| |
School Programs
Tournaments
College Bound
Summer
Calendar of Events
|
 |
School Programs
In-School Program
At the heart of all Chess-in-the-Schools programming is the chess instruction. The School Program teaches chess to students in elementary and middle schools as part of their academic school day. This program has been in existence for more than twenty years during which Chess-in-the-Schools has taught more than 400,000 students to play chess.
This year, the 2009-2010 school year, Chess-in-the-Schools will teach 13,000 students in 51 Title I schools through the School Program.
Each third-grade classroom and sixth-grade classroom in participating schools is assigned a Chess-in-the-Schools trained instructor. The instructor teaches an hour-long chess lesson once a week in five classrooms during the school day in the fall semester and in five different classrooms in the spring semester. Each instructor teaches 250 to 300 students in each school during the year. Lessons are scheduled on the same day and time each week, and classroom teachers often remark that attendance is highest on “chess day.”
Click here to join the program.
After-School Program
The After-School Chess Club meets once a week for two hours throughout the academic year. Every school in our program has an After-School Club, and all students in each participating school are eligible to join the Club. Through the Club, students are introduced to advanced chess concepts and receive personalized attention.
Particularly in schools and neighborhoods where few good after-school alternatives are available, our Clubs provide a safe, social setting that is ideal for the full realization of chess’ educational and developmental benefits.
Chess instructors may be the first adults the children have known who are consistently encouraging and supportive of their efforts to succeed academically and socially. Because our Clubs are open to students throughout their public-school education, many students and their instructors work together over several years and develop a strong bond, which is an immeasurable benefit of our program.
MatPat
MatPat is an internet site based in France. For the past two years, Chess-in-the-Schools has been playing chess matches on MatPat against French students from Ecole Berlioz in Nimes, France. Proprietary “game rooms” are open for Chess-in-the-Schools so that students can play their French counterparts as well as each other.
In April 2008 the chess team at Ecole Berlioz became Elementary National Champions of France. They had previously won a match against one of our schools, PS 5 in Manhattan, in the run up to their national success.
We were thrilled to learn that their coach, Jacques Cazeneuve, had taken his students to first place. A match was arranged between the new French Elementary Champions and our own Grades Champions, PS 124 in Chinatown. There were eight players from each school participating in this Tournament of Champions in May 2008
The result: 6.5-1.5 in favor of PS 124.
Because of the time difference between France and the US, organizing matches is a challenge. However, some wonderful principals, coordinators and Chess-in-the-Schools instructors have worked to make this happen. We congratulate all MatPat participants and thank them for their efforts and vision on behalf of their students.
Recent MatPat Match: USA (PS 226x) vs. France (Ecole Berlioz)
MatPat Informational Flier (includes eligibility requirements)
|
|
