ii. Creating a hypothesis

iii. Testing the hypothesis

iv. Revising the hypothesis

v. Retesting the hypothesis

b. Applying problem solving skills to chess problems

Initial Presentation

1. Learners watch multimedia example of the lack of problem solving to pique learners’

interest in thinking about the value of using problem solving (http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=idx8ZhiNImg&feature=related). In the video, two people are trying to decide which vendor to

use. Instead of trying to solve the problem, one of the people holds his breath like a child until

the other person gives in to his demands.

2. Learners review basic problem solving steps through watching a slideshow available at

http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/file/view/Problem+Solving.pptx

3. Learners watch application of problem solving steps through watching a multimedia video

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUQUqV0_PTc&feature=related). The video shows a film

clip from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" in which a group of people pose a question to a

wise man and the wise man uses problem solving skills to create a hypothesis based on observed

evidence, then the group tests the hypothesis. The film clip is annotated and discussed by a

science instructor who explains how to create and test hypotheses.

Generative Strategy

Learners apply problem solving steps by analyzing chess problems, creating hypothesized

solutions, and trying out hypothesis. As learners’ hypotheses fail, learners will re-evaluate and


retest hypotheses. Learners will be solving problems posed by the online chess application

ChessKid.com. The application sets up a chess problem with several acceptable answers but

only one true answer. The learner must evaluate the problem situation, formulate a hypothesis,

test that hypothesis, and evaluate results. If the learner's hypothesis is not the best answer, he can

reformulate another hypothesis and try to answer again. Learners gain problem solving points to

gain in ranking when they are successful. If the learner cannot answer successfully, he can see

the best answer enacted by the application.

Assessment Plan:

1. Learners will match definitions to problem solving method terms with an accuracy of at least

75% (3 of 4 questions answered correctly). Assessment link:

http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/problemsolvingquiz

2. Learners will apply problem solving skills to improving their chess problem solving ratings by

at least 10% per week as they work on chess problems on ChessKid.com.


Appendix D:

Instructional Message Matrix

Instructional Message Plan: Chess Basics

Design Sequence

Descrip-tion

Objec-tive

Time Instructional Strategy

Pre-instructional strategy

Overview of chess

5 min.

Instruction (facts)

Chess piece names

1(a) 30 min. Initial presentation: Powerpoint slide presentation “Chess Pieces and Moves” (available at http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/file/view/chess+intro.pptx

Instruction (procedure)

Chess-board setup

1(b) 30 min. Initial presentation: Instructor will demonstrate how to set up the chessboard, placing the board down correctly and placing each piece correctly. (Learners can also access a video demonstration of this by another presenter from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPyuNpYfrDc).

Instruction (fact)

Chess piece moves

1(c) 30 min Initial presentation: Learners will watch a multimedia online instructional video demonstrating the basics of chess, published by the online chess applications ChessKid.com (http://www.chesskid.com/video/player/the-magic-of-chess). In the video, the instructor explains chessboard setup, initial starting positions for each piece, movements each piece can make, and poses intermediate quizzes to check for learners' understanding of how each piece moves.

Closure Summarize characteristics of chess pieces, and their initial setup on the chessboard

Learners will write a self-reflection about what they learned and how they feel about chess

Instructional Message Plan: Problem Solving

Design Sequence

Descrip-tion

Object-ive

Time Instructional Strategy

Pre- Focus: 2 5 min Learners watch multimedia example of the value of


instructional strategy

why is problem solving important?

problem solving to pique learners’ interest in thinking about the value of using problem solving (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idx8ZhiNImg&feature=related). In the video, two people are trying to decide which vendor to use. Instead of trying to solve the problem, one of the people holds his breath like a child until the other person gives in to his demands.

Instruction (procedure)

Learners will review problem solving steps

2(a) 30 min

Learners review basic problem solving steps through watching a slideshow available at http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/file/view/Problem+Solving.pptxGenerative strategy:Students will match problem solving steps to definitions with 80% (4 correct out of 5) accuracy (online quiz available at http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/Problem+solving+quiz)

Instruction(procedure)

Learners will apply problem solving steps to solve chess problems.

2(b) 30 min

Learners apply problem solving steps by analyzing chess problems, creating hypothesized solutions, and trying out hypothesis. As learners’ hypotheses fail, learners will re-evaluate and retest hypotheses. Learners will be solving problems posed by the online chess application ChessKid.com. The application sets up a chess problem with several acceptable answers but only one true answer. The learner must evaluate the problem situation, formulate a hypothesis, test that hypothesis, and evaluate results. If the learner's hypothesis is not the best answer, he can reformulate another hypothesis and try to answer again. Learners gain problem solving points to gain in ranking when they are successful. If the learner cannot answer successfully, he can see the best answer enacted by the application.

Closure Learners will review problem solving steps and reflect on using them successfully to solve problems.

5 min Learners watch application of problem solving steps through watching a multimedia video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUQUqV0_PTc&feature=related). The video shows a film clip from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" in which a group of people pose a question to a wise man and the wise man uses problem solving skills to create a hypothesis based on observed evidence, then the group tests the hypothesis. The film clip is annotated and discussed by a science instructor who explains how to create and test


hypotheses.Appendix E:

Instructional Unit and Materials

Instructional Unit on Chess and Problem Solving

Introduction

Chess overview

How many of you have ever played or tried to play chess? How many of you have looked at a

chessboard and wanted to learn to play chess? Well, today we are going to talk about how to set

up the chessboard, how the chess pieces move, and basically how to play chess.

Why would anybody need to play chess? Well, nobody really does, but lots and lots of people

all over the world love playing chess. People have been playing chess for centuries. Chess was

probably invented in India or the Middle East, and it was so popular that it had spread to China,

Russia, and Europe by the Middle Ages. And of course, chess came to the rest of the world in

time.

Why has chess been so popular for so long? Basically, chess is a great way for people to

compete, using their brains instead of luck, to see who is more clever…at least at that moment!

And recently, studies have suggested that people who play chess are better at math, are better

problem solvers, are better at visualizing situations, are better at critical thinking, and even that

young chess players are actually helping their brains stay more ready to learn throughout their

lives!

(Show first slide in “Chess Pieces and Moves” slideshow available at

http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/file/view/chess+intro.pptx)

At the end of this instructional unit, you will be able to


name each chess piece

describe how each chess piece moves

set up all the pieces on the chessboard

Chessboard

First, we will discuss the chessboard itself.

(Show second slide in “Chess Pieces and Moves” slideshow available at


As you see on the slide, the chessboard is made up of 8 columns and 8 rows, which chess players

call files (vertical) and ranks (horizontal). So if you multiply 8 times 8, you get a total of how

many squares? That’s right, there are 64 squares on the chessboard! And always remember to

turn the board so that each player has a black (or dark) square in the lower left hand corner.

(Show third slide in “Chess Pieces and Moves” slideshow available at


As you can see on this slide, all those small pieces that look alike go in the second row, without

skipping any places. Then the bigger pieces line up with the castle-looking guys on the outside

corners, the “horseys” next, the guys with the pointy hats next, and the two tall ones in the

center. The one with the cross goes on the color opposite his color (this means don’t put a light

cross-guy on a light squre). But if you want to be taken seriously as a chess player, you most

definitely want to call the pieces by their real names: pawns, rooks, knights, bishops, queens, and

kings.

Chess piece names (obj. 1(a))

(Show fourth slide in “Chess Pieces and Moves” slideshow available at



The little guys are called pawns. Pawns, like all the other chess pieces, have their own special

moves. Pawns can move one space directly forward normally. But initially, or on their first

move, they can move either one or two spaces straight forward. When the pawn captures an

enemy piece by replacing him on his space and taking him off the board, the pawn must capture

one space diagonally. Some people say the pawns are useless, but if you’re careful, you might

be able to use your pawns strategically in your winning game!

(Show fifth slide in “Chess Pieces and Moves” slideshow available at


Those “castle” guys are called rooks. Rooks can move horizontally or vertically in a straight line

as far as you have a free open line. Rooks, like almost every other chess piece, cannot jump over

any other piece, even your own.

(Show sixth slide in “Chess Pieces and Moves” slideshow available at


My favorite chess pieces are probably those “horseys.” They are really called knights. A long

time ago, knights actually looked like guys on horseback, like real knights, but now they are just

horses. Knights are really cool because not only are they the ONLY piece that can jump any

other piece, but they also move in a really cool way—like an L basically. They go up two-over

one or up one-over two.

(Show seventh slide in “Chess Pieces and Moves” slideshow available at


The pointy-hat guys are called bishops. Like rooks that can move across the board in one line as

long as the way is not blocked, bishops can move as far as possible across the board. But rooks

move horizontally or vertically, and bishops move diagonally.


(Show eighth slide in “Chess Pieces and Moves” slideshow available at


The most powerful piece in the game is the queen. She wears the crown. She can move just like

the rook and the bishop put together—as far as possible in any straight line—until she is blocked

by another piece. You definitely don’t want to sacrifice your queen!

(Show ninth slide in “Chess Pieces and Moves” slideshow available at


The guy with the cross on his hat is the king. He has to be protected, because when your enemy

takes your king, you lose in checkmate! The king can only move one space in any direction, and

he can never move into danger. If your king is in danger, you have to move it or move another

piece to protect it.

Now let’s see how much you remember about setting up a chessboard! With a partner, take a

few minutes and set up your chessboard. See if you and your partner can do this perfectly!

(Allow the students to set up chessboards for about five minutes. Monitor students as they

work.)

Okay, let’s review. Which pieces go up front? (pawns) Which pieces go on the corner? (rooks)

What color should be on your bottom left corner? (dark) Where do the queens go? (center,

back, on the matching color square—dark/dark or light/light) What are the horseys called?

(knights) What pieces do they stand between? (rook and bishop)

Please visit our online class website and answer the quiz over chess basics listed for today. If

you have any questions about any of the names of the chess pieces, please let me know (online

multiple choice exam over chess piece names available at

http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/chesspieceid).


We learned about the chess piece names and moves yesterday. We also learned about setting up

the chessboard. Today we are going to review setting up the board and you will have some time

to play chess.

Today we will be reviewing the chess piece names:

pawn

rook

knight

bishop

king

queen

and will also be describing how each of these pieces moves.

If you ever need to review how to set up a chessboard on your own, please go to the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPyuNpYfrDc which will be saved on our class website.

(Place a chessboard on the document camera so that students can see it via the digital projector.)

Let’s review a couple of facts about the chessboard itself first. How many files? (8) What else

can you call files? (columns) How many ranks? (8) What else can you call ranks? (rows) How

many squares in all? (64) Which color square should be at your lower left? (dark/black)

Good job everybody! You are on your way to being a chessmaster!

(“Dump” the chess pieces on the chessboard on the document camera.)

Okay, let’s see how many pieces you can remember the names of.

(Hold up the pawn.)

What is this piece? (pawn) Where do we place pawns? (second rows from back) Great!

(Place the pawns. Hold up the rook.)


What is this piece? (rook) Where do we place rooks? (back corners) Right!

(Place the rooks. Hold up the knight.)

What is this piece? (knight) Where do we place knights? (next to rooks) Good job!

(Place the knights. Hold up the bishop.)

What is this piece? (bishop) Where do we place bishops? (next to knights) Fantastic!

(Place the bishops. Hold up the queen.)

What is this piece? (queen) Where do we place queens? (on her color on the remaining two

spaces) Yep!

What is this piece? (king) Where do we place kings? (last remaining spot) Good job! I knew

you were chess experts already!

Generative strategy:

Now it’s your turn again! First, you and your partner will be able to play chess for the next 30

minutes or so. If you have any questions, please let me know as I walk around and monitor your

progress. About 10 minutes before the bell rings, I will stop you so that you can take a short quiz

over setting up the chessboard (multiple choice quiz available at

http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/ChessQuiz).

So you want to be a chess master? Well, you will need to be better acquainted with the rules of

the game. You know the pieces. You know the moves. Do you know all the rules yet?

Unfortunately, you will need to know more rules and more tricks and beginning tactics to be a

winner at chess. Fortunately, we are going to learn some of those rules and tricks today!

Chess moves (Obj 1(b))

By watching this video, you will

review what you have learned about the basics of chess:


o Names of all six pieces

o How each piece moves

o Where each piece begins on the chessboard

recognize a check situation

escape a check situation

promote a pawn

(Begin clips of “The Magic of Chess” online chess instructional video from chesskid.com,

available at www.chesskid.com/video/player/the-magic-of-chess)

Instructional video content:

introduction to chess, 0:00-1:11

moving the king, 1:12-2:08

quiz over movement of the king, 2:09-2:23

check and checkmate, 2:24-3:05

(Pause the video) Why do you have to protect the king? (if you lose him, the game is over) Can

the king move two spaces away from an attacker? (no, only one)

(Start the video again)


the queen, 3:06-3:37

quiz over the movement of the queen, 3:38-4:24

the rook, 4:25-4:50

quiz over the movement of the rook, 4:51-5:07

the bishop, 5:08-6:03

quiz over the movement of the bishop, 6:04-6:22


(Pause the video) If you could only choose one of these three pieces to have to protect your

king, which one would you choose, the queen, the rook, or the bishop? (probably the queen)

Why? (because she can move both diagonally, vertically, and horizontally)



the knight, 6:23-7:42

the pawn, 7:43-9:35

promoting a pawn, 9:36-9:57

(Pause the video) Why do you think there are so many pawns in a chess game? (because they

are like soldiers, but they are weak and can cause blocks, etc.) What happens if a pawn gets to

the enemy’s back row? (he turns into a more powerful piece) What can the knight do that no

other piece can do? (jump over other pieces and move in an L shape)



chess problems: getting out of check by moving, 9:58-11:18

chess problems: getting out of check by sacrificing another piece, 11:19-12:26

chess problems: checkmate, 12:27-13:13

(End of video) Why might the king be considered the most important piece on the chessboard (if

he is lost, the game is over) If you could save your king by sacrificing another piece among a

bishop, rook, or knight, which one would you sacrifice? Why? (learner makes choice and backs

it up logically from what he knows of the powers of these pieces.


You may now play chess with your partner for a little while. I will stop you before the bell rings

so that we can close the lesson. (Students can play chess together on boards or on the online

chess application chesskid.com)

Closure

Although you are still a beginning chess player, you have learned so much in these past few days

about how to begin playing chess well! The most important thing to remember is that chess,

although it makes you think, is still meant to be a fun game! I’d like you to take about 5 minutes

now to reflect on what you have learned about chess today and how you feel about playing chess

with your partners.

Objective 2: Problems solving

Introduction: Why is it important to be able to solve problems?

Have you ever had to work with somebody to solve a problem? Maybe you have in school.

Maybe you’ve had to solve word problems in math, and figure out why things happen the way

they do in science. But problems are everywhere in your life, not just in school, written in

textbooks. What about the last time you wanted to buy something but didn’t have enough

money? Wasn’t that a problem? What happens when you are playing a video game and you

can’t get through to the next level? Isn’t that a problem? What about last Christmas when Santa

brought you that new cell phone you wanted, but you couldn’t figure out how to text on it?

Wasn’t that a problem?

So what do you do when you have a problem in your life?

Have you ever had a problem with somebody else like the woman in the following video?

(Show students the funny video http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=idx8ZhiNImg&feature=related in which a man and a woman try to solve a problem at work.


The man wants one solution. The woman wants another solution. Instead of working to solve the

problem, the man decides to hold his breath until he gets his way.)

This guy did NOT have a good method of solving problems, did he? Solving problems takes

patience and thought, not force and attitude.

If you have been successful enough as a human being to reach your 12th or 13th birthday, you are

already a problem solver. It might not feel that way when you are gazing at that story problem

without a clue, but you are!

Problem solving strategies and terminology (obj. 2(a)

Today we are going to talk about how people, including you, solve problems. There are different

steps and different methods, but we are going to talk about a certain sequence. By the end of

today’s lesson, you will know what certain problem solving terms mean:

Evaluating (or looking at, examining) evidence (or clues, details)

Hypothesis (and also hypotheses, hypothesize)

Experiment (or testing your hypothesis)

Re-evaluate

You will also begin to see how problem solving is also a part of playing chess.

(Begin the slideshow “Problem Solving” available at

http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/file/view/Problem+Solving.pptx)

(Slide 2) Problems are everywhere—in school, at home, at stores, at church, at friends’ houses,

in the “real world.”

(Slide 3) How many of you have ever seen CSI or any other cop show? What kind of problem

do the investigators on CSI have each week? (murders to solve!) What is the first thing that

they do? They have to look around carefully to find or discover evidence to catch the bad guy.


The first step in solving a problem is just like CSI. Whether you’re trying to solve a math

problem or a real problem, you need to find and think about (or evaluate) all the details or clues

or evidence you can find about the problem. You might want to make a list of all the evidence

so you can see it right there in front of you as you’re working through the problem.

(Slide 4) Once you’ve looked at all the evidence, you can make some guesses about the best

ways to solve or the best solutions. This is called making hypothesis-es or hypotheses. When

the detectives on CSI bring in suspects they believe are guilty, they have made those decisions

based on investigators’ hypotheses about who is guilty. When you make a decision about what

answer you are going to put on your test paper, you are following your hypothesis about which

answer is right.

(Slide 5) The next step, once you’ve decided what is best to do, is to test your answer. Scientists,

like those guys on CSI, call this experimenting. You may be thinking, wait, those CSI scientists

usually do a bunch of experiments before the detectives start talking to the bad guys. You’re

right! The whole process of solving problems is like a cycle—you start with a problem, you

gather up clues, you think of answers, you test the answers, and if those answers fail, you look

back at the evidence. So why do you rush through your answers to those math problems?

Problem solving takes time. Answers have to be tested…

(Slide 6) …and hypotheses have to be evaluated and when they don’t work, reevaluated and

retested until the best answer finally works out.

Chess and problem solving (obj. 2(b))

(Slide 7) Chess moves are problems, too.

(Slide 8-9) The placement of all the pieces and their potential moves are your details, or evidence

you need to evaluate.


(Slide 10) As you look over the chessboard, your brain takes in details of the problem…

(Slide 11) …just like computer programs do when they’re playing chess.

(Slide 12-13) When you decide on your best move and make it, you are acting on your

hypothesis, or testing it. Whether it works or not shows the outcome of the test and the efficacy

of your hypothesis.

(Slide 14-17) In ChessKid.com, you can apply problem solving skills to chess problems. When

your move doesn’t work effectively, you can try again. It always feels good to finally get the

right answer, especially if you’ve been working hard on it!

Generative strategy:

Log in to ChessKid.com. Click on the Learn button up at the top of the page, over on the right.

Click Tactics and Puzzles. Click Start Training. Work solving three problems. As you work,

your problem solving rating will increase or go down based on the accuracy of your answers.

You will have about 15 minutes to work.

Afterwards, please go to our online classroom site and complete a quiz over problem solving

terms (available at http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/Problem+solving+quiz).

Closure

All kinds of problems are solvable when you carefully think about evidence, create hypotheses

that make sense, test your hypotheses, and when they don’t work, make new hypotheses and test

them. As we watch this video clip from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, think of

what steps of problem solving the guys went through: evaluating evidence, making hypotheses,

testing the hypotheses, and re-evaluating and retesting when necessary.



Appendix F:

Evaluation

Chess Piece Identification quiz (available interactively at

http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/chesspieceid)

1. .

Which piece is this?

pawn

rook

queen

king

castle

2. .



horsey

knight

king

queen

bishop

3. .


knight

bishop

rook

queen

king


4. .


rook

king

knight

queen

bishop

5. .


bishop

knight

king


queen

rook

Chessboard setup practical

Set up a chessboard, placing all pieces on their correct spaces.

Rubric:

without prompting

with prompting

fails task, but tries

Learner places chessboard with dark square in bottom left corner

25 pts 20 pts 15 pts

Learner places all 8 pawns on second row 25 pts 20 pts 15 ptsLearner places rooks, knights, and bishops correctly on back row

25 pts20 pts

15 pts

Learner places king and queen on the correct spots on back row

25 pts 20 pts 15 pts

total points

Basic Chess Rules Quiz (available interactively at

http://pjhtechapps.wikispaces.com/ChessQuiz)

1. What color should the lower left hand square be on a chessboard?

red

green

black

white

2. Which answer shows the correct setup of a chessboard?

pawns on back row, king, queen, bishops, knights, rooks up front

it doesn't matter...just make sure you don't put anything on the red squares!

pawns up front, rook, knight, bishop, king, queen on back row


pawns in front, rooks on back corners, then knights and bishops going toward the center;

queen on same color

3. How does a pawn move?

vertically

one or two squares at a time

one or two squares initially, then only one

one or two square initially, then only one forward; take pieces diagonally

backward to become queens

4. How does a knight move?

L shape

horizontally

one square, anywhere

vertically

diagonally

5. How does a bishop move?

L shape

one square anywhere

vertically or horizontally

diagonally

6. How does a rook move?

L shape

horizontal or diagonal

diagonal


horizontal or vertical

anywhere, as much as possible

7. How does the queen move?

L shape

diagonally, vertically, or horizontally

anywhere, anytime

one space only

8. How does the king move?

L shape

horizontally, vertically, or diagonally as far as possible

only one space

into danger anytime

9. Which piece can jump another piece?

king or queen

knight

bishop

rook

pawn

Chess move practical

Task: Move each chess piece according to chess rules.

Rubric:

Piece moved Correctly Correctly with help Incorrectly , attemptedPawn 30 pts 20 pts 15 pts


Rook 10 pts 7 pts 5 ptsKnight 10 pts 7 pts 5 ptsBishop 10 pts 7 pts 5 ptsQueen 20 pts 15 pts 10 ptsKing 20 pts 15 pts 10 ptsTotal pts.

Chess basics self-reflection

Free write to tell me what you have learned about chess and how you feel about playing chess.

Rubric:

Great thinking! 25-20 pts each

Adequate response 19-15 pts each

Inadequate response 14-0 pts each

Writer remembers and writes about rules

3+ rules at least 1 rule does not mention rules

Writer comments about how piece(s) move

3+ moves at least 1 move does not mention move

Writer comments about pieces themselves

3+ pieces at least 1 piecedoes not mention pieces

Writer comments about playing chess

Good! Okay. Not good.

Total points

Solving three chess problems on ChessKid.com

Complete three chess problems on ChessKid.com

Rubric:

1 problem solved: 50 points/100

2 problems solved: 70 points/100

3 problems solved: 90 points/100

bonus: each problem solved correctly = +5 points for up to 105 points total

Problem Solving terminology quiz


1. This step is the first one, where you look at all the clues and evidence and start to form

hypotheses.

hypothesis

evidencery

evaluating evidence

testing

experimenting

2. This step is when you make one or more decisions about what the answer to the problem

might be.

Examining evidence

Testing

Re-evaluating

Hypothesis

Re-testing

3. This step is where you try out one of your hypotheses.

Evaluation

Hypothesis

Re-examination

Examining evidence

4. This is what you'll have to do if your first tested hypothesis fails.

Re-evaluate and Re-test

Examine

Evaluate


Re-hypothesize

5. What is the plural of hypothesis?

hypotheses

hypothesizes

hypothesises

hypothesis's

hippos

Documents

Chess Instruction Design