Through
The Looking-Glass Chess: Create Your Own Games!
Project
URL:
http://teachersnetwork.org/teachnet-lab/meisler/meryl_chess/chess_home.html
How it works:
This program invites students to explore the metaphor of chess while
reading Lewis Carroll’s classic Through The Looking-Glass,
the sequel to Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. After
keeping track ofall
of the book’s references to chess (including those in the evocative
illustrations by John Tenniel), they use online research to explore
the history of chess and learn how to play the game or improve their
chess strategies. The students then work alone or in small groups
to come up with a theme or metaphor for a chess game. They also plan
and create their own chess game, make the board and pieces, and then
have a classroom tournament.
Standards addressed:
Students evaluate data,
develop reading and research skills, understand and apply media, and
make connections between visual arts and other disciplines.
Materials used:
Required materials include computers with Internet access, a
printer, paper, pens, and pencils. Art materials may include paper,
cardboard, markers, paint, clay, rulers, crayons, glue, wood scraps,
and found materials.
The students:
The sixth grade students at the Institute for Collaborative Education,
a small 6-12th grade NYC public school, create “physical” and digital
artwork inspired by their studies in humanities. This unit should
occur while the students are studying the works of Lewis Carroll.
Overall value:
Through The Looking-Glass Chess: Create Your Own Games! challenges students to study the metaphor of chess in Lewis Carroll’s
work and make it come alive. Students collaborate to come up with
their own metaphor for a creative chess game and they used mixed media
to plan and produce amazing chess sets that ignite the imagination.
Tips:
You don’t have to know how to play chess yourself to do this
unit. Your students will be delighted to teach you! Let them choose
their own groups to work with or, if they prefer, they can work alone.
Walk around the room as they are brainstorming their ideas for an
unusual metaphor for their chess game. If a group can’t come up with
a single plan, help them figure out what they can do to combine the
ideas. This project can be adapted to any grade level. For a related
middle school project, see:
http://teachersnetwork.org/teachnetnyc/chornik/checkmate.htm
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About
the teacher:
Meryl
Meisler wears many hats at the Institute for Collaborative Education
in NYC. She is the Internship Coordinator, Admissions Director, and
teaches art at this small progressive school. Meryl has received a
Disney American Teacher Award in visual arts, serves on the Teachers
Network Board of Directors, and is a consultant to the Whitney Museum’s
online learning department while being an accomplished artist in her
own right.
E-mail:
mmeisl@nycboe.net
Subject Areas:
English Language Arts
Visual Arts
Technology
Grade Levels:
5-8
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