Architecture of Grace

Skateboarding

Skateboarding's history, how to do tricks and grinds, and the science of balance. Grades K–12 and adults.

Course contents Start at the beginning
  • 18units
  • 36chapters
  • 379lessons
  • 6bands

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Grades K–2

A board with wheels, staying safe, balance, pushing and stopping.

3 units · 6 chapters · 43 lessons

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Unit 1

History

A Board With Wheels

  1. Surfing on the Sidewalk
  2. The Parts of a Skateboard

2 chapters · 14 lessons

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Unit 2

Safety

Safe and Steady

  1. Helmet First
  2. Balance Is Something You Practice

2 chapters · 15 lessons

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Unit 3

Moving

Push, Roll, Stop

  1. Push and Roll
  2. Slow Down, Turn, Stop

2 chapters · 14 lessons

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Grades 3–5

The first boom and the urethane wheel, forces on a ramp, first tricks.

3 units · 6 chapters · 63 lessons

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Unit 4

History

From Clay Wheels to Urethane

  1. The First Boom
  2. A New Wheel Changes Everything

2 chapters · 21 lessons

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Unit 5

Science

Forces on Four Wheels

  1. Push, Pull and Inertia
  2. Energy on a Ramp

2 chapters · 20 lessons

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Unit 6

How To

First Tricks

  1. Kickturns, Tic-Tacs and Manuals
  2. Dropping In and Carving

2 chapters · 22 lessons

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CourseSports HistoryHow games got their fields, rules and leagues, K–12.

Grades 6–8

Pools, parks and the ollie: its history, its physics, and how to do it.

3 units · 6 chapters · 69 lessons

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Unit 7

History

Pools, Parks and the Ollie

  1. Empty Pools and the First Skateparks
  2. The Ollie and the Street

2 chapters · 22 lessons

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Unit 8

Science

The Physics of the Ollie

  1. Levers and Torque
  2. Friction, Timing and Hang Time

2 chapters · 23 lessons

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Unit 9

How To

Ollies and Flip Tricks

  1. The Ollie Step by Step
  2. Shove-its, Kickflips and Heelflips

2 chapters · 24 lessons

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Grades 9–10

The street and video era, grinds and friction, balance and spin.

3 units · 6 chapters · 67 lessons

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Unit 10

History

Street, Video and the World Stage

  1. The Street Era
  2. X Games, the 900 and New Doors

2 chapters · 22 lessons

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Unit 11

How To and Science

Grinds and Slides

  1. Grinds and Slides Step by Step
  2. The Science of Friction on a Rail

2 chapters · 23 lessons

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Unit 12

Science

Balance, Turning and Spin

  1. Center of Mass and Turning
  2. Rotation and Angular Momentum

2 chapters · 22 lessons

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CourseSports HistoryHow games got their fields, rules and leagues, K–12.

Grades 11–12

Public space and the Olympics, engineering boards and ramps, how skill is built.

3 units · 6 chapters · 69 lessons

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Unit 13

History

Skateboarding, the City and the World

  1. Public Space and the Right to Skate
  2. Skateboarding Around the World and the Olympics

2 chapters · 22 lessons

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Unit 14

Science

Engineering the Board and the Ramp

  1. Decks, Wheels and Bearings
  2. Ramps by Design

2 chapters · 23 lessons

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Unit 15

How To

Advanced Tricks and How Skill Is Built

  1. Spins, Flips and Grabs
  2. The Science of Practice

2 chapters · 24 lessons

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CourseSports HistoryHow games got their fields, rules and leagues, K–12.

Adult

Culture and who skates, starting or returning safely, and a capstone.

3 units · 6 chapters · 68 lessons

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Unit 16

Culture

Culture, Art and Who Skates

  1. Graphics, Photographs and Video
  2. Doors Opened: Women, Skaters of Color and Adaptive Skating

2 chapters · 22 lessons

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Unit 17

How To

Starting or Returning as an Adult

  1. Starting Safely at Any Age
  2. Getting Better: Practice, Fear and Community

2 chapters · 23 lessons

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Unit 18

Capstone

Capstone: Science and Community

  1. Measure Your Own Skating
  2. Plan a Skatepark for Your Town

2 chapters · 23 lessons

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More to explore on this band

CourseSports HistoryHow games got their fields, rules and leagues, K–12.

Practice every day

Ten short lines a day: history, tricks and the science of skating.

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Resource libraryTrusted places to read, watch and explore, chosen for this course.
For the teacher

What the course covers

The course teaches skateboarding three ways at every level: its history (sidewalk surfing, the urethane wheel, pools and parks, the ollie, the street and video era, the X Games and the Olympics, and the people who opened its doors), how to skate (stance, pushing, stopping, kickturns, manuals, dropping in, the ollie, flip tricks, grinds and slides, taught step by step with a helmet, pads and a safe place first), and the science underneath (forces, friction, energy, levers and torque, center of mass, turning and rotation, with worked examples from grade 6 up). K–2 through 11–12 and an Adult band. Every lesson ends with three checks answerable from its reading.

Sources

History is checked against records, magazines and official results. Trick steps start with a helmet, pads and a safe place, and children ride with a grown-up nearby. Physics numbers are worked out with g = 9.8 m/s²; friction and hardness values are labeled as examples. Everything is original text written for this course.

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