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1992-07-14
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CONTENTS
page
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
HARDWARE & SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . 1
MAIN MENU WINDOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
USING A MOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
SELECTING SOUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
SUBMENUS OR LEVEL WINDOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MUSIC COMPOSITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MUSIC LEVEL 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MUSIC LEVEL 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MUSIC LEVEL 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
SAVING YOUR TUNES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
ART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
DRAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
SPIDER WEBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SPACE TUNNELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SPACE WORMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SPACE RIBBONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SPELLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
ALPHABET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
RANDOM WORDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
NEW SPELLING HOMEWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
LAST SPELLING HOMEWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
OLD SPELLING HOMEWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
STARTING A NEW HOMEWORK FILE . . . . . . . . . . 8
ENGLISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
ENGL LEVEL 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
ENGL LEVEL 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
ENGL LEVEL 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
ENGL LEVEL 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
page
MATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
LASER BLAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
BUG NUMBERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
APPLESPIDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
TIMETABLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
ADDITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
ADD LEVEL 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
ADD LEVEL 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
ADD LEVEL 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
ADD LEVEL 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
SUBTRACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
SUB LEVEL 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
SUB LEVEL 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
SUB LEVEL 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
SUB LEVEL 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
MULTIPLICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
MUL LEVEL 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
MUL LEVEL 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
MUL LEVEL 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
MUL LEVEL 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
DIVISION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
DIV LEVEL 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
DIV LEVEL 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
DIV LEVEL 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
DIV LEVEL 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
ALGEBRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
EXAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
MAKE EXAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
TAKE EXAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
SEE SCORES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
PRINT EXAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
TIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
TIME LEVEL 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
TIME LEVEL 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
TIME LEVEL 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
TIME LEVEL 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
MANUAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
SOME FINAL NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
SCHOOL-MOM Ver. 4.1
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 we hope to do our
part to rectify this problem.
School-Mom is an educational tool for children ages 4 to
14. Its main options are Music, Art, English, Spelling,
Math, Exams, Time and Manual. 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.
We think you'll like what we've done with this software
package. We also think you'll 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 color graphics adapter (CGA). A mouse
and EGA are recommended for some options. The minimum
software requirement is DOS version 2.0 or higher.
-1-
MAIN MENU WINDOW
This window lists all the main options that you may
choose from such as Music, Art, Spelling, English, Math,
Exams, Time and Manual. 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. You may also
press the key corresponding to the first letter of the
desired option until the option is highlighted then
press the ENTER key. Accept END 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 the Draw option to draw and in the option
windows to select options. To select an option using
the mouse just move the mouse up or down until your
desired option is highlighted then press the left button
to accept.
SELECTING SOUND
Use the right and left arrow keys, or the mouse to
select whether or not you want sound. Most options will
use sound to indicate wrong answers. In all the
options, if the sound is on, a tune is played for every
100 points received. The sound option must be on if you
want to use the Music Composition option.
SUBMENUS OR LEVEL WINDOWS
All options have submenu windows. These windows are
used to select learning levels or to choose a particular
suboption. Choose from this menu 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 END, or press the ESC key, or press the
right mouse button to return to Main Menu.
-2-
MUSIC COMPOSITION
The Music Composition 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; therefore, 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 are 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 Main
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 _/- key first. 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.
-3-
SAVING YOUR 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 in the Main Menu
paragraph. This selected tune will be played and
displayed ready for editing.
ART
Art has five options. These are Draw, Spider Webs,
Space Tunnels, Space Worms, and Space Ribbons. The
following paragraphs describe each of these.
DRAW
This option allows you to draw freehand with a mouse or
joystick in multiple colors. If you want to use a
mouse, be sure to load the mouse driver before you
start.
If you're using a mouse, change the color by pressing
the right button and raise 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. 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.
-4-
SPIDER WEBS
Here you can use the joystick or the arrow keys to
control the actions of a spider while he leaves a web
behind him. When the arrow keys are used, the joystick
is disabled for the duration of the drawing. You may
change back to the joystick by erasing the drawing.
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.
SPACE TUNNELS
In this Art option you can use a joystick or the arrow
keys to control the growth and/or elongation of a tunnel
through deep space. The rules for using the joystick or
keys are the same as those just described in the Spider
Webs description.
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.
-5-
SPELLING
This option has five suboptions -- Alphabet, Random
Words, New Spelling Homework, Last Spelling Homework,
and Old Spelling Homework. The following paragraphs
describe these five.
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 right or left arrow key to move the
pointing arrow to the correct choice then press ENTER.
Points are added for correct answers.
After you select the correct answer you must press a key
to continue. You may press ESC to stop, otherwise the
entire alphabet will be shown. Also, you may press c to
change the foreground color for the letters.
The following three options will test your ability to
spell words. The Random Words option uses existing
libraries of words while the New Spelling Homework
option requires you to input your own words. After
being drilled on these words you have the option of
storing them for later use with the last two options,
Last Spelling Homework and Old Spelling Homework.
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 the word box. When you think
you know how to spell it press the space bar. The word
-6-
will disappear and you must spell it. If you still need
help, press the down arrow key to see the word again.
If you spell it wrong you'll be asked to try again. 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.
NEW SPELLING HOMEWORK
This option allows you to enter your daily spelling
homework. You are allowed to enter up to 50 words of
variable length. The only limitation on length is that
the words must be shorter than 17 characters. When you
choose this option you are only quizzed on those words
you have entered.
When you choose the New Spelling HW option you are asked
how many words you want to enter. Just type the number
and then press ENTER. If you choose to enter 10 words
or less you may enter all the words on the same screen.
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. You may
also use the up and down arrow keys to move from one
word field to another. Press the F10 function key when
you think you have them all spelled correctly.
After you've entered all your words you will be quizzed
on them. This occurs exactly the same way as in the
Random Words option. In fact, all the spelling quiz
options operate the same once the words are entered or
recalled.
If you choose to enter more than 10 words you may only
enter one word at a time. Again, all editing functions
such as delete, back-space, insert, and arrow key
movements are allowed. Press ENTER when you have the
word spelled correctly then type the next word. If you
decide not to enter as many words as you originally
-7-
planned just press the F10 key. If you change your mind
and want to quit just press ESC.
When you are done with this option you can store the
words you just entered for later use. If you choose
yes, the words are stored in the Last Spelling Homework
data file and added to the end if the Old Spelling
Homework data file. These words can be recalled later
when using the last two options.
LAST SPELLING HOMEWORK
This option can be used to recall the last previously
stored spelling homework exercises. 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.
OLD SPELLING HOMEWORK
In this option you are quizzed on all the words you
previously stored in the Old Spelling Homework data
file. When you store words in this file they are added
to the end of the file. The file gets bigger each time
you store more words. Use this option to review all
your old spelling homework.
STARTING A NEW HOMEWORK FILE
If at the end of the school year you want to start a new
file of old spelling homework you can use DOS commands
to copy the old file to a new name or delete the old
one. For example type RENAME HW-WORDS.DAT HW-WORDS.BAK
then press ENTER. The next time you store words a new
file called HW-WORDS.DAT will be created.
When you're done using any of these spelling options,
press ESC to return to Level Menu if you're in the
Random Words option or to return to Spell Menu if you're
in the other options. After you escape from a spelling
option your misspelled words will be shown.
-8-
ENGLISH
This option has four levels. In the first level you
learn nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The second
level develops skill in forming sentences by asking you
to unscramble sentences. The third level teaches you
the 5 basic sentence patterns and the fourth level
teaches subject-verb agreement.
ENGL LEVEL 1
In Level 1 you are first given the definition of a noun
and a list of nouns to choose from. Choose a noun by
using the arrow keys to highlight your selection and
then press the ENTER key. 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 the last word has been chosen, 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 are usually very amusing. Press the SPACE
BAR to repeat the process with new words. Press the ESC
key to quit and return to Level Menu.
ENGL LEVEL 2
Here you are 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 are 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 will
receive an additional 10 points.
While you are placing the words you will notice that a
small arrow will be moving from the right of the screen
-9-
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! You can change the
arrows speed using the < and > keys.
ENGL LEVEL 3
In Level 3 you are first shown that sentences have two
basic parts -- the subject and the predicate.
Definitions are also given. After pressing the SPACE
BAR you are 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 again, definitions of each
part are given. Finally, you will be given examples of
each of the 5 sentence patterns.
Press the SPACE BAR 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 to highlight the correct
pattern then press the ENTER key. Each correct answer
is rewarded by the addition of 10 points to your score.
Press ESC to quit or simply select END from the list of
patterns. Press the SPACE BAR to see another randomly
chosen sentence.
ENGL LEVEL 4
When you choose this option you're first given some
necessary instruction on how to insure that the verb
agrees with the subject. It then presents a sentence
with a missing word (usually a missing verb). You are
then 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 then press ENTER. Each
correct answer is rewarded by the addition of 10 points
to your score. Press ESC to quit or simply select END
from the list of words. Press the SPACE BAR to see
another randomly chosen sentence.
When you escape from any of the English options you will
-10-
be placed back into English Level Menu. Choose a new
level or escape again to return to Main Menu.
MATH
This option is divided into 6 options. These are Laser
Blast, Bug Numbers, Applespider, Timetable, Addition and
Subtraction, Multiplication and 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 blocks 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 blocks. To shoot, simply push the SPACE
BAR. To return to Main Menu press ESC.
To get numbers 0 through 4, start the game by pressing
the number key "1". To get numbers 5 through 9, press
"2" to start. Obviously, most pre-schoolers should
start with the numbers 0 through 4.
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.
If you want to change the background color just press c.
Be careful not to choose a background color that matches
one of the floating numbers. If this happens you will
not be able to see that particular number.
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
-11-
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 large bugs in the far
right box. Type this number and press ENTER. This
gives you the least 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 groups that contain 100
bugs and enter this number. This gives you the most
significant digit and you're done. Ten points 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 press A
to be drilled in addition, S for subtraction, M for
multiplication, or D to be drilled in division.
Next, you must choose your playing speed. Press 0 to
get the slow speed for beginners or 1 through 4 for
faster speeds. 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.
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.
-12-
As always, press ESC to stop.
TIMETABLE
After selecting this option you'll have to enter a
number from 1 to 7. This will be the number used in the
multiplication tables. Press a number then press ENTER.
A worm will move that many apples onto the screen in one
row. Then, you'll have to multiply the number you chose
by 1 to continue. Let's assume 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. You'll then be
shown how many points you accumulated. More difficult
multiplication tables give higher scores.
ADDITION
This option has four levels of difficulty. In each
level the numbers are chosen at random.
ADD LEVEL 1
In this beginners level, stars are shown beside each
number. The number of stars equals the number. For
example, suppose you are asked to add the numbers 2 and
3. Beside 2 there will be two stars and beside 3 there
will be three stars. To find the answer just count the
number of stars, type the answer and press the ENTER
key. After you've entered the correct answer you must
press a key to continue.
ADD LEVEL 2
This level is exactly like Level 1 except the numbers
are larger and the stars are not shown.
ADD LEVEL 3
This level illustrates how to add multiple digit numbers
-13-
by stepping you through the process. Again, all numbers
are chosen at random. Active elements of the problem
are highlighted by flashing the digits. Individual
questions in the form of simple equations are shown at
the bottom of the interactive window. A flashing
cursor at the end of this equation indicates that an
input is expected. If you enter the correct value it
will be placed in its proper spot. The computer will
beep if the answer is incorrect. When you've finished
with the problem, you must press a key to continue.
ADD LEVEL 4
This level is exactly like Level 3 except numbers with
decimals are used.
In each of these levels a complete correct answer is
rewarded by the addition of 10 points to your score. If
sound is on you'll also get a tune for every 100 points.
You can press ESC to quit and return to Level Menu when
you're done.
SUBTRACTION
This option has four levels of difficulty. In each
level the numbers are chosen at random.
SUB LEVEL 1
In this beginners level, stars are shown beside each
number. The number of stars equals the number. If you
are asked to, for example, subtract 2 from 4 there will
be two stars beside the number 2 and four stars beside
the number 4. However, two of the four stars beside the
number four will be blinking to indicate the two that
will be taken away. Also, the two stars beside the
number 2 will be blinking. To find the answer just
count the number of stars that are not blinking. After
you've entered the correct answer you must press a key
to continue.
SUB LEVEL 2
This level is exactly like Level 1 except the numbers
-14-
are larger and the stars are not shown.
SUB LEVEL 3
This level illustrates how to subtract multiple digit
numbers by stepping you through the process. Again, all
numbers are chosen at random. Active elements of the
problem are highlighted by flashing the digits.
Individual questions in the form of simple equations are
shown at the bottom of the interactive window. A
flashing cursor at the end of this equation indicates
that an input is expected. If you enter the correct
value it will be placed in its proper spot. The
computer will beep if the answer is incorrect. When
you've finished with the problem, you must press a key
to continue.
SUB LEVEL 4
This level is exactly like Level 3 except numbers with
decimals are used.
In each of these levels a complete correct answer is
rewarded by the addition of 10 points to your score. If
sound is on you'll also get a tune for every 100 points.
You can press ESC to quit and return to Level Menu when
you're done.
MULTIPLICATION
This option also has four levels of difficulty.
MUL LEVEL 1
This level is similar to Add & Sub Level 1 because you
must count stars that do not blink to find the correct
answer. The difference is that the stars are grouped
differently and there is only one line with stars. For
example, suppose you are asked to find the product of 4
and 2. At the bottom, where the answer belongs, you
will find two groups with four stars each. In other
words, the computer has taken the four stars and placed
them in the answer line twice. There is a total of 8
stars and they have been placed on the line where the
number 8 belongs.
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MUL LEVEL 2
This level is like Level 1 but larger numbers are used
and no stars are displayed.
MUL LEVEL 3
This level leads you through long multiplication with
multiple digit numbers. As in Add & Sub levels 3 & 4,
active elements of the problem are highlighted by
flashing the numbers. The instructions and questions to
be answered are displayed at the bottom of the
interactive window. The flashing cursor at the end of
this question or equation is an indication that the
computer is waiting for an input.
MUL LEVEL 4
Level 4 is identical to Level 3 except decimals are
used.
In each of these levels a complete correct answer is
rewarded by the addition of 10 points to your score.
You can press ESC to quit and return to Level Menu when
you're done or press any other key to continue.
DIVISION
This option also has four levels of difficulty.
DIV LEVEL 1
This level is similar to Add & Sub Level 1 because you
must count stars that do not blink to find the correct
answer. The difference is that the stars are grouped
differently and there is only one line with stars. If
you are asked to, for example, divide 12 by 3 then
beside the 12 will be placed three groups of stars with
4 stars in each group. Only one group will not be
blinking. So, if you count the stars that do not blink,
you'll find the correct answer to be 4.
DIV LEVEL 2
This level is like Level 1 but larger numbers are used
and no stars are displayed.
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DIV LEVEL 3
This level leads you through long division with multiple
digit numbers. As in Add & Sub levels 3 & 4, active
elements of the problem are highlighted by flashing the
numbers. The instructions and questions to be answered
are displayed at the bottom of the interactive window.
The flashing cursor at the end of this question or
equation is an indication that the computer is waiting
for an input.
DIV LEVEL 4
Level 4 is identical to Level 3 except decimals are
used.
In each of these levels a complete correct answer is
rewarded by the addition of 10 points to your score.
You can press ESC to quit and return to Level Menu when
you're done or press any other key to continue.
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.
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 Level Menu when you're done or press any other key to
continue.
EXAMS
The Exam module has four options. These are Make Exam,
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Take Exam, See Scores and Print Exam. Each of these is
explained in the following paragraphs.
MAKE EXAM
In this option you are allowed to create a multiple
choice examination. The first screen you'll see is an
exam setup screen. This screen has three fields, one to
enter the number of questions you want to ask, one to
enter the title of the exam, and one to enter the
filename for the exam. You may move freely from one
field to another using the up or down arrow keys. Once
you have all the information typed correctly in all the
fields press the F10 function key. If you change your
mind and decide you don't want to create an exam just
press the ESC key to return to Exams Menu.
After you press the F10 key from the Exam Setup screen
you will see another screen that asks you to type the
first question, its five answer choices, and the number
of the correct answer. A total of eight fields are
shown -- two for entering the question, five for the
answers, and one for the number of the correct answer.
When you've entered all the questions you'll be returned
to Exams Menu. If you decide to stop and not enter as
many questions as you originally planned just press the
ESC key. The exam will be created but with only as many
questions as you entered before pressing ESC.
TAKE EXAM
When you choose this option you'll first be asked to
enter your name. This is because your name will be
stored later along with your score. After you've done
this either press ESC to quit or press ENTER to get a
list of all the exam files on your current directory.
You may choose a file from the list or you may quit by
pressing ESC. Choose an exam file using the same
techniques you normally use to select options.
After you've chosen an exam file you'll see a screen
that shows the exam title, the first question to answer,
and its five answer choices. There are three way to
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choose an answer. You may use the up or down arrow keys
to highlight the correct answer then press ENTER, or you
may press the key corresponding to the first letter of
the correct answer until it is highlighted then press
ENTER, or you may use a mouse to highlight the correct
answer then press the left mouse button to select it.
If you want to quit without answering the question just
select END from the answer list.
Your running score will be shown at the bottom of the
screen. After you're done, this score will be added to
the end of the score file that corresponds to the exam.
The score file will have the same name as the exam file
but a different extension.
After you've either answered all the questions or quit
you'll be shown your final score. You'll then have to
press ENTER to continue.
SEE SCORES
When you choose this option you'll first be shown a list
of the score files to choose from. To choose a file,
highlight it then press ENTER. If you change your mind
you may quit by pressing ESC.
Next, you'll be asked if you want to send the scores to
a printer or to the screen. Type p then press ENTER if
you want it sent to a printer (don't forget to turn the
printer on) or type s then press ENTER if you want it
sent to the screen.
Before the scores are listed, the exam title and the
number of questions in the exam will be shown. If the
list is sent to the screen you'll have to press ENTER to
return to Exams Menu when the list is complete.
Your disk will come with several exams already prepared.
Try them out!
PRINT EXAM
Use this option to make a hard copy or your examination.
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There will be five questions per page. The last page
will contain the answers.
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 by using the
appropriate arrow key to get the large arrow directly
over the correct choice, then press ENTER. 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.
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. For every 100 points you will
be rewarded with a tune.
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MANUAL
This option allows you to read the School-Mom manual on
the screen. 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.
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.
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.
I HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO GET ALL THE BUGS OUT OF THIS
PROGRAM. HOWEVER, I CAN'T 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.
SCHOOL-MOM DEDICATION
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 4 years writing this
program. Second, to my 8-year-old adopted son who
provided the inspiration 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.
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Dr. Andrew Motes, Professor of Electrical Engineering.
CompuServe ID# 73757,1111
Ph. (501)-524-8741
Please call after 6:00 pm (central). This is a home phone
number.
All rights reserved, 1992. Motes Educational Software.
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