Schools Use Cards To Increase Skills (NAPSA)—It’s a whole new “deal” when it comes to playing cards at school as teachers discover that the game of bridge can help kids develop importantcriticalthinkingskills. Fueling this in-school card craze is the School Bridge League—a division of The League created through funding from bridge enthusiasts and business leaders Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. “The game of bridgeis full of strategy and tactics,” says Mickie Rinehart, director of operations, The League. “It is part science, math, logic, reason and all fun. Plus, bridge builds bridges as it embodies cooperation and team problem solving—andis linked to highertest scores.” According to a study by Dr. Christopher Shaw of the American Contract Bridge League’s Educational Foundation, stu- dents who played bridge scored higher on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills than their non-bridge-playing counterparts after 20 months and again after 32 months. What’s more, they scored higher in all five subject areas (reading, language, math, science, social studies). So what’s a kid to do if you want to play but don’t know how? Ask your teacher, of course. Thanks to the School Bridge League, everyone—kids and teachers alike—can learn to play Od Playing cards has helped students to score higher in reading, language, math, science and social studies. and reap the game’s brain-building benefits. To get started, visit the School Bridge League Web site at www.schoolbridgeleague.org. Once there, your teacher can register your class (for free) and order a “Bridge in a Box” learning kit. Also available are teaching units, links to lesson plans (coded to state educational standards) on how to incorporate bridge into existing curriculum, tournament information, news from schools nationwide and more. The School Bridge League is open to every school everywhere and is a division of The League— formed to empower young people to “get in the game”of giving. The League and School Bridge Leagueare free and simple to join. To find out more, visit www.schoolbridgeleague.org or www.theleague.org.
