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Treasure Galaxy!
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Treasure Galaxy (1994)(Learning Company)[Mac-PC].iso
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TEXT_1000_Focus.txt
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1995-04-14
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&T,63,49,591,78,0,15,l
Educational Focus of the Shape Station
&T,92,87,549,386,1,15,l
In the Shape Station, children learn about basic geometry.
As they manipulate shapes to fit into a puzzle outline,
players develop spatial sense. They also learn about size,
angles, and orientation of shapes, and begin to see
relationships between different shapes.
This activity is based on the tangram, an ancient Chinese
puzzle that consists of a square divided into 7 geometric
shapes: 2 large triangles, 1 medium triangle, 2 small
triangles, 1 square, and 1 parallelogram. This set of 7
shapes can be put together in a variety of ways to fill in a
larger geometric area. As children work with tangram
puzzles, they begin to recognize that the orientation of a
shape does not change what the shape is—for example, a
square rotated 45 degrees is still a square.
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&T,63,49,591,78,0,15,l
Educational Focus of the Shape Station
&T,92,87,549,386,1,15,l
Puzzle outlines in the program’s early levels are filled by
two or three shapes. As children progress, they are
presented with more difficult puzzle outlines that
eventually are completed using all seven pieces of the
tangram set—some of which require rotation before being
placed in the puzzle. This way, players can develop an
understanding of basic geometric relationships before they
confront more complex problems.
As with other activities in ]Treasure Galaxy! , children
direct their own learning, setting their own pace. Where
the Shape Station differs, however, is in the variety of
solutions that are possible. Since there is more than one
way to solve a Shape Station puzzle, a player succeeds
whenever the puzzle outline is completely filled in.
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&T,63,49,594,72,0,15,l
Educational Focus of the Day Dock
&T,92,87,549,386,1,15,l
In the Day Dock, children learn another important
real-world skill—how to use a calendar to track the days,
weeks, and months of the year.
This activity begins by asking players to locate a specific
date in a given month. As players progress, they’re asked
to locate a particular day by its position in the month (for
example, the 4th Tuesday in June). This task helps children
learn to read the calendar by rows and columns.
Eventually, players must locate a date that is a certain
number of weeks before or after a specific date.
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&T,63,49,597,76,0,15,l
Educational Focus of the Measure Mill
&T,92,87,551,394,1,15,l
The Measure Mill offers a realistic environment where
children practice measuring everyday objects with a ruler
and scale. By observing, estimating, and comparing,
children learn to make inferences about the length and
weight of different objects.
The Measure Mill uses the standard English System units of
measurement: inches (linear) and ounces (weight). At the
early educational levels, children measure the objects to
the nearest whole unit (inch or ounce). As they progress,
they will measure objects to the half, fourth, and then
three-fourths of an inch or ounce.
As they learn to measure, children also learn that objects
have more than one physical property associated with
them—for instance, that a straw is very long, but also very
light in weight. The activity allows for trial and error, so
children can take time to compare measurements before
they select an answer.
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&T,63,49,591,76,0,15,l
Educational Focus of the Sundrop Game
&T,92,87,549,386,1,15,l
The number-analogy riddles in the Sundrop Game give
children practice in counting, addition, subtraction, and
multiplication. Players compare two sets of pictures and
use deductive reasoning to determine the mathematical
operation that was applied to both sets. For instance, if
the first example changes 2 kites into 4 and the second
example changes 4 kites into 8, then players can deduce
that the number of kites has been multiplied by 2. After
identifying the operation, players apply the same operation
to their own problem. Early riddles in the game involve
counting and addition with single-digit numbers; later on,
the most difficult riddles require subtraction and
multiplication with double-digit numbers.
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&T,63,49,589,78,0,15,l
Educational Focus of the Code Satellites
&T,92,87,549,386,1,15,l
The code satellite activity gives children the opportunity
to practice counting from 1 to 99 as they use a numerically
coded alphabet to decode a secret word. They also
identify and complete sequential number patterns, and
count by increments of one, two, and three—both forward
and backward.
Beginning players see the full numeric code to the
alphabet. As the game progresses, numbers in the code
disappear, and players supply the missing numbers.
Eventually, players must complete a number pattern from a
sequence that provides only three numbers.
&6
&T,63,49,590,76,0,15,l
Educational Focus of the Star Mart
&T,92,87,549,386,1,15,l
When children shop at the Star Mart, they’re learning
about basic fractions—halves, fourths, and eighths—by
manipulating fractional pieces on screen.
In the early levels, children deal with whole pieces. As
they progress in the activities, they also use fractional
pieces. At any time, players can exchange larger pieces
for smaller ones—such as 1 whole for 2 halves, or 1 whole
for 4 fourths—and by doing so, begin to understand
fractional equivalents.
At the higher levels, players observe how different
combinations of fractions can be added together to fill in
the same area—for instance, 2 halves can make a whole, or
1 half plus 2 fourths equals a whole.
&7
&T,63,49,591,75,0,15,l
Educational Focus of ]Treasure Galaxy!
&T,92,87,549,386,1,15,l
]Treasure Galaxy! is specifically designed to develop a
broad range of math and critical-thinking skills within an
environment of interactive and engaging game play. The
program helps five- to nine-year-old children build
real-world math skills, including identifying basic fractions,
measuring length and weight, and locating calendar dates.
Automatic educational leveling allows players to learn at
appropriate and challenging rates for each individual
activity. The program adjusts the level of difficulty,
depending on the player’s success.
[Critical Thinking Skills
]Treasure Galaxy! addresses higher order (critical) thinking
skills—analyzing, comparing, inferring, and
deducing—in the activities and program objectives.
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&T,63,49,593,77,0,15,l
Educational Focus of ]Treasure Galaxy!
&T,92,87,549,386,1,15,l
For example, in the Sundrop Game, children compare and
analyze two sets of pictures to deduce the mathematical
operation that was applied to both sets. In the Measure
Mill, children examine sets of objects and infer from the
sizes, their lengths and weights. Children also use
comparison, analysis, and deduction to fit shapes into
geometric outlines in the Shape Station.
Since there are usually at least two ways to achieve a
given goal, players can develop their own game strategies.
For example, children can earn digits by performing
measurement with a ruler and scale, filling in geometric
puzzles, or locating calendar dates. They can also obtain
digits by answering number-analogy riddles. Whatever
their strategy, children can practice using complete
thought processes that can lead to a deeper understanding
of mathematics.
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&T,63,49,593,77,0,15,l
Educational Focus of ]Treasure Galaxy!
&T,92,87,549,386,1,15,l
[Manipulatives
In ]Treasure Galaxy! , players can manipulate on-screen
elements to facilitate an understanding of various
mathematical concepts. The “hands-on” experiences enable
children to explore concepts rather than simply memorize
procedures. For example, in the Sundrop Game children
stamp out their answers, adding and removing stamped
images and observing the immediate results of their
actions. In the Shape Station, players manipulate shapes
and rotate them directly over a puzzle outline to see if
they fit—just as they would hold a real piece and turn it in
their hands. This type of “hands-on” activity encourages
children to explore freely—they learn by doing.
&