LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read about a teen who is working to bring people together through the game of chess; identify ways to connect with others over shared interests; explain how shared interests can have positive health impacts.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 8: Advocate for personal, family, and community health.

CASEL COMPETENCY: Social awareness, relationship skills

KEY VOCAB

uniting

refugees

Lesson Plan: Playing Games for Good

Adam Bhaloo is helping people connect over the game of chess.

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “Playing Games for Good,” ask your students the following pre-reading questions:

How can you connect with other people over shared interests, and how does having this type of connection with others benefit your health?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “Playing Games for Good” independently; read the article out loud to them; or have students take turns reading different sections of the article out loud.
  • After they’ve read the article, revisit the pre-reading questions. Have their answers changed?

BUILDING COMPREHENSION AND VOCAB

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Comprehension Quiz
  • Vocab Builder

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following writing prompt:

In HUMAN CONNECTION, students will write a half-page to one-page letter or email from the perspective of one of the people who has benefited from going to Adam’s chess club meetings. Have them use a mix of their imagination and what they learned in the article to consider who this person might be and what they might like to say to Adam to thank him for starting the group.

Print the Lesson Plan

Text-to-Speech