PRIMARY LEARNING presents fifteen educational exercises for children aged 6 through 14.
BALLOON MAN features fun graphics and tests a child's spelling abilities in this Hangman-type game. The program has 1400 words (at all grade levels) built-in or enter your own. SPACE RACE is a spelling competition for up to four players. Play two different games: 'Flasher' and 'Scrambler.' Spelling lists can be saved. Higher Math provides tutoring and practice in multiplication and division. Learn and practice times and division tables. In MATH RACE, up to four players take turns answering flash card math problems. Each player can race at his/her own skill level. PIZZA PLACE teaches logical thinking skills and introduces grid coordinates.
In LEMONADE STAND, you sell lemonade, buying lemons, sugar, and cups. You make your business decisions based on weather and demand. CANDY DRIVE simulates a candy bar sales competition between two school classes. You decide which neighborhoods to sell in - the most sales wins! STOP THIEF! gives you a chance to play detective. Based on computer clues, you decide who the thief is. Different difficulties and print options are available. Graphs & Charts teaches about line graphs, bar charts, and pie charts. You can build, save and print your own charts and graphs! CALENDAR teaches you about parts of the year. Has tutorial and practice modes. Draw and print any monthly calendar.
KEYBOARDING provides instruction in a very important skill in the computer age - typing. Learn which fingers press which keys and take timed tests. KID CARDS has three classic card games that challenge your logical thinking skills: War, Concentration, and Blackjack. US GEOGRAPHY offers numerous exercises in identifying state locations, state capitals, and other information about each of the 50 states. In US PRESIDENTS, you can take two quizzes or review information. In 'Who Is Missing?' you learn the order in which the presidents served. In 'Name the President' based on clues from the computer (including a portrait), you determine who the president is (type-in or multiple-choice answers). WORLD GEOGRAPHY offers four exercises in identifying the locations, capitals, and other information about 100 countries of the world.
PROGRAM OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS
To run the program using Windows 3.1, double-click the PRIMARY LEARNING icon. In Windows 95/98/2000/Me/NT, click Start, then Programs, then click the PRIMARY LEARNING program item. The main screen of PRIMARY LEARNING has a simple menu structure listing the ten programs. Click the desired program. Or, choose Exit to stop the program or choose Help (or press <F1>) for on-line help. Running instructions for the twelve programs follow. To uninstall the PRIMARY LEARNING programs, simply delete the directory (folder) they are installed in.
Balloon Man
In this program, you play a non-violent version of the classic Hangman spelling game. In this version, you guess letters in a word. For each incorrect guess, a balloon pops and the clown holding them drops toward the ground. The program is run by selecting Balloon Man from the main menu screen. You have three choices: New Word, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
New Word:
Choosing this option will bring up a new word to guess. You can enter your own word by choosing the Enter Own Word option or allow the computer to choose a word by selecting the Computer Chooses Word option. If you choose to enter a word, a word entry form will appear. Type the letters, then click OK. Note the word can be no longer than 15 letters and can include letters, a hyphen (-), or an apostrophe ('). If you click Cancel on the entry form or the entered word is blank, the computer will choose a word. If the computer chooses a word, you can also select the Grade Level (K-6) of the selected word.
On the screen, the letters in the word to guess are shown as asterisks (*) at the top of the screen. Available letters to guess are shown below the word. Guess a letter (press the letter or click on it) in the word. If the guess is correct, that letter will be shown in its correct position(s) in the word to be spelled. If incorrect, one of the balloons the clown is holding will pop and the clown will drop toward the ground. If you guess the word before all the balloons are popped (five to eleven guesses, depending on the length of the word), a little tune plays and the clown returns to the sky. Otherwise, you will be shown the word. In either case, click Next Word to try again. If the computer chose the word, it will choose another. If you input the word, you will be returned to the word entry screen. Note while guessing letters, clicking the Stop button will stop the game.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
Space Race
This game is a spelling competition for up to four players. Two games can be played: Flasher and Scrambler. As words are spelled, your rocket ship soars to the moon. First to the moon wins! The program is run by selecting Space Race from the main menu screen. You have four choices: New Game, Options, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
New Game:
In turn, each player is given a word (randomly selected) to spell. In Flasher, click Flash Word or press <Enter>. The word is shown and you spell it. In Scrambler, the word is shown in scrambled form - unscramble the word. In each game, type the spelling. If you spell the word correctly, your rocket sails toward the screen top. If incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard and you are given another chance. In Scrambler, a letter is given to you as a clue. You have three tries to spell each word (additional flashes in Flasher count as a try). After your third try, the correct spelling is given. The fewer tries you need to spell a word, the better - your rocket will go further. The game ends when one or more rockets reaches the moon. Once the game ends, the player(s) who reached the moon are listed. Clicking OK returns you to the Space Race game. You can stop the game at any time by clicking Stop, but no results are given
Options:
Several options must be selected prior to starting Space Race. First, you need a word list. Use of the editor on the Options screen is quite straightforward. To start a new list, click New Word List. Type in the words. You can use only upper case letters, a single quote (') for contractions, or a hyphen (-) for hyphenated words. The <Tab> and <Return> keys move you forward from word to word and the <Shift>-<Tab> key moves you in reverse. You can add new words or delete old ones. To delete a word simply blank it out. The program will close up any gaps left in the list. To add a word, type it in a blank space or type over an unwanted word. To open a previously saved list, click Open Word List. To save the displayed list, click Save Word List. A dialog box opens. Enter a name for your word list file, then click OK. To print your list, click Print Word List. Make sure your printer is on-line and ready.
In addition to getting a word list, you also choose the number of players (1 to 4), enter a name for each player, and choose the game to be played: Flasher or Scrambler. If playing Flasher, you also select a Flash Speed (Fast is about 0.05 seconds, while Slow is about 2 seconds). After establishing a word list and choosing other options, click OK to return to the Space Race program.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
Higher Math
This program teaches you how to multiply and divide two numbers and gives you practice problems. The program is run by selecting Higher Math from the main menu screen. You have several choices: Math Tutor, Review Math Facts, Practice Math Facts, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
Math Tutor:
In this program, multiplication and division problems are graphically displayed. Two options are available. You may choose either Multiplication or Division problems. And, you may choose Small Numbers (0-6) or Large Numbers (0-12). Options may be changed at any time in the program.
For each Multiplication problem, a number of shapes corresponding to the multiplicand (number to be multiplied) will be drawn and that number written at the bottom of the screen. Then, that number of shapes is repeated a number of times equal to the multiplier (the multiplying number) and, at the screen bottom, a times (X) sign, the multiplier, and an equals (=) sign appear. You are asked to enter the product of the two numbers.
With Division problems, a number of shapes corresponding to the dividend (the number to be divided) is drawn and that number written at the bottom of the screen. After a brief delay, those shapes are divided into a number of groups equal to the divisor (the number divided into the dividend), and at the screen bottom, a division (/) sign, the divisor, and an equals (=) sign appear. You are asked to enter the quotient, that is the answer to the problem.
For both problem types, if the entered numbers are correct, a tune will play. If incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard and you continue to answer until correct or until you click the See Answer button to have the answer given. After finishing the problem, clicking Next Problem generates a new problem. You stop solving problems by clicking Stop - this returns you to the Higher Math menu.
Review Math Facts:
With this program, you can view multiplication and division facts with any factor you choose. Two options are available. You may choose either Multiplication or Division problems. And, you may choose your Factor Value, any number from 0 to 12 (0 not available in Division problems). Options may be changed at any time in the program.
With Multiplication facts, the product of your selected factor (multiplier) with the numbers from 0 to 12 are listed. With Division facts, the quotients of several dividends and your divisor are listed. Click Stop to return to the Higher Math menu.
Practice Math Facts:
In this program, you practice multiplication and division facts with flash card problems. Two options are available. You may choose either Multiplication or Division problems. And, you may choose your Factor Value, any number from 0 to 12 (0 not available in Division problems), or choose Random for random factors. Options may be changed at any time in the program.
With Multiplication facts, you are given random problems using your factor as the multiplier. With Division facts, you are given random problems using your factor as the divisor. In either case, once the problem is presented, type your answer and press <Enter>. If correct, a tune plays and another problem is given. If incorrect, you have one more try before the correct answer is given to you. A colored bar indicates your percentage score and the numeric value is displayed. Click Stop to return to the Higher Math menu.
Another choice is to Print Worksheet. These sheets can be used for personal or classroom study. To print a worksheet, simply click the Printer button. Each worksheet has 100 randomly generated problems, with no factor higher than that selected in Factor Value.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
Math Race
One thing every kid likes is competition, whether it be against a computer (how do you explain the immense popularity of Nintendo?) or against a classmate (friendly only, of course!). In this program, from one to four kids can compete in basic flash card math skills. The nice thing about this game is that each player selects the level of problems she/he wishes to answer. Thus, an adult can compete (using very difficult division problems) against a first-grader (doing simple addition). The program is run by selecting Math Race from the main menu screen. You have four choices: New Game, Options, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
New Game:
In the same order they entered their names (see Options), players are given randomly-generated problems to answer. To see a problem, the player clicks on See Problem or presses <Enter> when asked to. The problem is then displayed. At that point, the player types in the answer to the problem and presses <Enter> - remember you must press <Enter> in order to get the computer to check your answer. You can erase your answer by clicking Erase. If your answer is correct, your car will move across the screen a distance related to how much time (indicated by the 'gas gauge' at the top of the screen) was left when you answered. If incorrect, you are given another chance. You can continue to answer until time runs out.
A maximum of 10 points can be earned for each problem - more points for faster answers. A total of 75 points must be gained to complete the race. The game ends when one or more cars finish the race. At that time, a tune is heard and the names of the players who finished are presented. Click OK. (Clicking Stop will also stop the game, but no results are given).
Options:
Each player solves problems at his/her own level of ability, hence some initial options should be set prior to playing the game. There are four choices for each player (four players maximum). Each child playing should type their name so the computer can keep track of whose turn it is. The child also indicates (by clicking the desired button) what type of problems they want to solve: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division or any type (randomly selected). The next question concerns how large you want the numbers in your problems to be; enter a number (using the scroll bar) from 5 (easy) to 500 (difficult, especially in division and multiplication). Lastly, you choose the clock speed, i.e. the time you want to answer the problem. Each problem is worth a maximum of 10 points. With each tick of the clock, one point is removed from your possible score. With a slow clock, there are about 1.5 seconds between ticks, with a medium clock, about 1 second, and with the fast clock, there is about 0.5 seconds between ticks. Click the OK button when all selections are as desired.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
Pizza Place
You have been asked to be in charge of deliveries for the neighborhood pizza parlor for one night. You take phone orders, tell the crew how many pizzas to bake, and tell the delivery car where to go. The program is run by selecting Pizza Place from the main menu screen. You have three initial choices: Start, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking the desired option button.
Start:
Choose this option to begin selling pizzas. Lots of decisions need to be made. The basic idea is to read the incoming phone orders and tell the delivery car where to go. You also need to make sure you always have pizzas ready to go out the door. The delivery area is shown on a grid of 20 by 20 squares. You identify a particular square by two numbers, its horizontal value and its vertical value, in this form:
(Horizontal Value, Vertical Value)
The lower left corner is identified by (1, 1). The upper right corner is (20, 20). We call these numbers Cartesian coordinates.
You sell and deliver pizzas from 6:00 to 11:00. A clock in the upper right corner shows the time. It doesn't take 5 hours to use the program - the five hours go by in about 15 minutes, so think fast. The phone rings when an order comes in. The order box will show what time the order was called in, the Cartesian coordinates for delivery, and the number of pizzas ordered. The order is also displayed on the neighborhood grid. Below the order box is the area used to control the delivery car. You are told the current location of the car in the grid and how many pizzas are in the car. At the beginning of the program, the car is at the Pizza Place (marked by an X on the grid). To load pizzas in the car, click the Load Car button. To tell the car where to go, set the Cartesian coordinates of the delivery location (use the displayed up/down arrows). Once the coordinate is as desired, click Go. The car will travel to the desired position. When it arrives, the car's horn will sound and tell you the result of the delivery. There are four possible results: (1) on-time delivery, (2) late delivery, (3) not enough pizzas in the car to make the delivery, or (4) no pizza ordered at the given location. If you make a successful delivery, the amount of sales (displayed at the top of the screen) is updated. When you need to return to the Pizza Place to load more pizzas, click the Return button.
You also need to control the pizza oven to make sure there are always pizzas available for delivery. To bake pizzas, set the number of pizzas to bake and click Bake. You will be told when the pizzas will be ready. When the pizzas are done, a bell will ring and the pizzas are moved to the ready area. The Pizzas Ready box always displays how many pizzas are available for loading into the car. At any time during the program, you may pause the action by clicking Pause. To restart, click Restart. To stop the program before 11:00, click Stop. Once the program stops, a summary screen will show your sales and costs results and compute your profits (if any). After reading the results, click Return to Pizza Place to play again.
Obviously, there are lots of rules used in this program. Let's look at all of them. Study these rules and use them to develop your strategies for selling the most pizzas (making lots of money!):
The order box displays the orders received (listing them in order of time phoned in). You have up to 30 minutes to make an on-time delivery. On-time deliveries net you $10 for each pizza delivered. If you take more than 30 minutes and less than 60 minutes to make a delivery, you only receive $5 for each pizza delivered. If you take more than 60 minutes to make a delivery, that customer will just give up and the order will be removed from the order box. Phone orders stop at 10:30, allowing you 30 minutes to complete your deliveries before the Pizza Place closes at 11:00.
The delivery car can hold up to 10 pizzas. Once you have sent the car to a particular location, it cannot be stopped. It costs $0.10 to move from one square to the next. If the car returns to the Pizza Place with pizzas left over, those pizzas have to be thrown out due to health department rules.
The pizza oven can bake up to 8 pizzas at a time. It costs $3 to make and bake each pizza. It takes 10 minutes to bake a batch of pizzas. Up to 20 pizzas can be stored in the ready area. Any pizzas baked that cannot fit in the ready area are thrown out, costing you money.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
Lemonade Stand
This game simulates the economics of operating a lemonade stand. How you do depends on business decisions you make regarding purchases and pricing. The program is run by selecting Lemonade Stand from the main menu screen. You have three choices: Shopping, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button. Before describing program operation, let's describe the overall concept of the game.
You have decided to open a lemonade stand to earn some money during the summer. You will operate the stand each Saturday for eight weeks. To make the lemonade, you will need sugar, lemons, and paper cups. You will buy your supplies every Friday. Your parents will loan you $25 to get started, but you have to pay them back at the end of the summer. To guide you in purchasing supplies, you will be given a weather forecast consisting of the expected high temperature for Saturday and the chance of rain. You will sell more lemonade on hot, dry days so stock up on supplies. As a guide, note that to make 20 cups of lemonade, you need one pound of sugar and 16 lemons. Buy carefully - you can save any leftover sugar and cups, but the lemons spoil and you must buy new ones each week. Also, the hotter it is, the more you can charge for your lemonade. To help you set your prices, sugar sells for about 40 cents per pound, lemons sell for about 10 cents each, and paper cups cost about 50 cents for a box of fifty. Be careful though, if you set your prices too high, you can lose sales. Good luck! Try to learn the rules used in the program as you use it.
Shopping:
During each simulated week of the game, you will be shown a weather forecast, your stored supplies, current product selling prices, and your current bank balance. Based on this information, you decide how much sugar (bought in pound units), how many lemons (priced singly, bought in groups of 5), and how many cups to purchase (cups come in boxes of 50). Make your selections using the vertical arrow controls. If your purchases ever exceed your bank balance, an 'uh oh' sound will be heard. When done, click Done Shopping.
Next, you will be told what the weather (temperature and sky condition) is on the day you sell. Based on weather, you choose a selling price for your lemonade. Use the arrow control to make this choice. Click Start Selling when ready. Your stand will be shown and sales displayed as they are generated. At the end of the day, a tune plays. Click OK to see a sales report. On this report, you will see how many cups of lemonade you sold, how much money you made, and your current financial summary. (Profits are shown as white numbers, while losses are shown by red numbers enclosed in parentheses.) You then click OK to continue to the next week. Clicking Stop will stop the program and show you what your sales were when you stopped. At this point, click OK to continue to a new game or click Exit to exit the program. Note you cannot stop the game while sales are being generated. The game ends after eight weeks and an overall summary is given.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
Candy Drive
You have been elected to head a candy drive for your class. You are competing against one other class - the class that sells the most candy bars wins a prize for its classroom! The program is run by selecting Candy Drive from the main menu screen. You have four initial choices: Assign Teams, Print Map, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button. Before each new candy drive, you should also decide how smart you want the other class leader to be: Not Very Smart, Kind of Smart, Smart, or Quite Smart. Make your choice by clicking the desired option button.
Assign Teams:
The candy drive lasts five days. There are twenty neighborhoods that can be visited and each day you have eight sales teams to assign. The neighborhoods are drawn on the screen. Above each neighborhood house is the number of houses in that neighborhood that your team has not visited. Next to each house is an arrow control you use to assign teams. Decide how many teams you want in which neighborhoods and set the values using these arrow controls. The Assign Team frame shows you how many teams you can still assign. You should always assign all eight teams. To help your decisions, note each team can visit only one neighborhood a day and each team can sell up to 50 candy bars each day. It's okay to send more than one team to a neighborhood. Note you can make more sales in areas where there are a lot of houses and where the other class hasn't been. When done assigning teams, click Done Assigning.
After assigning teams, sales are computed by the program and displayed. Each neighborhood shows the sales of your teams (You) and sales of the other classes teams (Other). Totals are shown in the Daily Sales Results frame. Click OK to assign teams for the next day. After five days of selling, final sales reports are given and the winning classroom selected. If you win, great!! If not, study what you did and try again. When the game is finished, click OK. At any time in the game, you can click Stop to stop playing. The sales up to the point you decided to quit will be displayed.
Print Map:
Choose this option to obtain a printed copy of the current neighborhood sales results, including how many houses you have yet to visit and what the sales of each class within the neighborhood are. Such maps can be very helpful in aiding you in assigning teams to different neighborhoods. They especially help in keeping track of what the other class is up to. Note you only are told what the other classes sales are in each neighborhood, not how many houses they have been to. Your chances of a sale at a house the other class has visited are smaller than if they haven't been there. These maps can help you estimate how much of a given neighborhood the other class has visited. That is, lots of sales means lots of visits!
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
Stop Thief!
A thief is loose in your school and you must find out who it is. From the given clues, you decide who to accuse. Hints are available if you need them. If you want, you can print out the case and clues to study them and make your accusation later. Good luck in your detective work! The program is run by selecting Stop Thief! from the main menu screen. You solve a case using three file folders each with a different tab heading. There are three file folders: Case Description, Case Clues, and Solve Case. In the first folder, you can also select Help or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired folder or button.
Case Description:
Choose this folder to see a description of the current case or to start another case. To start another case, select New Case or Old Case. If you want to solve a new case, you will be asked for your detective level (Beginner, Novice, Experienced, Advanced, Expert). The higher the level you choose, the more difficult is the case to solve. Click OK after your selection and the case description will appear. If you decide to solve an old case, you will be asked to enter the Case Number. Such a number (seven digits) is displayed with each case description and with the case clues. Enter the number, click OK and that case will presented. If the entered number is not valid, you will be told so and given another try. Note, you can return to the Case Description folder at any time during your case to review the description or to start another case. You may obtain a printed copy of the description by clicking on the Print Description button.
Case Clues:
Choose this folder to see a listing of the 14 case clues. You may obtain a printed copy of the clues (including a table to help in the solution process) by clicking on the Print Clues button. You can visit to the Case Clues folder as many times as you like during your case to review the clues.
Solve Case:
Choose this folder when you are ready to solve the case, need a hint, or give up. To solve the case, you need to accuse one of the five listed suspects. Make your choice by clicking on the accused's name. If you accuse and are correct, you are promoted. If incorrect, you receive a demotion in detective level.
If you need a hint in solving the case, click Get Hint and one will be given. Click OK to continue. Fewer hints are available in easier cases. If you want to see the solution to the case (either after making an accusation or you just give up), click See Solution. The solution will be given to you in a series of explanatory statements which can be printed by clicking Print Solution.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Note this button is only available in Case Description folder. Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen. If you want to return later and try to solve a case that stumped you, make sure you make a note of the seven digit case number.
Graphs & Charts
In this program, you learn about three basic data display tools: line graphs, bar charts and pie charts. The program is run by selecting Graphs & Charts from the main menu screen. You have four choices: Learn About Graphs & Charts, Build Graphs & Charts, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
Learn About Graphs & Charts:
This is a tutorial on the use of line graphs, bar charts and pie charts. To move from one screen to the next, just click the right arrow or press <Enter>. Click the left arrow to return to the previous screen. To leave the tutorial at any time, click Stop and you return to the Graphs & Charts menu.
Build Graphs & Charts:
Choosing this option allows you build your own line graph, bar chart or pie chart. The graph/chart can be saved and printed. There are two menus displayed: the Build menu and the Format menu. The current graph/chart is displayed on the screen.
The Build menu has six options: New, Open, Save, Print, Help or Done. If you click New, the current graph/chart is cleared and replaced by a default graph/chart that you can then format. The file name becomes NEW (the current file name is always displayed in the window title bar). Click Open to open a previously saved graph/chart. A file list box will appear - click on the desired file, then click OK. Or, simply double-click the file name. Click Save to save the currently displayed graph/chart in a file. A file list box will appear asking you for a file name (default is the current file name). Click OK when the displayed name is as desired. There are no provisions within the program to delete unwanted files that have been previously saved. To delete a file, you must use Windows Explorer. Files are stored in the application folder with the name you gave them plus the extension .KWG. Lastly, to obtain a printed copy of your graph/chart, click Print. Click Done to return to the Graphs & Charts menu screen.
The Format menu has several options: graph/chart type (Line Graph, Bar Chart, Pie Chart), Titles, Scale (line graph and bar chart only) and Data. Choosing a different type will change the displayed graph/chart to that selection using the most current data. Click Titles to change the graph/chart title, the vertical title or the horizontal title. An edit window will appear. Type the new title(s) in the desired location(s) and click OK. Click Scale to change parameters on the vertical axis. An edit window will appear. You can change the minimum and maximum axis values, the number of divisions along the axis, and whether you want grid lines displayed. Make your choices and click OK when done.
Clicking Data lets you change the data contained within the graph or chart. You can graph or chart up to 12 pairs of data. For each pair of data, enter a Label (horizontal axis) and a Value (vertical axis). You can also choose a color for the line graph or colors for the individual bars and pie segments (for bar charts and pie charts). To change the selected color, click the color shown. A palette of available colors will appear. Click on your choice or click Cancel to not select a color. Click OK when done - the program will close up any gaps in the data table (any point without a label will be ignored). The new data will be plotted.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
Calendar
In this program, you learn about calendar reading and the parts of calendars. The program is run by selecting Calendar from the main menu screen. You have several choices: Calendar Parts, Calendar Parts Quiz, Calendar Reading, Calendar Reading Quiz, Calendar Display, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
Calendar Parts:
With this option, you will learn about the number of days in each month, in a week, and in a year, the order of days, and order of months through a series of tutorial screens. Use the Next and Previous arrows to move from one screen to another. Click Stop when done.
Calendar Parts Quiz:
Choose this option to be given a quiz on the material presented in Calendar Parts. A series of random questions is given. Each question requires you to type in your answer (this helps you learn the spelling of the days of the week and months of the year), then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a little tune is heard and the next question given to you. If, on word answers, your spelling is incorrect, but close, you will be credited with a correct answer and your spelling will be corrected. If incorrect, and 'uh-oh' is heard and you try again. You have three tries on each question. After the third try, you are given the answer - click OK to go to the next question. After all the questions have been asked and answered, you are returned to the Calendar main menu. Or, click Stop to stop at any other time.
Calendar Reading:
With this option, you will given a review of how to read a calendar of a single month through a series of tutorial screens. Before starting the review, you select the month and year of the calendar you wish to study (the default is the current month). Choose the month and year using the displayed arrow controls. When the displayed calendar is as desired, click Start Review. Each screen provides a useful fact about calendar reading. Use the Next and Previous arrows to move from one screen to another. (Note that some of the facts are randomly generated, hence they may not be the same when you revisit them with the Next and Previous arrows.) Once you have reviewed all the facts, you may select another month/year to look at or click Stop.
Calendar Reading Quiz:
Choose this option to be given a quiz on the material presented in Calendar Reading. First, select the month and year of the calendar you want a quiz on, then click Start Quiz. A series of random questions is given. Each question requires you to type in your answer then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a little tune is heard and the next question given to you. If, on word answers, your spelling is incorrect, but close, you will be credited with a correct answer and your spelling will be corrected. If incorrect, and 'uh-oh' is heard and you try again. You have three tries on each question. After the third try, you are given the answer - click OK to go to the next question. After all the questions have been asked and answered, you are returned to the Calendar main menu. Or, click Stop to stop at any other time.
Calendar Display:
Choose this option to display, and optionally print, a monthly calendar. The month and year of the calendar are selected using the respective arrow controls. The calendar can be printed using the Print button. Click Stop to stop to return to the Calendar main menu.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
Keyboarding
This program will help you learn some of the skills required for keyboarding, or typing (as it was called when typewriters were the major method of putting words on paper). The program is run by selecting Keyboarding from the main menu screen. You have several choices: Learn Keyboard, Keyboard Practice, Character Drills, Word Drills, Timed Drills, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
Learn Keyboard:
A menu with five choices is presented with this option. If you choose Keyboard Layout, you get an introduction to the keyboard and learn the parts of the keyboard. Use the Next and Previous arrows to move from one piece of information to another. Choose Home Row, Top Row, Bottom Row, or Number Row to obtain instruction and practice. The program will instruct you on the selected row of the keyboard and teach you which finger presses which keys. Click the Stop sign when done.
Keyboard Practice:
Choosing this option allows you to practice what was learned in Learn Keyboard. Select which row(s) you want to work with by clicking the desired check box(es). Also, decide whether you want to type characters requiring the Shift key using the Use Shift? check box. You are given a key to press and shown where it is on the keyboard. Simply press the desired key three times. Click the Stop sign when done.
Character Drill:
Choose this option to get practice in typing random characters using the keyboard. Select which row(s) you want to work with by clicking the desired check box(es). Also, decide whether you want to type characters requiring the Shift key using the Use Shift? check box. You will be shown a string of characters separated by spaces. You are to type in that string as fast as you can, then press <Enter> (don't forget to include the spaces). A red box indicates the current position in the character string. Once you press <Enter>, your typing speed will be given to you. Click OK for another string of characters. Click the Stop sign to stop.
Word Drill:
Choose this option to get practice in typing complete words using the keyboard. Select which row(s) you want to work with by clicking the desired check box(es). Also, decide whether you want to type characters requiring use of the Shift key using the Use Shift? check box. You will be shown three words separated by spaces. You are to type in the words as fast as you can, then press <Enter> (don't forget to include the spaces). A red box indicates the current position in the words being typed. Once you press <Enter>, your typing speed will be given to you. Click OK for another string of characters. Click the Stop sign to stop.
Timed Drill:
Here, you are to type in material from a book, magazine, or any other source. The computer will then tell you your typing speed in words per minute. Begin typing as soon as you click Timed Drill. When you have typed all the material you desired, press <Enter> or click on the Stop sign. Your typing speed will be given to you. Obviously, the computer cannot check the accuracy of what you type, only your speed. Click OK for another timed drill. Click the Stop sign to stop.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
Kid Cards
This program has three fun solitaire games played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards. War is the classic game where you compare cards. Concentration asks you to remember where cards are laying. And, Blackjack is the famous casino game that is a great lesson in logic and math. The program is run by selecting Kid Cards from the main menu screen. The last card game played will appear. Another game may be selected by clicking the appropriate button in the Other Card Games frame. Or, you can choose Help or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
War:
The cards are evenly divided into two piles - one at the top of the screen (your pile) and one at the bottom (the computer pile). You and the computer each display a card from your own pile - whoever has the highest card wins the other players card. For this game, a two is low and an ace is the highest card. Click New Game to start.
The number of cards you have is displayed next to You and the number of cards the computer has is next to Computer. To compare cards click (using the mouse) on the top pile. A card from your pile and one from the computer's pile are displayed. If your card is higher, a tune is heard and you keep both your card and the computer's card. If the computer's card is higher, the computer gets both cards. If the two cards are the same - we have War! Three cards from each pile are placed face down on the screen, then another card placed face up and compared. The winner at this point gets all ten cards on the screen. If the second set of displayed cards are also the same, it's a draw. With a draw, the computer gets your five cards and you get the computer's cards. The game ends when one player (you or the computer) loses all their cards. You can also stop the game by clicking the Stop button. Each pile of cards is reshuffled when necessary.
Concentration:
This is a computer version of the classic Solitaire card game. A deck of 52 cards is dealt out face down. The object of the game is to find matching pairs of cards by remembering card locations. Cards can match by either Value (the number or face) or Suit. Make your choice. Click New Game to start.
The initial game screen shows the cards face down. You pick two cards at each turn. To pick a card, simply click on that card using the mouse. If the two cards match (either by value or suit, depending on the option chosen), a tune is heard and those cards are erased from the screen. If there is no match, a boing is heard and those cards are flipped back over. The game ends when all matches have been made. The computer will keep track of how many guesses you need to find all card pairs. You can also stop the game by clicking the Stop button.
Blackjack:
The idea of this version of Blackjack is to score higher than the computer's cards without exceeding twenty-one. The value of your 'hand' is obtained by adding the value of each card you have. Cards count their number value, except face cards (jacks, queens, kings) count for ten, and aces count for either one or eleven (your pick). If you beat the computer, you get 10 points. If you get Blackjack (21 with just two cards) and beat the computer, you get 15 points. Click New Game to start.
Click Deal to start each 'hand' of Blackjack. At the start of a hand, two cards are given to the computer (one face down) and two cards to you. You decide whether to Hit (get another card) or Stay. You can choose as many extra cards as desired (if you choose 6 cards and still are under 21, you win). If you exceed 21 before staying, it is a loss (-10 points). If you do not exceed 21, it becomes the computer's turn. The computer must add cards until 16 is exceeded. When this occurs, if the computer also exceeds 21 or if the computer total is less than yours, the computer loses. If the computer total is greater than your total (and under 21), the computer wins. If you and the computer have the same total, it is a Push (no points added or subtracted). A Blackjack (21 with just two cards - an ace and a card counting ten) by either you or the computer is an immediate win. Click Stop to stop playing the game.
Note: yes, we know Blackjack is a gambling game and that it is probably best to discourage gambling. But, it is also a great lesson in math (adding cards) and logical thinking skills. Use it in that vein. And also use it to see just how hard it is to beat the computer at Blackjack. Every gambling casino knows the laws of mathematics and probability work to their advantage!
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
US Geography
In this program, you learn significant facts about each of the fifty states. Covered facts are location, flag, postal abbreviation, capital city, nickname, date and order of admission into the union, region of the country, and facts of historical and/or geographical significance. The program is run by selecting US Geography from the main menu screen. You have several choices: Review States, Name the State, Find the State, State Capitals, State Flags, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
Review States:
Here, a map of the United States is shown and one state (chosen at random) is highlighted. You are told the name of that state and its corresponding facts are presented. You can learn about another state by clicking on that state in the map. Or, you can click the right arrow to see the next state (they are in alphabetical order), click the left arrow to see the previous state, or click Stop to return to the US Geography menu.
Name the State:
In this exercise, you name the state given clues about it. Decide if you want Multiple Choice answers or if you want to Type In the answer (make your choice in the Answer Type frame). Clues are given one at a time in random order. The eleven clues possible are: (1) map location, (2) two letter postal abbreviation, (3) state flag, (4) nickname, (5) order of admission into the union, (6) date of admission, (7) capital city, (8) region of country, and (9)-(11) a historical or geographical feature. After getting a clue, you try to identify the state. If you chose multiple choice answers, four possible names will be given - make your choice using the mouse. If you chose to type in your answer, do so, then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a tune will play and any remaining clues will be shown. Click Next to go on to the next state. If you are incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard, another clue is given, and you try again. Keep trying until all clues are displayed - after that the answer is given to you. If you don't have a guess, just click Clue to get another clue, or click Answer to see the correct answer at any time. If your spelling is close, it will be corrected and you will be credited with a correct response. You stop the test by clicking the Stop button. This returns you to the US Geography menu.
Find the State:
In this quiz, you learn about the state locations on the US map. You can choose to Find State (given the name) or Name State (given the location).. If you choose to name the state, you also decide if you want Multiple Choice answers or if you want to Type In the answer. A map will then be drawn. If you chose to find the state, a state name is displayed. Click on that state on the map. If incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard - you will then be given the state's region as a hint. Answer until correct - at that point, a tune is heard and the state is highlighted on the map. If you chose to name the state, a state is highlighted. If you chose multiple choice answers, four possible answers will be given - make your choice by clicking with the mouse. If you chose to type in your answer, do so, then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a tune will be heard and you will be shown another state. If you are incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard and you try again. Answer until correct with the multiple choice option. You have three tries if typing in your answer. The correct answer will be given to you after your third attempt. Clicking Answer will give you the correct answer at any time. If your spelling is close (when typing answers), it will be corrected and you will be credited with a correct response. The program will cycle through all 50 states (in random order) then return to the US Geography menu, or you can return to the menu at any time by clicking the Stop button.
State Capitals:
In this quiz, you learn about the states and their capital cities. You can choose to Name Capital (given the state) or Name State (given the capital).. In the Answer Type frame, decide if you want Multiple Choice answers or if you want to Type In the answer. A map will then be drawn. If you chose to name the capital, one state is highlighted. If you chose to name the state, a capital city is displayed. If you chose multiple choice answers, four possible answers will be given - make your choice by clicking with the mouse. If you chose to type in your answer, do so, then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a tune will be heard and you will be given another state or capital. If you are incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard and you try again. (When naming states, the location will be shown to you after your first incorrect answer.) Answer until correct with the multiple choice option. You have three tries if typing in your answer. The correct answer will be given to you after your third attempt. Clicking Answer will give you the correct answer at any time. If your spelling is close, it will be corrected and you will be credited with a correct response. The program will cycle through all 50 states (in random order) then return to the US Geography menu, or you can return to the menu at any time by clicking the Stop button.
State Flags:
In this quiz, you learn to recognize the flags of each state. You can choose to Pick Flag (given the state) or Name State (given the flag).. If you choose to name the state, you also decide if you want Multiple Choice answers or if you want to Type In the answer. If you chose to pick a flag, four flags and a state name are displayed. Click on the flag for the given state. If incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard. Answer until correct - at that point, a little tune is heard. If you chose to name the state, a single flag is shown. If you chose multiple choice answers, four possible answers will be given - make your choice by clicking with the mouse. If you chose to type in your answer, do so then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a tune will be heard and you will be shown another flag. If you are incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard and you try again. Answer until correct with the multiple choice option. You have three tries if typing in your answer. The correct answer will be given to you after your third attempt. Clicking Answer will give you the correct answer at any time. If your spelling is close (when typing answers), it will be corrected and you will be credited with a correct response. The program will cycle through all 50 states (in random order) then return to the US Geography menu, or you can return to the menu at any time by clicking the Stop button.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
US Presidents
In this program, you learn significant facts about each president of the United States. Covered facts are a picture of the president, order of term, dates of term, birthdate, birthplace, political party, and significant achievements during his life or term. The program is run by selecting US Presidents from the main menu screen. You have several choices: Review Presidents, Who Is Missing?, Name the President, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
Review Presidents:
A president is chosen at random. You are given the name of that president, shown his picture, and given the corresponding facts. Click Next to see the next president (they are sequenced in the order they served), click Previous to see the previous president, or click Stop to return to the US Presidents menu.
Who is Missing?:
In this test, you learn the order in which the presidents served. Three boxes are drawn and two of them filled with president's names, pictures, and term dates. You must decide which president goes in the empty box, in order that the names reflect three consecutive presidential terms. Your answers can be Multiple Choice or Type-In (make your choice in the Answer Type box). If you chose multiple choice answers, four possible names will be given - make your choice by clicking with the mouse. If you chose to type in your answer, do so, then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a tune will be heard. Click Next for another set of presidents. If you are incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard and you try again. Answer until correct with the multiple choice option. You have three tries if typing in your answer. The correct answer will be given to you after your third attempt. Clicking See Answer will give you the correct answer at any time. If your spelling is close, it will be corrected and you will be credited with a correct response. You return to the US Presidents menu by clicking the Stop button.
Name the President:
In this quiz, you are to identify a selected president by examining clues given by the computer. The clues are given one at a time in random order. The ten clues possible are: (1) picture, (2) order of term, (3) birthdate, (4) birthplace, (5) dates of term, (6) political party, and (7)-(10) events during his life or term. After getting a clue, you try to identify the president. Your answers can be Multiple Choice or Type-In (make your choice in the Answer Type box). If you chose multiple choice answers, four possible names will be given - make your choice by clicking with the mouse. If you chose to type in your answer, do so, then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a tune will play and any remaining clues will be shown. Click Next to go on to the next president. If you are incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard, another clue is given, and you try again. Keep trying until all clues are displayed - after that the answer is given to you. If you don't have a guess, just click Clue to get another clue, or click Answer to see the correct answer at any time. And, if your spelling is close, it will be corrected and you will be credited with a correct response. You stop the test by clicking the Stop button. This returns you to the US Presidents menu.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
World Geography
In this program, you learn significant facts about 100 countries of the world. Covered facts are location, flag, capital city, major products, region of the world, and facts of historical and/or geographical significance. The program is run by selecting World Geography from the main menu screen. You have several choices: Review Countries, Name the Country, Find the Country, Country Capitals, Country Flags, Help, or Exit. Make your choice by clicking on the desired button.
Review Countries:
Here, a map of the world is shown and one country (chosen at random) is marked by an X. You are told the name of that country and its corresponding facts are presented. You can learn about another country by clicking near that country in the map. Or, you can click the right arrow to see the next country (they are in alphabetical order), click the left arrow to see the previous country, or click Stop to return to the World Geography menu.
Name the Country:
In this exercise, you name the country given clues about it. Decide if you want Multiple Choice answers or if you want to Type In the answer (make your choice in the Answer Type frame). Clues are given one at a time in random order. The eight clues possible are: (1) map location, (2) country flag, (3) capital city, (4) region of world, (5) major products, and (6)-(8) a historical or geographical feature. After getting a clue, you try to identify the country. If you chose multiple choice answers, four possible names will be given - make your choice using the mouse. If you chose to type in your answer, do so, then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a tune will play and any remaining clues will be shown. Click Next to go on to the next country. If you are incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard, another clue is given, and you try again. Keep trying until all clues are displayed - after that the answer is given to you. If you don't have a guess, just click Clue to get another clue, or click Answer to see the correct answer at any time. If your spelling is close, it will be corrected and you will be credited with a correct response. You stop the test by clicking the Stop button. This returns you to the World Geography menu.
Find the Country:
In this quiz, you learn about the country locations on the world map. You can choose to Find Country (given the name) or Name Country (given the location).. If you choose to name the country, you also decide if you want Multiple Choice answers or if you want to Type In the answer. A map will then be drawn. If you chose to find the country, a country name is displayed. Click near that country on the map. If incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard - you will then be given the country's region as a hint. Answer until correct - at that point, a tune is heard and the country is marked on the map. If you chose to name the country, a country is marked by an X. If you chose multiple choice answers, four possible answers will be given - make your choice by clicking with the mouse. If you chose to type in your answer, do so, then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a tune will be heard and you will be shown another country. If you are incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard and you try again. Answer until correct with the multiple choice option. You have three tries if typing in your answer. The correct answer will be given to you after your third attempt. Clicking Answer will give you the correct answer at any time. If your spelling is close (when typing answers), it will be corrected and you will be credited with a correct response. The program will cycle through all 100 countries (in random order) then return to the World Geography menu, or you can return to the menu at any time by clicking the Stop button.
Country Capitals:
In this quiz, you learn about the countries and their capital cities. You can choose to Name Capital (given the country) or Name Country (given the capital).. In the Answer Type frame, decide if you want Multiple Choice answers or if you want to Type In the answer. A map will then be drawn. If you chose to name the capital, one country is marked. If you chose to name the country, a capital city is displayed. If you chose multiple choice answers, four possible answers will be given - make your choice by clicking with the mouse. If you chose to type in your answer, do so, then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a tune will be heard and you will be given another country or capital. If you are incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard and you try again. (When naming countries, the location will be shown to you after your first incorrect answer.) Answer until correct with the multiple choice option. You have three tries if typing in your answer. The correct answer will be given to you after your third attempt. Clicking Answer will give you the correct answer at any time. If your spelling is close, it will be corrected and you will be credited with a correct response. The program will cycle through all 100 countries (in random order) then return to the World Geography menu, or you can return to the menu at any time by clicking the Stop button.
Country Flags:
In this quiz, you learn to recognize the flags of each country. You can choose to Pick Flag (given the country) or Name Country (given the flag).. If you choose to name the country, you also decide if you want Multiple Choice answers or if you want to Type In the answer. If you chose to pick a flag, four flags and a country name are displayed. Click on the flag for the given country. If incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard. Answer until correct - at that point, a little tune is heard. If you chose to name the country, a single flag is shown. If you chose multiple choice answers, four possible answers will be given - make your choice by clicking with the mouse. If you chose to type in your answer, do so then press <Enter>. If your answer is correct, a tune will be heard and you will be shown another flag. If you are incorrect, an 'uh-oh' is heard and you try again. Answer until correct with the multiple choice option. You have three tries if typing in your answer. The correct answer will be given to you after your third attempt. Clicking Answer will give you the correct answer at any time. If your spelling is close (when typing answers), it will be corrected and you will be credited with a correct response. The program will cycle through all 100 countries (in random order) then return to the World Geography menu, or you can return to the menu at any time by clicking the Stop button.
Help:
Clicking Help or pressing <F1> brings up this screen of information.
Exit:
Click Exit and you are returned to the Primary Learning main menu screen.
No Sound Card
The Primary Learning programs will work if your computer is not equipped with a sound card. However (of course), you will not hear any sounds and some program action may be faster than expected.
WARRANTY INFORMATION
The PRIMARY LEARNING programs have been written with care, but there still may be bugs and problems. If you find any such problems, please let us know. We cannot guarantee a program is completely error free. We do guarantee it will load and run. If, within one year of purchase, the program fails to load and run, simply return the original disk to us (postpaid) for a quick replacement.
This warranty only applies to manufacturing defects. No further guarantees are expressed or implied. Also note that copying the disk (other than one backup copy) or this printed material is strictly prohibited by US and world copyright laws.
