School Launch

Scope and sequence · PE & Health

Tactics & Strategy

A year of thinking ahead: from tic-tac-toe, Nim and checkers to chess, the battle plans of Scripture and history, and the plays of soccer, basketball, football and baseball, ending with a game the student designs and a family tournament.

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What to cover

32 of 32 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.

Unit 1: Thinking Ahead

  • MUST COVER 1.1 What Is a Strategy? Benjamin Franklin’s Chess · unit test
  • MUST COVER 1.2 Tic-Tac-Toe: Why Perfect Play Draws · unit test
  • MUST COVER 1.3 Nim: Working Backward from the End · unit test
  • MUST COVER 1.4 Connect Four, Nine Men’s Morris and the Double Threat · unit test

Unit 2: Checkers

  • MUST COVER 2.1 An Old Game and a Learning Machine · unit test
  • MUST COVER 2.2 Control the Center · unit test
  • MUST COVER 2.3 Trade When You Are Ahead · unit test
  • MUST COVER 2.4 The Endgame: Kings, Corners and “the Move” · unit test

Unit 3: Chess

  • MUST COVER 3.1 The Pieces and What They Are Worth · unit test
  • MUST COVER 3.2 Opening Principles: Paul Morphy’s Opera Game · unit test
  • MUST COVER 3.3 Forks and Pins: José Raúl Capablanca · unit test
  • MUST COVER 3.4 Checkmate Patterns: From Philidor to Today · unit test

Unit 4: Battles in the Bible

  • MUST COVER 4.1 Gideon’s 300: Trumpets, Pitchers and Torches · unit test
  • MUST COVER 4.2 Joshua at Ai: The Ambush and the Feigned Retreat · unit test
  • MUST COVER 4.3 Jonathan at Michmash: Using the Ground · unit test
  • MUST COVER 4.4 David and the Sound in the Mulberry Trees · unit test

Unit 5: Famous Plans in History

  • MUST COVER 5.1 Hannibal Crosses the Alps · unit test
  • MUST COVER 5.2 Cannae: The Surprise in the Center · unit test
  • MUST COVER 5.3 Washington Crosses the Delaware · unit test
  • MUST COVER 5.4 Nelson at Trafalgar: Breaking the Line · unit test

Unit 6: Teamwork Tactics: Soccer and Basketball

  • MUST COVER 6.1 Spacing and Passing Triangles · unit test
  • MUST COVER 6.2 Defending: Man-to-Man and Zone · unit test
  • MUST COVER 6.3 The Give-and-Go · unit test
  • MUST COVER 6.4 John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success · unit test

Unit 7: Plays and Plans: Football and Baseball

  • MUST COVER 7.1 Drawing Up a Play: From Walter Camp to the Forward Pass · unit test
  • MUST COVER 7.2 The Bunt and the Hit-and-Run · unit test
  • MUST COVER 7.3 Signals, Signs and the Huddle · unit test
  • MUST COVER 7.4 Scouting an Opponent Fairly · unit test

Unit 8: Be the Strategist

  • MUST COVER 8.1 Design Your Own Strategy Game · unit test
  • MUST COVER 8.2 Test It and Make It Fair · unit test
  • MUST COVER 8.3 A Good Winner and a Good Loser · unit test
  • MUST COVER 8.4 The Family Tournament · unit test

36-week pacing calendar

From the course’s own 32-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.

WeekPlanDoneNotes
Wk 1Session 1: Lesson 1.1 What Is a Strategy? Benjamin Franklin’s Chess: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 1.1 project and scorebook
Wk 2Session 1: Lesson 1.2 Tic-Tac-Toe: Why Perfect Play Draws: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 1.2 project and scorebook
Wk 3Session 1: Lesson 1.3 Nim: Working Backward from the End: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 1.3 project and scorebook
Wk 4Session 1: Lesson 1.4 Connect Four, Nine Men’s Morris and the Double Threat: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 1.4 project and scorebook
Session 3: Unit 1 review and portfolio project
Wk 5Session 1: Lesson 2.1 An Old Game and a Learning Machine: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 2.1 project and scorebook
Wk 6Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Control the Center: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 2.2 project and scorebook
Wk 7Session 1: Lesson 2.3 Trade When You Are Ahead: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 2.3 project and scorebook
Wk 8Session 1: Lesson 2.4 The Endgame: Kings, Corners and “the Move”: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 2.4 project and scorebook
Session 3: Unit 2 review and portfolio project
Wk 9Session 1: Lesson 3.1 The Pieces and What They Are Worth: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 3.1 project and scorebook
Wk 10Session 1: Lesson 3.2 Opening Principles: Paul Morphy’s Opera Game: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 3.2 project and scorebook
Wk 11Session 1: Lesson 3.3 Forks and Pins: José Raúl Capablanca: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 3.3 project and scorebook
Wk 12Session 1: Lesson 3.4 Checkmate Patterns: From Philidor to Today: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 3.4 project and scorebook
Session 3: Unit 3 review and portfolio project
Wk 13Session 1: Lesson 4.1 Gideon’s 300: Trumpets, Pitchers and Torches: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 4.1 project and scorebook
Wk 14Session 1: Lesson 4.2 Joshua at Ai: The Ambush and the Feigned Retreat: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 4.2 project and scorebook
Wk 15Session 1: Lesson 4.3 Jonathan at Michmash: Using the Ground: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 4.3 project and scorebook
Wk 16Session 1: Lesson 4.4 David and the Sound in the Mulberry Trees: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 4.4 project and scorebook
Session 3: Unit 4 review and portfolio project
Wk 17Catch-up and review week (no new lessons)
Wk 18Session 1: Lesson 5.1 Hannibal Crosses the Alps: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 5.1 project and scorebook
Wk 19Session 1: Lesson 5.2 Cannae: The Surprise in the Center: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 5.2 project and scorebook
Wk 20Session 1: Lesson 5.3 Washington Crosses the Delaware: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 5.3 project and scorebook
Wk 21Session 1: Lesson 5.4 Nelson at Trafalgar: Breaking the Line: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 5.4 project and scorebook
Session 3: Unit 5 review and portfolio project
Wk 22Session 1: Lesson 6.1 Spacing and Passing Triangles: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 6.1 project and scorebook
Wk 23Session 1: Lesson 6.2 Defending: Man-to-Man and Zone: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 6.2 project and scorebook
Wk 24Session 1: Lesson 6.3 The Give-and-Go: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 6.3 project and scorebook
Wk 25Session 1: Lesson 6.4 John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 6.4 project and scorebook
Session 3: Unit 6 review and portfolio project
Wk 26Session 1: Lesson 7.1 Drawing Up a Play: From Walter Camp to the Forward Pass: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 7.1 project and scorebook
Wk 27Session 1: Lesson 7.2 The Bunt and the Hit-and-Run: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 7.2 project and scorebook
Wk 28Session 1: Lesson 7.3 Signals, Signs and the Huddle: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 7.3 project and scorebook
Wk 29Session 1: Lesson 7.4 Scouting an Opponent Fairly: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 7.4 project and scorebook
Session 3: Unit 7 review and portfolio project
Wk 30Session 1: Lesson 8.1 Design Your Own Strategy Game: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 8.1 project and scorebook
Wk 31Session 1: Lesson 8.2 Test It and Make It Fair: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 8.2 project and scorebook
Wk 32Session 1: Lesson 8.3 A Good Winner and a Good Loser: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 8.3 project and scorebook
Wk 33Session 1: Lesson 8.4 The Family Tournament: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study
Session 2: Lesson 8.4 project and scorebook
Session 3: Unit 8 review and portfolio project
Wk 34Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done
Wk 35Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done
Wk 36Year-end review, portfolio and records

Grading: Projects (played, recorded and explained) 40%, Scorebook (organization, honesty, completeness) 20%, Unit reviews 15%, Portfolio projects 25%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, F below 60.