ICT Curriculum

Programming

Tennis and Education delivered free of charge

Academic Creative Engagement (ACE), developed by National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) is an out-of-school academic curriculum connected to 21century skills, Common Core State and National Standards and the sport of tennis. ACE is designed to support academic achievement, health/wellness and social/emotional skills and is accredited by the National Councils of Teachers of Mathematics and English. Lessons range from multi-cultural literacy texts to kinetic geometry exercises performed on the tennis court. Learning is active, hands-on and connects to learners with varied learning styles. Cooperative learning is foremost, with a dynamic, interactional style with other students, teachers, coaches and families.

Teaching Moment

InnerCity Tennis Signature Curriculum

“I had fun, I was good at it, I want to do it again!”

Kidspeed connects children ages 3 to 10 in a dynamic, fast-paced curriculum run at “kid speed.” Children move from station to station in intervals of 7 minutes, playing and learning. Kidspeed ignites both an enduring love of physical activity and working with others, and teaches an important life-long recipe for success: how to achieve YOUR personal best.

Defining Success
We want each and every player that comes through our program to experience success. And not the typical kind of success you may be thinking about. At InnerCity Tennis (ICT), we define success as an improvement in one’s own ability to do something. All our Kidspeed stations have been designed so that kids can achieve success and see improvement in themselves.

When children notice improvement in their own skills and ability, we see them become inspired. We see it in their eyes. They are confident, ready to take on the next challenge they face. That is our goal, to equip kids with the confidence to do their personal best.

Delivery / Coaching Style
Kidspeed is delivered by our trained, full time staff who work alongside our diverse cadre of volunteers ages 9-93. A unique aspect of Kidspeed is that it doesn’t expect kids to match a coaching style – it makes coaches match the kids’ playing style.
•  No long explanations (kids learn through trying and repetition)
•  A new stations is introduced every 7 minutes

Development with Search Institute
Kidspeed was developed in concert with the world-renowned Search Institute, known for their 40 Developmental Assets that young people need to become successful and contributing adults.

Additional Sports
ICT recognizes that tennis is not equally as popular in all social circles. To help our programming be more inclusive and attractive to a wide audience of young children, our Kidspeed curriculum uses other sports stations, in addition to tennis. The Kidspeed curriculum currently includes stations dedicated to baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse and soccer skills. ICT’s Kidspeed curriculum makes sure that young children have the tools to have a successful future in whatever direction they choose, not just tennis.

Kidspeed as a Program Framework
ICT recognizes the importance of Kidspeed as a delivery vehicle and uses it as a curriculum for the following Red Rockets and Orange Crushers programs (ages 4-10).
• ACE (on court portion)
• Cities Academy
• Community Outreach
• Summer Tennis in the Parks
• Super Saturdays

For more information contact outreach@innercitytennis.org 

ICT’s Outreach program has been a fit for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We run a program specifically for children with ASD at Nokomis Community School in South Minneapolis. Check out the video below that Channel 5 did on our work serving the ASD population!

For more information about our Community Outreach Programs, please contact the Community Programs Manager, Raheem Simmons at simmons@innercitytennis.org