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TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 HARD & SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS 1 MAIN MENU WINDOW 2 USING A MOUSE 2 MUSICAL REWARDS AND SOUND EFFECTS 3 VOICE 3 VOICE PLAYBACK SPEED 4 SUBMENUS OR LEVEL WINDOWS 4 PICK LISTS 4 MUSIC COMPOSITION 5 MUSIC LEVEL 1 5 MUSIC LEVEL 2 5 MUSIC LEVEL 3 5 SAVING AND RETRIEVING TUNES 6 ART 6 COLORBOOK 6 OPTION 7 FILE 7 DRAW 8 PRINTING 9 DOODLE 10 SPIDER WEBS 10 SPACE TUNNELS 10 SPACE WORMS 11 SPACE RIBBONS 11 (bottom of page i) ALPHABET 11 ENGLISH 12 MAKE A FUNNY SENTENCE 12 SCRAMBLED SENTENCES 12 SENTENCE PARTS 13 SUBJECT/VERB AGREEMENT 13 SPELLING 14 RANDOM WORDS 14 INPUT SPELLING HOMEWORK 15 RECALL LAST SPELLING HOMEWORK 16 RECALL OLD SPELLING HOMEWORK 16 DELETE A WORD FILE 17 EDIT WORD FILES 17 ADD WORDS 17 EDIT WORDS 18 SEARCH FOR WORD 18 MATH 18 LASER BLAST 18 BUG NUMBERS 19 APPLESPIDER 19 TIMESTABLE 20 FRACTIONS 20 ADDITION 20 ADD LEVEL 1 21 ADD LEVEL 2 21 ADD LEVEL 3 21 ADD LEVEL 4 21 SUBTRACTION 22 SUB LEVEL 1 22 SUB LEVEL 2 22 SUB LEVEL 3 22 SUB LEVEL 4 22 (bottom of page ii) MULTIPLICATION 23 MUL LEVEL 1 23 MUL LEVEL 2 23 MUL LEVEL 3 23 MUL LEVEL 4 23 DIVISION 23 DIV LEVEL 1 24 DIV LEVEL 2 24 DIV LEVEL 3 24 DIV LEVEL 4 24 ALGEBRA 24 TELL TIME 25 TIME LEVEL 1 25 TIME LEVEL 2 25 TIME LEVEL 3 25 TIME LEVEL 4 25 HELP 26 SEE PROGRESS 26 SCHOOL-MOM UTILITIES 26 ENGLISH WORD FILES 26 SENTENCE PTRN FILES 27 SUB-VERB AGREE FILES 27 SCRAMBLED WORDS FILE 28 SOME FINAL NOTES 28 (bottom of page iii) SCHOOL-MOM PLUS The Manual INTRODUCTION The strength and prosperity of the U.S. has always relied on the level of our education and character of our people. Now, the education level in the U.S. is actually decreasing rather than increasing. Illiteracy is becoming common and knowledge of science and technology is becoming rare. In most U.S. Universities the foreign students specializing in science and technology now outnumber the American students. By placing this software on the market I hope to do my part to rectify this problem. School-Mom is an educational tool for children ages 4 to 14. Its main options are Music, Art, English, Alphabet, Spelling, Math, Exams, and Tell Time. The name, School-Mom, comes from the old term, School-Marm. This nickname was often used when referring to teachers who taught all subjects to all grades. This software, which uses a back-to-basics approach to teaching, attempts to do the same. I think you'll like what I've done with this software package. I hope you will agree it's the most comprehensive children's educational software available at any price. HARD & SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS The minimum hardware requirements for running School- Mom are 640K RAM and VGA graphics. A mouse is optional in all but the Colorbook option. If you have a sound board that is SoundBlaster (tm) compatible this program should talk with real human voice. The minimum software requirement is DOS version 2.0 or higher. (bottom of page 1) MAIN MENU WINDOW This window lists all the main options you may choose from such as Music, Art, Alphabet, English, Spelling, Math, Exams, Tell Time, Help, Music/Sound ON/OFF, Voice ON/OFF, and Order. There are several ways to select an option from Main Menu. You may use the up or down arrow keys to highlight the desired option then press the ENTER key to accept the option. Or, you may press the key corresponding to the first letter of the desired option until the option is highlighted then press the ENTER key. You may also use the mouse to select an option as described in the next section. Accept QUIT or press the ESC key to stop the program. USING A MOUSE If you have a mouse and have installed it's driver, you can use it in all the Art options, in the Math options to enter numbers, and in the option windows to select options. To select an option using the mouse just move the mouse cursor to the option you want then press the left button twice. The first press will highlight the option and the second press will select it. The right mouse button can usually be used in place of the escape key (ESC) to exit menus or options. Also, the left button can usually (not always) be used in place of the ENTER or RETURN key. Instructions are usually given on the screen to tell you when this is possible. To use the mouse in the Math options to enter numbers just place the mouse cursor on the number then click the left mouse button. The numbers to be used with the mouse will be on a bar across the bottom of the screen. You'll also find a place on the bar for ENTER and ESC. Click on ENTER to enter the number. Click on ESC to escape. The right mouse button can also be used to escape. If you're not using a Microsoft (tm) compatible mouse you may have trouble using School-Mom. If so, turn off the mouse support in School-Mom by pressing the t or T key during the opening screen. Tandy (tm) and Agiler (tm) mice are sometimes not Microsoft (tm) compatible. (bottom of page 2) If you normally use Windows you may not have a mouse driver loaded for DOS programs. If your mouse works in Windows but not in School-Mom it's probably because you haven't loaded a mouse driver. This is normally done in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Commands in this file are automatically executed when your computer comes on -- before any other programs are run. MUSICAL REWARDS AND SOUND EFFECTS You may or may not want the computer to give musical rewards. To turn the rewards off, select the Music/Sound ON/OFF option and choose Never (Off). If you want to get a musical reward for every 100 point choose Sometimes. To always get a musical reward choose Always. This option also controls some sound effects, such as the beep for wrong answers. If you choose Sometimes or Always these sound effects will be on. If you choose Never (Off) they will be off. Choosing Never (Off) will also disable the Music option. Effectively, all sound is turned off except for voice. Voice is controlled separately. VOICE If you have a SoundBlaster (tm) compatible board installed in your computer and have speakers connected to it, your computer should talk when using School-Mom if this option is ON. The real human voices are those of the author and his 10 year old son. A voice will congratulate you for good work, pronounce letters of the alphabet, and identify numbers for the lower level math options. You may turn the voice off by selecting the Voice option and choosing OFF. (bottom of page 3) VOICE PLAYBACK SPEED You may use the Set Speed option to adjust the playback speed of the human voice. After you select this option you'll be prompted to press a key to start. Then a voice will repeat the phrase "try again." You may increase the playback speed by pressing the U key or decrease it by pressing the D key. Press ESC to stop. You only need to adjust the playback speed once. The speed you select will be stored in a configuration file so School-Mom can remember it each time it starts. SUBMENUS OR LEVEL WINDOWS Most options have submenu windows. These windows are used to select learning levels or to choose a particular suboption. Choose from these menus using the same techniques as in Main Menu. In particular, use the mouse, arrow keys, or the key corresponding to the first letter of the option to highlight the desired option then press the ENTER key or the left mouse button to accept. Accept Return (ESC), or press the ESC key, or press the right mouse button to return to Main Menu. PICK LISTS When you need to choose a file, a pick list will be displayed on your screen. Use the standard mouse or keyboard techniques to choose a file from this list. If there are more than 10 files to choose from, you'll see a downward pointing arrow on the bottom right of the picklist box. To see the additional file names either hold down the down-arrow key on the keyboard or place the mouse cursor on the arrow and press the left mouse button. If there are more file names above the ones shown, an up arrow will be displayed on the upper right of the pick-list box. To see these file names press and hold down the up-arrow key or place the mouse cursor on the up arrow and press the left mouse button. (bottom of page 4) MUSIC COMPOSITION The Music option has three suboptions. You can use these options to compose and play tunes. Note that in all three Music options, only the treble cleft is shown. Only octave 3 notes and a few of octave 4 notes will appear on the screen. MUSIC LEVEL 1 In Level 1 you are shown a musical scale and asked to enter notes by pressing a, b, c, d, e, f, or g. As you press a key, the corresponding note is played and displayed on the scale. If you make a mistake you can delete the previous notes by pressing the BACK-SPACE key. When you're done just press ENTER to play the entire tune or press n to start a new tune. You may also press the SPACE BAR to skip a note or equivalent, pause for one beat. Also, press the up arrow key to go to the next higher octave or the down arrow key to go to the next lower octave. When you first start a tune, octave 3 is the default. The notes of some octaves will not be displayed on the scale but will still play. As always, press ESC to exit the option and return to the music level menu. MUSIC LEVEL 2 Level 2 is similar to Level 1 except longer tunes can be composed and the note duration can be changed. Either 1/1 (whole notes), 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, or 1/16 notes can be played. Change the duration by using the left or right arrow key. This change will remain in effect until you change the duration again. MUSIC LEVEL 3 Level 3 is similar to Level 2 except sharp and flat notes can also be played. To choose a sharp note press the +/= key first then the note key. To choose a flat note press the _/- (underline/minus) key first then the note key. The change stays in effect only until the note is played then it reverts back to a simple note. To remove a sharp before the note is played, press the _/- key. To remove a flat before the note is played, press the +/= key. (bottom of page 5) SAVING AND RETRIEVING TUNES When in Level 2 and Level 3 you may store your tunes to a file and retrieve them later. To store a tune press the ALT key then press the s key before releasing the ALT key. Now type the name of the file where you wish the tune stored and press ENTER. Do not use an extension. For example, use a word like "tune" but do not use "tune.dat". To get a tune that you've stored earlier, press the ALT key then press the g key before releasing the ALT key. A list of the tunes will be displayed. Use the keyboard or mouse to select one of these using the techniques described earlier for option menus. This selected tune will be played and displayed ready for editing. ART Art has six options. These are Colorbook, Doodle, Spider Webs, Space Tunnels, Space Worms, and Space Ribbons. The following paragraphs describe each of these. COLORBOOK With this option, you can recall coloring book pages, color them from a choice of 32 colors or shades, then store the colored pages for later use. You can also draw your own pictures and store them. This program is very simple to use. Use the mouse pointer to select a color then use the mouse to color the drawing. You can save the drawing you've colored under a different name or you can get another drawing. At the top of the screen you'll see 32 color choices. Place the mouse pointer on the color you desire then press the left mouse button to select it. The selected color will be displayed in a box at the top right of the screen. After you've selected a color, place the mouse pointer on the drawing where you want that color then press the left mouse button. Any area surrounding that point and bounded by black (this can be changed) will be filled with your selected color. Your selected color will stay in effect until you choose another. (bottom of page 6) You may draw your own pictures by choosing the DRAW option. You may also change the border color (same as drawing color) by selecting the Black Border option of the OPTION menu. If you're in the Black Border mode all paint color will fill an area until it reaches black. If the Black Border mode is off, the paint will fill to any color. However, this mode is very slow is not recommended. Try never to fill an area with the same color as it's boundary. For example, your drawing color is black and you want to color an area black. If you do this, the boundary will be lost and you may or may not be able to color it again. If you do need to do this, save your file first. If your drawing color is black, the same thing will occur if you paint an area with the color directly below black on the color bar. You will not be able to repaint it. Similarly, if you've changed the drawing color to something other than black, you should not paint with that drawing color or the color found below it on the color bar. Option This menu contains two options: Clear Screen and Black Border Mode. Selecting Clear Screen removes all drawings and color from the screen. Select Black Border Mode to set Black Border Mode to on or off. See the previous section for a discussion of this mode. File Select this menu if you want to get a new colorbook page/file, store a file or delete a file. This option also has an Exit option which will allow you to exit the colorbook program. Use the Get a File option to select a new colorbook page. Use the mouse to select the option similar to the way described in the Main Menu section. You'll be shown a list of pages to choose from. Use the mouse or arrow keys to highlight the page you want then press the left mouse button or the ENTER key. The page you selected will be displayed on your screen. (bottom of page 7) Use the Store a File option to store pages you've created or colored. Choose the Store a File option using the mouse or the keyboard. Once you do this you'll have to type a file name or page name for your drawing. When you type a colorbook page name to store, do not use an extension. For example, use something like mypage10 but not mypage10.gf2. The gf2 extension will be added to the end automatically. Be careful not to copy over one of the original pages. The current page name will always be displayed at the top right of the screen on the first row. Special instructions will be displayed on the second row directly below the file or page name. These instructions will appear as needed. Draw Select this mode when you want to create your own colorbook page. After you select this mode the upper left of your screen will change from color selections to drawing tool selection. You can then choose to draw with straight lines, boxes, circles, ovals, or you can choose to use freehand. Choose Quit Draw to return to the main colorbook screen. If you want to draw with straight lines place the mouse cursor on the line at the top left of the screen then press the left mouse button. Now move the cursor down to where you want the line to start and press the left button again. This time hold the button down and stretch the line until it ends at the point you desire then release the button. To draw a box, select it from the top of the screen then move the cursor to where you want one corner of the box and press the left mouse button. Hold the button down and stretch the box until the other corner is located where you want it then release the button. Drawing circles and ovals is only slightly different than drawing lines and boxes. Select the one you want from the top of the screen then move the cursor to where you want the center of the circle or oval. Press the left mouse button then stretch the circle until it's the size you desire. If you're drawing an oval you'll notice that the oval will become tall if you stretch up and wide if you stretch out to either side. (bottom of page 8) To draw freehand, select it from the top of the screen then move the cursor to where you want to start. Now, press the left mouse button and hold it down while moving the mouse to draw. Release the left button to lift your pen. If the Black Border Mode is on you will be drawing with black lines. However, if you set the Black Border Mode to off and selected a different color from the color palette, you can draw in the selected color. If you want to draw keyboard characters simply place the mouse cursor where you want the character then press the keyboard character. This will not work if the mouse cursor is too close to the outside edges of the screen. Printing You may print copies of your pages to your printer using you graphics utility that comes with DOS. If you want to do this you must load the graphics utility before you run School-Mom. To do this from DOS type GRAPHICS PRINTER /R then press ENTER. Substitute your printer type name for the word PRINTER. For example if you have an HP Deskjet printer then use DESKJET where I've used PRINTER. If you have an HP Laserjet then use LASERJET. If you have a standard dot matrix printer try leaving that part blank. For more information on printer types consult your DOS manual under the heading GRAPHICS. I assume you'll want the printed version to have black lines on a white background. In this case you'll need to color everything on the page bright white before you print it. To print your page just press the SHIFT key then press the PRINT SCREEN (or PRINT) key before releasing the SHIFT key. If you have Windows you may also use it to print the picture. Just run School-Mom under Windows, recall your picture, then do a screen capture to the clipboard (see your Windows manual for details). This is usually done by pressing the Alt key and Print Screen simultaneously. Then exit to Windows and go to any Windows drawing program such as PaintBrush and paste the picture from the clipboard. Then you may edit and print the picture on your printer. (bottom of page 9) To escape from the program press the right mouse button, the ESC key or choose Exit from the File menu. When asked if you really want to exit the program press either "y" for yes or "n" for no. DOODLE This art option allows you to draw freehand with a mouse or joystick in multiple colors. Your drawing can not be saved. This one is just for relaxation and fun. If you want to use a mouse, be sure to load the mouse driver before you start otherwise you'll have to use a joystick. If you're using a mouse, change the color by pressing the right button and lower the pen by pressing the left button. If you're using a joystick, change the color by pressing c on the keyboard and raise the pen by pressing p. In either case press e on the keyboard to erase and start a new drawing. The color currently being used is shown in a box at the lower right corner of the screen. Also, if you want to erase part of your drawing, change the color to background (or until you can't see the color box) then move the cursor over the area to be erased. SPIDER WEBS Here you can use the mouse or the arrow keys to control the actions of a spider while he leaves a web behind him. Press k to use the arrow keys or m to use the mouse. Press c to change the color of the web, press the < and > keys to change the rate or speed of movement, press e to erase the web and start again, or press ESC to return to Art Menu. If you're using a mouse you'll notice that the spider always tries to follow the mouse cursor. If you're using the arrow keys press the arrow key corresponding to the direction you want the spider to go. SPACE TUNNELS In this Art option you can use a mouse or the arrow keys to control the movement of a tunnel through deep space. The rules for using the mouse or keys are the same as those just described in the Spider Webs description. (bottom of page 10) Press ESC to quit, e to erase and start again, c to change the color of the tunnel, g to make the tunnel grow larger, r to make the tunnel reduce in size, the > key to increase the growth rate, or the < key to reduce the growth rate. With this option you can produce beautiful screen art that appears to have 3-dimensional qualities. It is very relaxing. Try it! SPACE WORMS This Art option is similar to Space Tunnels but it produces an elongating worm with alternating colors. You have no control over color. See the previous section for details. SPACE RIBBONS This option is exactly like Space Worms except the worm is flattened. This produces even better 3-dimensional effects. These Art options were designed especially for relaxation and enjoyment. However, they can be used to stimulate creativity. ALPHABET The purpose of this option is to teach preschoolers the alphabet, both upper case and lower case. You are shown an uppercase letter then three choices for its lower case equivalent. To choose the correct lower case letter use the mouse to click twice on the correct answer. The first click will push the screen button into the screen and the second click will enter that answer. Points are added for correct answers. After you select the correct answer you must press a key or the left mouse button to continue. You may press ESC or the right mouse button to stop, otherwise the entire alphabet will be shown. (bottom of page 11) ENGLISH This option has four suboptions. In the first of these you learn about nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The second English option develops skill in forming sentences by asking you to unscramble sentences. The third teaches you the 5 basic sentence patterns and the fourth teaches subject-verb agreement. MAKE A FUNNY SENTENCE In this option you're first given the definition of a noun and a list of nouns to choose from. Choose a noun using the arrow keys to highlight your selection then press the ENTER key (you may also use a mouse). Next, the definition of an adjective is given and a list of seven adjectives is shown to choose from. Then the definitions of verbs and adverbs are given and lists of each are shown for you to choose from. When you've chosen the last word, two or three sentences will be displayed that use the words you chose. Although the sentences will be grammatically correct, they will not always make sense. When this happens, they're usually very amusing. Press the SPACE BAR (or the left mouse button) to repeat the process with new words. Press the ESC key or the right mouse button to quit and return to English Menu. SCRAMBLED SENTENCES Here you're given several words that can be used to make a correct sentence. One of the words will be highlighted. You must move (using the arrow keys) this highlighted word up to the top of the screen and place it in correct sentence order. When you have placed that word in the correct spot the second word will be highlighted. While you're moving the word to its correct location a timer will be running. If you correctly place the word before the timer runs down, you will be given extra points. When the entire sentence is correct you'll receive an additional 10 points. While you're placing the words you'll notice that a small arrow will be moving from the right of the screen to the left. If your word gets hit by this arrow it will be knocked back down to the bottom and you'll have to start it again. So watch it! As you build up points the arrow will attempt to get faster. You can change the arrow's speed using the < and > keys. (bottom of page 12) SENTENCE PARTS Here you're first shown that sentences have two basic parts -- the subject and the predicate. Definitions are also given. After pressing the SPACE BAR (or the left mouse button) you're shown how the predicate can be separated into its parts and as a result, that sentences have 5 basic patterns. Shorthand names of each are given. After pressing the SPACE BAR or mouse button again, definitions of each part are given. Finally, you will be given examples of each of the 5 sentence patterns. Press the SPACE BAR or mouse button once more and you'll be given a randomly chosen sentence from the sentence file and asked to identify its sentence pattern. Select the pattern by using the arrow keys or mouse to highlight the correct pattern then press ENTER or the left mouse button again. Each correct answer is rewarded by the addition of 10 points to your score. Press ESC to quit or simply select RETURN with the mouse. Press the SPACE BAR or the left mouse button to see another randomly chosen sentence. SUBJECT/VERB AGREEMENT When you choose this option you're first given some necessary instruction on how to insure that the verb agrees with the subject. A sentence is then presented with a missing word (usually a missing verb). You are required to select the correct missing word from a list of two choices. To choose the word, highlight it with the up or down arrow key or the mouse, then press ENTER or the left mouse button. Each correct answer is rewarded by the addition of 10 points to your score. Press ESC to quit or simply use your mouse to select RETURN. After you've answered correctly press the SPACE BAR or the left mouse button to see another randomly chosen sentence. When you escape from any of the English options you will be placed back into English Menu. Choose a new English option or escape again to return to Main Menu. (bottom of page 13) SPELLING This program was designed to help children with their spelling homework. You can enter your own spelling homework or use one of the already existing word files. After you create the files you can delete, modify, edit, or add new words to them. Each time you add more words using the INPUT SPELLING HOMEWORK option you have the option of saving the words in an existing file. If you choose to do this, the words will be stored in two places -- in a file with a SPL (Last Spelling Homework) extension and the name you specified, and they will be added to the end of a similar file with a SPO (Old Spelling Homework) extension. Therefore, the old spelling homework file will contain all the spelling homework you entered under a particular file name. It's size will continue to increase as more new spelling homework words are entered. Each child in your family can have his own set of spelling word files. There is a limit of 500 spelling word files. RANDOM WORDS This option has four levels of difficulty. The first level contains words that are three characters long, the second level contains words that are four characters long, the third level contains words that are five characters long, and the fourth level contains words that are six characters long. Each level is identical except for the length of the words. Large word libraries are included on the disk and words are chosen at random from the libraries. A word will be shown in large blue characters. When you think you know how to spell it press the space bar. The word will disappear and you must spell it. If you need to see the word again, press the down arrow key. Remember, you can not use the arrow keys on the number key pad if the Num Lock light is on. After you press the space bar and begin attempting to spell the word, if you are idle for more than 10 seconds the computer will assume you don't know how to spell the word. In other words, if you stop trying for more than 10 seconds, it will be counted as a wrong answer. (bottom of page 14) If you spell the word wrong you'll be asked to try again. You have 3 tries. The computer will then show you the correct spelling before continuing. If you spell it right you must press the space bar to continue. This allows you time to examine the correct spelling of the word. After you press the space bar the new word will be shown and you'll have to press the space bar again when you're ready to spell it. When you quit this option any misspelled words will be listed for you to examine. Press any key to continue after you've examined the correct spelling of these words. INPUT SPELLING HOMEWORK This option allows you to enter your daily spelling homework. You're allowed to enter up to 99 words of variable length. The only limitation on length is that the words must have less than 17 characters. When you choose this option you're only quizzed on those words you've entered. When you choose the Input Spelling Homework option you're asked how many words you want to enter. Just type the number then press ENTER. Now, type each word then press ENTER. All editing functions such as delete, back-space, insert, and arrow key movements are allowed while you type the words. If you decide not to enter as many words as you originally planned just press the F10 key. If you change your mind and want to quit just press ESC. After you've entered all your words you'll be quizzed on them. This occurs exactly as in the Random Words option. In fact, all the spelling quiz options operate the same once the words are input or recalled. Also, when you quit, all the words you misspelled will be listed for you to examine. When you're done with this option you'll be given three options. You may store the words in an existing file, store words in a new file, or you may choose not to store the words you just entered. (bottom of page 15) If you choose to store the words in an existing file you will be shown a list of files to choose from. Choose one and your words will be stored in two places. For example, suppose you chose to store your words in an existing file called MINE.SPL. Your words will be stored in MINE.SPL and added to the end of another file called MINE.SPO. The extension SPO means old spelling homework and SPL means last spelling homework. The file with the SPO extension will contain all your old homework stored under the name MINE. MINE.SPO can be accessed using the Old Spelling Homework option and MINE.SPL can be accessed using the Last Spelling Homework option. RECALL LAST SPELLING HOMEWORK This option can be used to recall the last previously stored spelling homework words. This can save you the time of retyping the words. Note that only the last set of spelling words can be recalled using this option. After you choose this option you must choose a spelling word file from a list that is shown. If the list is longer than 10, an arrow will be shown at the bottom right of the pick list. Either hold the down-arrow key down to see the additional files or use the mouse to click on the arrow shown. After you select a file you must select the order in which the words will be given to you. You can choose random order or sequential order (in the order stored). When you're done, all the words you misspelled will be listed for you to examine. RECALL OLD SPELLING HOMEWORK Use this option to recall a file that contains all your old spelling homework. You will be shown a list of all the old spelling homework files to choose from. Each of these files will contain all the old words you entered and stored under these file names. The words will be in the order you stored them because each new set of words is added to the end of the file. These files get larger each time you store words in them. (bottom of page 16) As in the Last Spelling Homework option, you must now select the order in which the words will be given to you. You must choose random or sequential. When you're done, the words you misspelled will be listed for you to examine. DELETE A WORD FILE If at the end of the school year you want to start a new file of spelling homework you can either delete the old one and start another, or you can just start another using a different name. If you have enough disk space I recommend you start another using a different name. But, just in case you need it, this option allows you to delete a set of word files. When you select this option a list of spell files will be shown for you to choose from. Only the ones with the SPL file extensions will be shown but both files will be deleted once you select one from the list. Suppose you select one called TERESA.SPL to delete. The one called TERESA.SPO will also be deleted. EDIT WORD FILES Use this option to change any one of the spelling word files. If you choose the last spelling homework or old spelling homework files you'll be presented with a list of spelling word files to choose from. After you select a spell file you'll be asked to choose whether you want to add words or edit them. Add Words If you select the Add Words option, the computer will quickly run through all the words in that particular file and stop after the last one. You may then enter a new word or press ESC to stop. When you enter a word, unless the word already exists, it will be stored at the end of the file. The new word will be displayed along with its number and you'll be asked to enter another word or press ESC to stop. (bottom of page 17) Edit Words If you select the Edit option you must next choose to search for a word or start at the beginning. If you choose to start at the beginning, the first word in the file will be displayed. Then you'll be asked to press the F10 function key to go on to the next word, press ESC to stop, or make changes to the word then press ENTER. Keep pressing F10 until you see the word you want changed. When you're done just press ESC. Search for Word If you choose to search for a word you must next enter some text to search for. After you type the text press ENTER and the first word that contains that text will be displayed for editing. Edit it then press ENTER to find the next occurrence of that text or ESC to quit. MATH This option is divided into 10 options. These are Laser Blast, Bug Numbers, Applespider, Timestable, Fractions, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, and Algebra. These are described in the following paragraphs. LASER BLAST This is an exciting game that entertains and teaches quantity. First, a number of space ships are shown. Then, colored numbers begin to float across the screen. The object of the game is to shoot the correct number with the laser. The correct number is the one that equals the number of space ships. To shoot, simply push the SPACE BAR or press the left mouse button. To return to Math Menu press ESC. To get numbers 0 through 4, start the game by choosing the first option. To get numbers 5 through 9 choose the second option. Obviously, most pre-schoolers should start with the numbers 0 through 4. This is the only option in School-Mom where the sound and music can be controlled independently of the main sound and voice controls. To turn on sound (both voice and sound effects in this case) just press the s key. To turn it off press the same key again. To turn the music on or off press the m key. You'll notice that music can't be turned on while sound is off. (bottom of page 18) Points are given for each hit. The faster you play, the more points given. The speed can be increased by using the > key and decreased using the < key. BUG NUMBERS This math option teaches the concept of multi-digit numbers. You are shown three large boxes. The box on the right will have 0 to 9 large individual bugs. The center box will have smaller bugs grouped in clusters of 10 each. The box on the left will have very small bugs in groups of 100 bugs each. Your job is to find how many bugs are shown on the screen. You must first count the number of groups that contain 100 bugs each. Press this number on the keyboard or use the mouse to select the number from the bar across the bottom then press ENTER or select ENTER using the mouse. This gives you the most significant digit. Next, count the number of groups that contain 10 bugs and enter this number. This gives you the next most significant digit. Finally, count the number of large bugs on the right side and enter this number. This gives you the least significant digit and you're done. Ten points and an animation are given for completion. APPLESPIDER This is a very exciting and intense game that drills you in basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. From the Applespider opening screen choose Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, or Division. Next, you must choose the playing speed. Your options are Very Slow, Slow, Medium, Fast, or Very Fast. More points are given for playing faster. The applespider wants to eat your apple. You must prevent this by using the arrow keys to move the apple out of the spider's way. At the beginning you are given 10 free moves. To get more moves you must solve the equation at the bottom of the screen. For every correct answer you get five more moves and points are added to your score. As your score increases, the spider gets faster. (bottom of page 19) Your Applespider score will get added to your total Math score only if you win the game. You win when you have correctly answered 20 math problems. When this happens another apple will fall on the spider and squash him. As always, press ESC to stop. TIMESTABLE After selecting this option you'll have to select a level from 1 to 10. After you choose a level a worm will move a number of apples onto the screen in one row. Then, you'll have to multiply that number by 1 to continue. Let's assume again that you chose the number 5. After you give the answer to 5 X 1 the worm will move another row of 5 apples onto the screen. You must now give the answer to 5 X 2. This continues until 5 rows are done. You can always find the answer by adding the total number of apples. When you're done just press the ESC key or the right mouse button. You'll then be shown how many points you accumulated. More difficult multiplication tables give higher scores. FRACTIONS This option teaches fractions by asking you to identify how much of a lollipop is remaining on a stick. The remaining portion will be either 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, or 1. If you need help determining the portion you may select the HELP option. After you select the correct remaining portion, points will be added to your score and you'll have to press a key or mouse button to continue. Another portion will then be randomly selected for you to determine. As always, press ESC to quit and return to the MATH menu. ADDITION This option has four levels of difficulty. You may choose to enter your own numbers or you may have them selected at random. (bottom of page 20) Add Level 1 In this beginner's level, apples are shown beside each number. The number of apples equals the number. For example, suppose you are asked to add the numbers 2 and 3. Beside 2 there will be two apples and beside 3 there will be three apples. To find the answer just count the number of apples, type the answer and press the ENTER key. You may also use the mouse to select the correct answer using the number bar across the bottom. After you've entered the correct answer you must press a key or the left mouse button to continue. Add Level 2 This level illustrates how to add two digit numbers by stepping you through the process. Again, you may enter your own numbers or have them selected by the computer at random. Individual questions in the form of simple equations are shown at the bottom of the screen. A question mark indicates that an input is expected. If you enter the correct value it will be placed in its proper spot where the question mark was located. The computer will beep if the answer is incorrect. When you've finished with the problem, you must press a key or the left mouse button to continue. You'll notice that "carrying" is done automatically. Add Level 3 This level is exactly like Level 2 except that 5-digit numbers can be used. Add Level 4 This level is exactly like Level 3 except ten-digit numbers can be used. In each of these levels correct answers are rewarded by the addition of points to your score. If sound is on you'll also get a tune for every complete correct answer or for every 100 points (depends on the sound setup). Also, in all these levels, you may exit at any time during the problem solving process by simply pressing the ESC key or the right mouse button. When you've finished with the problem, you must press a key to continue. This allows you time to examine the correct solution. (bottom of page 21) SUBTRACTION This option has four levels of difficulty. You may choose to enter your own numbers or have the computer choose them randomly. Sub Level 1 In this beginners level, apples are shown beside each number. The number of apples equals the number. If you are asked to, for example, subtract 2 from 4 there will be two apples beside the number 2 and four apples beside the number 4. However, two of the four apples beside the number 4 will be green to indicate the two that will be taken away. Also, the two apples beside the number 2 will be green. To find the answer just count the number of apples that are still red. After you've entered the correct answer you must press a key or the left mouse button to continue. Sub Level 2 This level illustrates how to subtract two-digit numbers by stepping you through the process. Individual questions in the form of simple equations are shown at the bottom of the screen. A question mark indicates that an input is expected. If you enter the correct value it will be placed in its proper spot over the question mark. The computer will beep if the answer is incorrect. You'll notice that borrowing is done automatically. Sub Level 3 This level is exactly like Level 2 except that 5-digit numbers are used. Sub Level 4 This level is exactly like Level 3 except 10-digit numbers are used. In each of these levels correct answers are rewarded by the addition of points to your score. If sound is on you'll also get a tune for every complete correct answer or for every 100 points (depends on the sound setup). Also, in all these levels, you may exit at any time during the problem solving process by simply pressing the ESC key or the right mouse button. When you've finished with the problem, you must press a key or the left mouse button to continue. This allows you time to examine the correct solution. (bottom of page 22) MULTIPLICATION This option also has four levels of difficulty. You may choose to allow the computer to select your numbers randomly or you may choose to enter your own numbers. Mul Level 1 This level is similar to Add & Sub Level 1 because you must count apples to find the correct answer. However, the apples are grouped differently. For example, suppose you are asked to find the product of 4 and 2. You will find two groups with four apples each. In other words, the computer has taken the four apples and placed them on the screen twice. There is a total of 8 apples. Mul Level 2 This level is like Level 1 except no apples are displayed. Mul Level 3 This level leads you through long multiplication with multiple-digit numbers (one two-digit number and one single-digit number). The questions to be answered are displayed at the bottom of the screen. The appearance of a strategically located question mark is an indication that the computer is waiting for an input. "Carry" is done automatically. Mul Level 4 Level 4 is identical to Level 3 except that both numbers are two-digit numbers. In each of these levels correct answers are rewarded by the addition of points to your score. You can press ESC or the right mouse button to quit at any time during the problem solving process. When you're done you'll have to press a key or the left mouse button to continue. This allows you time to examine the completed problem. DIVISION This option also has four levels of difficulty. You may enter your own numbers or you may allow the computer to choose them for you. (bottom of page 23) Div Level 1 This division level uses single-digit numbers. You may find the answer by counting the red apples. If you are asked to, for example, divide 8 by 2 then beside the numbers will be placed two rows of apples with 4 apples in each row. The first row will have red apples and all the others will be green. So, if you count the red apples, you'll find the correct answer to be 4. If the dividend isn't exactly divisible by the divisor you'll have a remainder. This remainder will be shown at the bottom of the screen. Div Level 2 In this level no apples are shown and double-digit numbers are allowed for the dividend. Long division is used and you'll be stepped through the process. Just answer the questions at the top of the screen. If the dividend isn't exactly divisible by the divisor you'll end with a remainder. Div Level 3 This level is exactly like Level 2 except that triple- digit numbers are allowed for the dividend. Div Level 4 Level 4 is identical to Level 3 except that double- digit numbers are allowed for the divisor. In each of these levels correct answers are rewarded by the addition of points to your score. You may press ESC or the right mouse button to quit and return to Math Menu at any time during the problem solving process. ALGEBRA This option also has four levels of difficulty. All four levels are basic introductory algebra but the difficulty level does increase slightly with each level. In each level you must solve for the unknown value of Y. Just follow the instructions and answer the questions, and the computer will lead you through the solution. When you see the cursor flashing, the computer is waiting for an input. (bottom of page 24) In all the Math options, the active parts of the equation are highlighted by flashing the numbers. Also, the final correct answer is rewarded by the addition of 10 points to your score. Press ESC to quit and return to Math Menu when you're done or press any other key to continue. TELL TIME Use this option for learning to tell time. It has four learning levels. In each level a clock is shown on the screen and you must choose the correct time from a list of three answers. Choose an answer using the mouse to click twice on the button containing the correct answer. The first click will press the button. The second click will accept the answer. When the correct answer is chosen, points will be added to your score and the digital time will be displayed below the clock. TIME LEVEL 1 In this beginner's level the big hand always points to 12. However, the little hand can point to any of the 12 numbers. For correct answers only one point will be added to the score. TIME LEVEL 2 In this second level only on-the-hour, quarter, and half hours are used. In other words the big hand can only be on the 12, 3, 6, or 9. Correct answers are rewarded by the addition of 3 points. TIME LEVEL 3 In this level the big hand may point to any of the 12 numbers but may not point to any location between the numbers. For example, the clock could show 7:05, 7:10, or 7:15 but it will not show 7:03, 7:07, or 7:18. For correct answers, 5 points will be added to the score. TIME LEVEL 4 In this level any time is allowed on the clock. For correct answers, 10 points will be added to the score. (bottom of page 25) In all these Time options, after you answer correctly points will be added to your score then you'll need to press a key to continue. HELP This option allows you to read the School-Mom manual on the screen or print it on paper. Use the Down Arrow key to read one line at a time or use the Page Down key to read one screen page at a time. Press F5 to print the document on your printer. You may use the Up Arrow key or the Page Up key to back up in the document. You may also use the Home key to go back to the beginning or the End key to go to the end of the document. To quit this option press the ESC key. SEE PROGRESS As your child uses the School-Mom menus, his/her scores are place in a file called PROGRESS.DAT. Your child's name, the subject name, your child's score, and the date are all stored on a single line. Use this option to view this progress file. SCHOOL-MOM UTILITIES This utility program was designed for teachers or parents. Its purpose is to allow additions to and editing of the English option data files. To run this program, exit from School-Mom to DOS then type CHANGE and press the ENTER key. ENGLISH WORD FILES If you choose one of the English word file options (Noun, Adjective, Verb1, Verb2, or Adverb file) you'll be asked whether you want to add or edit. The Add option works exactly like the Add option of the Spell Files option. The computer will quickly run through all the words in that particular file and stop after the last one. You may then enter a new word or press ESC to stop. When you enter a word it will be stored at the end of the file. The new word will be displayed along with its number and you'll be asked to enter another word or press ESC to stop. (bottom of page 26) If you select the Edit option the first word in the file will be displayed. Then you'll be asked to press the F10 function key to go on to the next word, press ESC to stop, or make changes to the word then press ENTER. Keep pressing F10 until you see the word you want changed. When you're done just press ESC. There is a slight difference between the verb1 and verb2 data files. The verb1 file contains past-tense and present -tense verbs that agree with singular subjects. The verb2 file contains only past-tense verbs. If you get these mixed up, the Make a Funny Sentence option will not produce correct sentences. SENTENCE PTRN FILES This option allows you to change the sentence pattern files. If you choose to add sentences, the last sentence in the file will be shown along with its pattern. You'll then be asked to enter new sentence information or press ESC to stop. When you've typed the sentence and its pattern correctly press the F10 key to store the information and get ready for the next sentence. When you're done press ESC to stop. If you choose to edit a sentence, the first sentence and its pattern will be displayed. You may press ESC to stop, F10 to see the next sentence, or you may make corrections to the sentence and its pattern then press F10 to store the changes and see the next sentence. SUB-VERB AGREE FILES This option allows you to change the subject-verb agreement files. If you choose to add sentences, the last sentence in the file will be shown. You'll then be asked to enter new sentence information or press ESC to stop. When you've typed the sentence and all its associated information correctly press the F1 key to store it and get ready for the next sentence. When you're done press ESC to stop. As an example, suppose your sentence is "They ____ late." Your two word choices will be "was" and "were". Since the second one is correct you'll enter the number 2 in the last field. Once you've entered all four pieces of information and pressed F10, the sentence will be displayed at the top and you'll be asked to enter another sentence. When you're done press ESC to stop. (bottom of page 27) If you choose to edit a sentence, the first sentence and its word choices will be displayed. You may press ESC to stop, F10 to see the next sentence, or you may make corrections then press F10 to store the changes and see the next sentence. SCRAMBLED WORDS FILE Use this option to make changes to the word files used in the Scrambled Sentence option. This file contains the scrambled words that you must unscramble to make correct sentences. As always you'll be asked if you want to edit or add to this file. After choosing to add you must first enter the number of words you want to have in the sentence. Then, you can type the words for the sentence. You must type the words in correct order. The software will scramble them before they are stored. Don't forget to capitalize the first word and place a period after the last word. If you choose to edit, all the information will be shown on the screen. You can then move around and make changes. The only thing you can't change is the number of words in the sentence. SOME FINAL NOTES I hope you enjoy this software and your children learn much from it. I'll continue making additions, improvements, and corrections. I believe it already is the most comprehensive educational software available. Other software packages may be prettier but the fancy graphics require huge amounts of memory and, therefore, limit the utility of the software. I believe those software packages are all bun and very little meat. School-Mom is designed to have just the right amount of both to make it useful and attractive. This software is dedicated to three people. First, to my wife for her patience as I've worked late nights and early mornings for the last 6 years writing this program. Second, to my 10-year-old adopted son who provided the motivation for this software. And, third, to the unwed teenage girl who gave birth to our son then gave him to us rather than choosing to terminate his life. (bottom of page 28) I HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO GET ALL THE BUGS OUT OF THIS PROGRAM. HOWEVER, I CAN NOT GUARANTEE THAT NONE EXISTS. WHEN YOU USE THIS SOFTWARE YOU MUST DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. I ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGE THAT MAY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF ITS USE. Dr. Andrew Motes All rights reserved, 1995 MOTES EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE PO BOX 575 Siloam Springs, AR 72761 (bottom of page 29)