Math WorkShop

Publisher: Broderbund

Reviewed by Jennifer Chapman

SCHOOL SUBJECTS: math basics, problem solving, spatial relationships

GRADE LEVEL: 1-6

PLATFORM USED FOR EVALUATION: Mac PowerPC

HARD DISK OR CD-ROM?:Cd-ROM

TIME TO PLAY: unlimited

RATING: 9

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM:

This program offers seven different activities for students to do in order to strengthen math skills. Once you go inside the math workshop building, Poly welcomes you. You type in your name, and then you are invited to click on anything. If you have questions at anytime, you can click on the yellow smiley face, and Poly comes out to help you. After Poly comes out, you can click on anything so that Poly will explain it. It is very helpful that the yellow smiley face is located on every screen. In order to select the game you want to play, click on the part of the screen which represents that game:

  1. Bowling Pin Doorway- is the way to practice and sharpen your math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. Click on the bowling pin doorway to play. You can also play with fraction equivalency and estimations questions. A pin is dropped on the alley every time you get a question correct. After you get ten correct, Gus, the gorilla, bowls a strike! You may select from four different levels of questions. Therefore, the beginner to the advanced mathematician can play while being challenged. Excitingly enough there is Hall of Fame. You can see it by clicking on the trophy. It keeps track of the levels you have finished and your ranking. Certificates can even be printed for your place in the hall of fame! An example of this bowling activity is shown above on the screen dump.

  2. Sticky Easel- which is located upstairs from the bowling alley allows you to choose a picture which you would like to put together. It takes a line drawing and cuts it apart. Your job is to put the sticky lines back together on the easel. You may need to rotate the lines around so that they will fit. It's fun and helps you to gain a better sense of spatial visualization and how lines come together to form shapes.

  3. Hidden Pictures-are located by clicking on the green television on the right side of the main menu. Once again, a greater sense of space and how things geometrically fit together is gained through this activity. Initially, you choose a picture that you would like to put together. Then, you take pieces of all different shapes and sizes, and you try to get them to fit in the square television screen to create that very picture. The neat thing is that the part of the picture will show up on any piece of the puzzle depending upon where it is located on the screen. Also, there are many different ways the puzzle can be solved, and trial and error works well for discovering various problem solving strategies. After the puzzle has been solved, the picture comes to life as a celebration of your victory!

  4. Puzzle Patterns-can be played by clicking on the butterfly picture frame hanging on the wall. This more difficult activity requiring problem solving, spatial relationship, and logic skills provides a challenging activity for you. You must be able to manipulate pieces to create patterns which have been started for you. You may choose the puzzle you want to complete. Make sure all of the pieces match each other on all sides!

  5. Rhythm Shop-is located by clicking on the musical note on the second floor. This is a fun way to incorporate working with fractions and music. Here you can glue fractions together, or cut them apart. You are given certain colored pattern to make by doing the cutting and gluing. Once you have made it, it will play the rhythm you have made. There is a zany bird here to guide you along. HeÕll even dance when your music is played.

  6. Rocket Launcher-is upstairs and obtained by clicking on the rockets. Here you get to play against the math expert, Poly. The object of the game is to be the last person to launch a rocket. It gives you a chance to build strategies and think logically. It also helps to understand the relationships of numbers. You launch the rocket by clicking on it and can launch as many rockets as Poly tells you. Remember that you can launch less than she says too!

  7. Pattern Windows-is found by clicking on the glass ceiling of the building. This is a relaxed activity which allows you to create art. You may choose from a variety of different pattern screens. There are about 15 different colors from which to choose. Fill in the tessellations by clicking on the desired color then clicking on the part of the tessellation you want colored. Have fun!

EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM:

I really enjoyed this math program. It offers a wide variety of activities for children. It uses positive language as feedback along with up to date language such as "catch ya later". Some creativity is stimulated in the program such as in the pattern windows activity. I feel that this program would appeal to a wide variety of races. Although Poly appears to be Caucasian, she has an ethnic last name of Gonzalez. Also, it is excellent and encouraging for young females to have a female expert role model like Poly. Additionally, males are represented through the gorilla and the bird. This program is designed to help strengthen children's spatial awareness through geometry along with using problem solving. I like the way it has a wide range of activities with many options and levels of difficulty within each one. This will keep children from getting bored, and allows the child to grow mathematically and keep using this piece of software.
If I could change anything on this program it would be to make the rocket launching activity more exciting. It gets a bit boring quickly. I also feel that way about the rhythm shop. However, other people may like it. I am not musically inclined and it does not work well with my individual learning style. I would definitely get this program for my children.

APPLICATION OF THE PROGRAM:

There are many ways this program can be integrated into the curriculum. If you are working on having students memorize their math facts, you could have them practice them on the bowling program. Because it keeps track of names and the levels they have completed, it could be a good tool for the teacher to use in helping to evaluate students. Plus, they can get the certificate once they pass a certain level. Another way to integrate it into the curriculum is to use the pattern windows to create tessellations. It prints the patterns you have created. A great display for a hallway, bulletin board, etc. Maybe the students could design and plan a stained glass window on the computer, and then they could really make one afterwards. I would have loved to have had this program to use with my 3/4 multiage classroom. I would use it in the future!!!! Buy it!!!