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Chess in 4th grade?


Brother Adam

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Several school districts around the country are adding chess as a mandatory part of the lesson planning in 4th and 5th grade. Do you agree? I think it's a great idea with a lot of merit.

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Piccoli Fiori JMJ

I don't know how to play chess :( but I can play the flute :) 4th and 5th grade were the introduction into the world of music... :) Chess sounds like another option to help developing minds develop more :)

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Proud2BCatholic139

I can see it as a club maybe, or an after school activity. :idontknow:

There are many things I wish I could have done as a child. I wanted to be in band playing the clarinet.

:)

:saint:

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They take away begining school activities which will later aid reading skills so they can jump straight into the strict world of academics and yet several yars later they want to add chess?

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1337 k4th0l1x0r

No way. Their minds aren't ready for what chess entails, much less do they really know what they are getting into.

Besides, shouldn't they be learning about sex in the fourth grade?

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[quote name='1337 k4th0l1x0r' date='Oct 17 2005, 12:07 PM']No way.  Their minds aren't ready for what chess entails, much less do they really know what they are getting into.

Besides, shouldn't they be learning about sex in the fourth grade?
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hee hee.

I learned chess when I was young young young. By third grade I think. It really helped me develop thinking and planning skills, not to mention how to deal with opponents. I haven't played in so long though.
I think it should be optional, not mandatory. But I think that in addition there should be the option for music, writing, or other fine arts. Chess is a great analytical and strategic game, but it's only one type of intelligence. People should play to their strengths, not try to be mediocre in something else.

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[quote name='Raphael' date='Oct 17 2005, 01:14 PM']I think they should learn swordplay instead.
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My friends' kids are in fencing. I'm all about that.

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Thy Geekdom Come

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Oct 17 2005, 02:41 PM']My friends' kids are in fencing. I'm all about that.
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I plan on showing my kids (especially my sons, but the girls, too) the proper way to take care of guns. I think that especially with guys, when we take away their guns, we take away a part of their masculine nature...rough-housing, wrestling, etc....these are things boys need to grow into good men...why? Because they teach responsibility. Men will always want to exert themselves that way...when they aren't allowed to, they only want to do it more, and when we don't show them how to do so responsibly in a playful way, they will do it irresponsibly later on. I am very strongly inclined to believe that the increase in sexual abuse and violence in our teenagers is precisely due to our reactionistic way of trying to prevent such behavior by taking away all outlets instead of teaching them how to use those outlets properly.

The same goes with sexuality, as long as I'm on it. I think that men are more likely to abuse their sexuality if they were brought up to treat it as an evil (and even moreso as a necessary evil).

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[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Oct 17 2005, 11:42 AM']Several school districts around the country are adding chess as a mandatory part of the lesson planning in 4th and 5th grade. Do you agree? I think it's a great idea with a lot of merit.
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I learned how to play chess from my uncle at about that age. It is a great mind strengthener......

I think that it isn't necessarily bad, but I would be quick to forgo it in favor of traditional schooling messages.

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[quote name='Raphael' date='Oct 17 2005, 02:14 PM']I think they should learn swordplay instead.
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why that's one of my interests on my PM profile.

I concur, good sir.

I also concur with your reasoning on guns. I got a [u]BB gun[/u] from my dad when I was a boy and my mom hated it. But it taught me that little bit of responsibility.

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cmotherofpirl

Every winter every kid in our catholic school played chess during recess, starting with the second graders. They played every day and it ended with an all -school tournament by spring. It was great and helped in most other areas of study.

Edited by cmotherofpirl
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PVmelonhead91

i learned to play chess in the 3rd grade i think and i was very good but then when i moved from new jersey to PA there was no clubs so i was stuck with out being able to play it so i stopped playing then i started back up and i was good again but the class i was in there were only 2 kids that could beat me so i stopped going there and thats were i am today. but hey that sword play thing i fence too and im prety good at it i also teach a class for young kids

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[quote name='toledo_jesus' date='Oct 17 2005, 02:31 PM']why that's one of my interests on my PM profile. 

I concur, good sir.

I also concur with your reasoning on guns.  I got a [u]BB gun[/u] from my dad when I was a boy and my mom hated it.  But it taught me that little bit of responsibility.
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You'll shoot your eye out, kid!

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