The Living Chess Game

Book excerpt: This book provides comprehensive information and guidance for successfully staging a theatrical living chess game for children ages 9–14. It also prepares student to succeed in University Interscholastic League (UIL) Chess Puzzle. Living chess games have been referenced in works from classic authors such as Lewis Carroll and Kurt Vonnegut; this theater art was also mentioned in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. With The Living Chess Game: Fine Arts Activities for Kids 9-14, any parent, librarian, teacher, or after-school instructor can successfully stage an educational and entertaining living chess game. This book will also help educators and librarians prepare students to succeed in University Interscholastic League (UIL) Chess Puzzle. The book's chess instruction enables children to perform, with understanding, as living chess pieces. The activities not only instruct students on how to research chess, but also teach a myriad of fine arts skills such as acting, composing music, choreographing movements, designing scenery, and scriptwriting, and the activities address content standards from the National Standards for Arts Education. The author has also provided a "resources and materials" section that explains the cultural reference of each activity's title and lists opportunities for parental involvement, such as tech support and attending students' performances.