Dr. Root taught six chess campers, ages 6-9 years old, who were beginners at chess, from July 11-15 at Greenhill School. Two campers had no prior knowledge of chess, and two others had a shaky knowledge, for example moving rooks like knights sometimes. Here are her outlines for each camp day.

Monday:
Classify Challenge, from Thinking With Chess: Teaching Children Ages 5-14.
Mazes and Monsters, from Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving
Discussion of drills in sports, music, and chess, so campers realize that in all sports/hobbies/games one isolates and practices specific basic skills.
Endgame Checkmate Drills: Two Rook Checkmate (One Queen Checkmate for those who tested successfully on the two-rook checkmate)
Play for fun

Tuesday:
What is stalemate?
What is checkmate?
What is check and how to get out of check?
(Examples of each from Dr. Root on the demonstration board; campers created examples for each other too)
Battleship Chess, from Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators
The Knights Can't Wait, from Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving
Knight's Tour and individually test endgame checkmate drills
Play for fun

Wednesday:
Scholar's Mate, how to stop it, introduction to notation, from Read, Write, Checkmate: Enrich Literacy With Chess Activities
Rules of castling (explained by Dr. Root)
Game Theory Challenge, about castling, from Thinking With Chess: Teaching Children Ages 5-14, one side of room versus other then played against one-on-one against other classmates
Three checkmate-in-one problems with partners (set up on boards after reading notation on dry erase board; writing answers in notation), testing on drills, play for fun

Thursday:
En passant
Create Challenge, about en passant, from Thinking With Chess: Teaching Children Ages 5-14
Criteria Challenge, from Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving
Three checkmate-in-one problems with partners (set up on boards after reading notation on dry erase board; writing answers in notation), testing on drills, play for fun

Friday:
En passant worksheet from Science, Math, Checkmate: 32 Chess Activities for Inquiry and Problem Solving and preparing for individual final exams

Final exam:
Demonstrate castling, en passant, the two-rook checkmate, one-queen checkmate, and one-rook checkmate, depending on how far the camper got on these drills earlier in the week. Before Friday's final exams, one camper was still learning the two-rook mate, two were attempting the one-queen mate, and three had moved on to the one-rook mate.
What are tactics? Answer: Usually ways to win material, which can then help us win games (see Endgame Checkmate drills for one example of why being a rook ahead is good).
What is a fork? (examples on demonstration board)
10 fork problems from Pandolfini's Beginning Chess

Play for fun