Academic Creative Engagement (ACE)

Academic Creative Engagement (ACE) is our out-of-school academic curriculum connected to 21stCentury Skills, National and Core State Standards and the sport of tennis. It is designed to encourage academic achievement, health/wellness and social/emotional skills by guiding children through educational processes that include decision making, problem solving and working together toward common goals. When combined with a tennis program, it provides important developmental assets and reflects the ideals and principles of Arthur Ashe by giving children access to a safe, healthy and educational opportunity. It can easily operate in partnership with schools, community centers, governmental programs, universities and other after-school providers. The lessons support classroom instruction and encourage students to communicate. Schools are mandated in preparing children for specific school and state assessments; whereas an out-of-school program provides the chance to talk about learning –the importance of thinking, discussing math concepts, writing clearly and speaking well. The activities contained in ACE provide a platform from which this goal can be reached.

The ACE curriculum consists of 50 activities to motivate and prepare students for success both in school and on court. It includes additional activities to stimulate thinking and writing for the Arthur Ashe Essay Contest. The curriculum is designed for grades 3 through 5; however, it can easily be differentiated to engage additional ages and grade levels. The lessons are created to be supportive, engaging and experiential in nature. They are guided by academic standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and support the Core Curriculum State Standards. Cooperative learning is encouraged to help children think about what they can do to build a respectful, emotional climate on and off the court. Hands-on projects give children the opportunity to interpret their ideas and demonstrate their knowledge.