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The ClueFinders ™
6th Grade Adventures
Onscreen Reference Guide
ABOUT THE LEARNING COMPANY
Since 1980, The Learning Company has consistently produced the highest quality
educational software available. Our award-winning products help develop your
child’s underlying thinking skills and creativity, while reinforcing important areas
of the basic curriculum, such as reading, writing, and mathematics.
Every product under The Learning Company brand undergoes extensive research
and testing, with input from educational professionals, parents, and children. Each
product features a precise balance of educational content and entertainment value,
so your child has fun while learning!
How do we do it? Enchanting characters. Challenging situations. Rich game
environments. State-of-the-art graphics and sound. Progressive skill levels and
game segments that can be customized to meet your child’s individual needs.
As parents and educators, we recognize that education is a continuous process.
So we developed a complete system of age-appropriate programs. Carefully
sequenced by age groups, this system makes it easy for you to confidently choose
the right products for your children at each stage of their educational development.
As an integral part of The Learning Company’s system, each of our products
addresses a specific age group and subject area with appropriate themes to
heighten your child’s interest in learning.
© 1999 The Learning Company, Inc., and its subsidiaries and licensors. All rights reserved.
The Learning Company is a registered trademark and The ClueFinders and A.D.A.P.T.
Learning Technology are trademarks of The Learning Company, Inc. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners.
™
THE CLUEFINDERS 6TH GRADE ADVENTURES
Hardware and System Requirements ............................................... 2
Setting Up and Starting the Program ............................................... 2
Accessing This Guide Onscreen ........................................................ 4
Visiting Us Online ........................................................................... 4
A Personalized Learning Experience ................................................ 5
A.D.A.P.T. Learning Technology™ ........................................................ 5
Features of the Personalized Learning Center* .................................... 6
Educational Focus ........................................................................... 6
Assessment—Start with a Test Drive .............................................. 13
Disc 1: The Empire of the Plant People ........................................... 14
Signing In ............................................................................................ 14
Getting Help ........................................................................................ 15
Starting the Search .............................................................................. 18
The Outer Regions of the Underground Plant Kingdom .................... 18
The Inner Regions of the Underground Plant Kingdom ..................... 21
Practice Mode ...................................................................................... 24
Disc 2: Personalized Learning Center* ........................................... 25
Troubleshooting ........................................................................... 28
Windows® ............................................................................................ 28
Macintosh® .......................................................................................... 31
*Deluxe 2–CD-ROM edition only
HARDWARE AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Windows version
Macintosh version
Runs on: IBM PC and compatibles—
Any Pentium® 60 MHz or better
Runs on: Any PowerPC® Macintosh or
better
With:
■ 16 MB of memory (RAM)
■ Hard disk with 22 MB free disk
space*
■ Quad-speed CD-ROM drive
■ 256-color SVGA
■ Windows 95 or higher
■ Windows-compatible sound card
■ Windows-compatible mouse
With:
■ 16 MB of memory (RAM)
■ Hard disk with 22 MB free disk
space*
■ Quad-speed CD-ROM drive
■ 256-color display, 13" or larger
■ System 7.1 or higher
■ Speakers
■ Mouse
®
*An additional 7 MB of disk space may be required to install Adobe® Acrobat® Reader.
SETTING UP AND STARTING THE PROGRAM
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures runs from your CD-ROM drive.
However, you need 22 MB of free hard disk space to store some program
files. You can register this product via modem using a toll-free number.
Windows 95/98
These instructions assume that the AutoPlay feature of Windows 95/98 is
turned on. (AutoPlay is usually enabled when you install Windows 95/98
on your computer. See your Windows documentation for more information.)
2
To set up the program:
1. Insert the Empire of the Plant People CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Click on Yes at the install prompt to begin the setup process.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the setup process.
4. Upon returning to the menu, you can click on Assessment to run the
optional pre-assessment activity that places each user at the appropriate
starting level for each activity. (See Assessment—Start with a Test Drive.)
Once you’ve completed the setup, the program will run automatically any
time you insert the Empire of the Plant People CD into the CD-ROM drive.
To start the program:
1. Insert the Empire of the Plant People CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Click on Play.
Whenever you exit the program, you return to the desktop. You can restart
the program directly from the desktop as long as the CD is still in the
CD-ROM drive. (These instructions also apply if AutoPlay is turned off.)
To start the program from the desktop:
Click on the Start button. Then choose Programs, The Learning
Company, and The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures in that order.
■
Macintosh
To set up the program:
1. Insert the Empire of the Plant People CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Double-click on the ClueFinders 6th Grade icon in the open window.
3. Click on Yes.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the setup process.
3
5.
You can double-click on Assessment in the open window to run the
optional pre-assessment activity that places each user at the appropriate
starting level for each activity. (See Assessment—Start with a Test Drive.)
To start the program:
1. Insert the Empire of the Plant People CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Double-click on the ClueFinders 6th Grade icon in the open window.
ACCESSING THIS GUIDE ONSCREEN
You can use Acrobat Reader to view and print out a copy of this reference
guide. To install Acrobat Reader, follow the onscreen instructions during
the program setup process. To access this guide, click on Help in the
introductory screen (Windows), or double-click on the Help Guide file in
the ClueFinders 6th Grade folder on your hard disk (Macintosh). Then
choose Print from the File menu to print out the guide.
VISITING US ONLINE
You can use a Web browser to visit the ClueFinders’ homepage. You can
then go to The Learning Company’s homepage to learn about our products,
get help from our Technical Support Center, and visit our online store.
Windows:
■ Insert the Empire of the Plant People CD into your CD-ROM drive, and
click on Visit Us Online.
Macintosh:
■ Using your Web browser, go to http://www.learningco.com.
4
A PERSONALIZED LEARNING EXPERIENCE
A.D.A.P.T. Learning Technology
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures uses A.D.A.P.T. Learning
Technology. A.D.A.P.T. Learning Technology is a dynamic system that
continually adjusts the program to match each player’s growing abilities.
A.D.A.P.T. effectively builds skills, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.
A.
Assesses Abilities
A fun activity assesses each player’s skills. It then starts the learning
adventure at the right skill level in each subject area.
D.
Develops Skills
Each activity is tailored to each player’s individual progress. You can
even print customized workbooks* for additional practice.
A.
Adjusts Levels
Skill levels are automatically adjusted to match each player’s growing
abilities, so learning is always stimulating, never frustrating.
P.
Provides Help
The ClueFinders act as personal tutors, offering detailed learning help
when needed. Online resources provide educational tools and tips for
parents.*
T.
Tracks Progress
Every skill is monitored to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses.
A.D.A.P.T. helps players make progress in the areas they need it most.
*These features are available only to users of the Deluxe 2–CD-ROM edition.
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Features of the Personalized Learning Center
(Deluxe 2–CD-ROM edition only)
The Personalized Learning Center is a unique program that lets parents and
teachers view the progress of each player (up to 99 players per program)
across programs that use The Learning Company’s A.D.A.P.T. Learning
Technology. It also offers personalized workbooks and activities based on
each player’s progress, as well as printable reward certificates. (See Disc 2:
Personalized Learning Center.) Together, these features help The
ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures create a robust learning experience for
each player.
EDUCATIONAL FOCUS
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures is an adventure game that builds
on sixth graders’ interest in mystery and adventure and develops their logical
thinking, mathematics, science, geography, social science, and language arts
skills.
The Developmental Level of the Typical Sixth Grader
Typical sixth graders look for a challenge at school. They become bored if
subjects are too easy, but they may also become frustrated if subjects are too
hard. Sixth graders love competition—between individuals and between
genders. They prefer problems that are based on real-life situations, rather
than abstract problems.
In language arts, sixth graders expand their vocabulary as they read a variety
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of books, magazines, plays, and poetry. Typical sixth graders are learning to
analyze how a story’s structure affects the reader’s understanding of the
story. They compare characters within a story, observing similarities in the
characters’ responses to story events. Sixth graders are also making
inferences about story context, characters, and setting. As sixth graders build
their grammar and spelling skills and improve the organizational process of
their writing, they write longer and more challenging works. They also
create more engaging characters and stories by developing character
personas and story settings.
In mathematics, typical sixth graders are improving their ability to select the
correct process to reach a solution to a problem. They are better at gathering
data and building graphs to help solve problems and display information.
They perform basic math calculations fluently, and they understand that
addition and subtraction (and multiplication and division) are inverse
operations. Sixth graders continue to work with fractions and decimals,
and they start to work with percentages. They are also beginning to work
with functions as a first step toward algebra.
In science, sixth graders are introduced to the concept that matter and
energy can be transformed in a number of ways. They conduct experiments
and solve problems that explore properties of physical matter (elements,
compounds, and mixtures) and energy (light, electricity, sound, and
magnetism). Students at this age are expected to understand the scientific
method of forming an hypothesis, conducting an experiment to gather data,
and checking the hypothesis against the experimental evidence. In life
science, sixth graders are learning about the interdependence of living things
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and how environmental changes can impact the food chain. They are also
examining the basic structure of living things—cells.
In social studies, many sixth graders learn about the cultures and
developments of early human civilizations. In The ClueFinders 6th Grade
Adventures, players read descriptions of the culture, the people, and the
developments of Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Chinese, Indian, Greek, and
Roman civilizations. Sixth-grade students are also strengthening their
knowledge of geography with maps depicting ancient cultures.
Auto-adjusting Skill Levels
Each activity in The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures has multiple levels,
so the program can move from simple to more complex concepts at a pace
that suits each player. Players can tackle more challenging problems even if
they haven’t mastered all skills or concepts in the program; each skill area
adjusts its level up or down independently from the others, thereby creating
a tailored learning experience that addresses each player’s specific needs.
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures carefully tracks players’ responses
to each level’s activities, using that information to adjust the type of puzzle
presented. Not all activities are suited to this type of auto-leveling (openended experiments, for example); these activities begin at the first difficulty
level and become more complex as players complete more of the game.
If players want more practice on a particular puzzle type or content area,
they can use Practice Mode. In Practice Mode, players can choose a specific
activity and level on which to work.
8
Problem-Solving Help
Many researchers believe that using a planful approach to problem solving
enables children—and adults—to hone their problem-solving skills. The first
step in effective problem solving is understanding the problem. The second
step is devising a plan. The third step is carrying out the plan.
In The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures, players can click on an onscreen
character if they need help solving a puzzle. Their explanations can help
players understand what they are being asked to do. The characters will
often direct players toward recognizing onscreen resources—words,
numbers, and clues—they need to use to arrive at a solution. If players don’t
understand the directions the first time, they can click on the onscreen
characters to hear the problem restated in different words.
If players have difficulty with educational content, they can get help by
clicking on the red video phone. Via the phone, Joni and Santiago provide
tips and clues on developing a problem-solving plan. Owen and Leslie
automatically make a call on the red video phone when they notice the
players having difficulty solving a puzzle. Players can click on the red video
phone at any time to receive additional support in developing or carrying out
their plan.
The Educational Content
Following is a description of skills that players develop as they play the
activities in The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures.
9
MATHEMATICS
Cave of Danger—Players solve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division problems with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. The arcade
action of this activity encourages development of estimation skills to quickly
find the right answer among the fast-moving spores.
Bacterial Growth—Players use logic and math skills to determine the
correct settings of Dr. Fern’s Bacteri-O-Matic machine. Players must deduce
the correct values based on complex relationships between variables in the
doctor’s lab book.
Recipe for Disaster—Players explore adding and subtracting with whole
numbers, decimals, and fractions to determine the exact amount of
chemicals needed to subdue the plant guard.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Mysterious Locks—In this reading comprehension activity, players read
paragraphs covering early world history, biology, and physical science facts.
Players then answer questions demonstrating their understanding of what
they have read. The four levels contain increasingly difficult vocabulary.
Perilous Faults—Players use vocabulary clues to search for spelling words
hidden in the face of a cliff. Words do not always appear in a straight line,
but can twist back and forth. Each of the four levels contains increasingly
difficult spelling words.
10
Pollution Detectives—Players piece together clues that will help them
identify companies that are polluting the water. To identify the offending
polluters, players must research chemicals, analyze facts, and use logical
reasoning.
Steps of Expression—Players complete sentences that are missing words
and word parts. At first, players fill in missing words. As the level increases,
players fill in suffixes and prefixes that fit the grammar of the sentences.
GEOGRAPHY
Mysterious Locks—Players answer questions about maps depicting
ancient world cultures. They develop geography skills as they practice
following compass rose directions, measuring distance, and interpreting map
legends.
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Chasm of Time—Players sort historical events from the most recent event
to the oldest event. Event categories include dates of scientific
achievements, founding dates of various civilizations, and construction dates
of historical monuments.
Mysterious Locks—Players learn about ancient world cultures as they read
passages and answer questions from the text. They compare and contrast
ideas and facts, make deductions, and answer questions about the main idea
of a passage.
11
SCIENCE
Mysterious Locks—Players learn about biology and physical science as
they read passages and answer questions from the text. They compare and
contrast ideas and facts, make deductions, and answer questions about the
main idea of a passage.
Pollution Detectives—Players learn about common types of pollution and
some of the industries that generate those pollutants. As the players research
different chemicals, they identify the likely pollution suspects based on the
evidence and their deductions.
LOGICAL REASONING
Bacterial Growth—Players use logic and math skills to determine the
correct settings of Dr. Fern’s Bacteri-O-Matic machine. Players must deduce
the correct values based on complex relationships between variables in the
doctor’s lab book.
Pollution Solution—Players use the bacteria they grew in Dr. Fern’s
Bacteri-O-Matic to remove pollutants from the water of the Underground
Plant Kingdom. Each bacteria has a unique set of characteristics that affects
its placement in the water purification machine. Players must arrange the
bacteria in the proper sequence to remove all the pollutants from the water.
Finding the right arrangement of bacteria requires logical analysis.
12
ASSESSMENT—START WITH A TEST DRIVE
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures contains a pre-assessment activity,
or “test drive,” which customizes the program’s difficulty level for each
player. This optional test asks players a series of questions, so it can place
players at levels that match their abilities. Activities not suitable for
assessment are excluded from the test and always begin at the first
difficulty level.
Each assessment test question is both spoken and displayed. Players can
click on LapTrap to have a question repeated. Possible answers to the
question cycle until the player chooses an answer by clicking on the horn.
Note: Players must complete the entire pre-assessment activity in order to
have their results recorded and used in The ClueFinders 6th Grade
Adventures. After completing the test drive, players must sign in as new
players to have their results applied to the game. Assessment results will not
be applied if players exit before signing in as new players. Assessment
results will also not affect existing games—ones already in progress before
taking the test drive.
If a game customized with assessment results is too difficult or easy for a
player, the program will automatically adjust the level up or down to better
suit his or her needs and interests. (See Auto-adjusting Skill Levels.)
A player can also adjust levels manually at any time (See LapTrap in
Getting Help.)
13
DISC 1: THE EMPIRE OF THE PLANT PEOPLE
Joni and Santiago have mysteriously disappeared! Owen and Leslie need
your help in rescuing them. Your search for Joni and Santiago will take you
into the creepy world of an underground plant civilization.
While you are in the Underground Plant Kingdom, you will discover that
Joni and Santiago are not the only ones in danger. The survival of the entire
town above ground—and the entire underground plant civilization—is at
risk, and time is running out!
Rescuing Joni and Santiago and solving the mystery will require patience,
skill, and clever problem solving. The ClueFinders are waiting for you.
Are you ready to join them?
Signing In
Before you begin this mission, you need to sign in. First, click on NEW
PLAYER SIGN-IN. Type your name onto the sign-in sheet, and then click on
START GAME.
Any time you want to pick up your journey where you left off, find your
name on the list and click on it. If you don’t see your name, just click on the
arrows on the side of the list until you find it. Then click on START GAME
to continue on your way.
When the sign-in list has 99 names, it is full. You’ll need to remove a name
14
before you can enter a new one. Click on the name you want to remove.
Then, press Ctrl+R (Windows) or +R (Macintosh). This will permanently
erase that player’s adventure information from the hard disk.
If you want to take some time away from your rescue mission to practice
solving the different problems, click on PRACTICE MODE at the sign-in
screen. Work on the problems for as long as you like, and then return to
your adventure whenever you’re ready. (For more information, see Practice
Mode later in this reference guide.)
Getting Help
There are many ways you can get help during your rescue mission.
■
Click on the red video phone to get advice from Joni or Santiago.
Whenever you want to hear some useful tips on solving the problems
you encounter, click on the phone.
■
The ClueFinders and some of the characters you meet will give you
specific directions about what to do. Just click on them if you need to
hear the directions again.
■
LapTrap
is a resource for a lot of information and program
options. Click on LapTrap, and then click on the item you want.
➔ The Map of the plant kingdom is available after you have gone
underground. The map tracks your travel through the underground
plant kingdom. The map shows the spots you’ve already visited,
15
marking them with small icons. You can return to those spots by
clicking on the icons.
The green border shows
where you are.
Click here to go back to
LapTrap.
➔ The Reference button gives you access to reference information
that may help you solve problems in the activities. Click on the tab
for Ancient History, Biology, Chemistry, or Industry to read about
that subject.
➔ The Progress and Levels button takes you to the Levels screen,
where you can manually adjust the difficulty levels of the nine
activities. The program automatically adjusts the levels in response
to your performance to find the most appropriate challenge for you.
If you turn autoleveling off, the levels you set will remain in effect
throughout your adventure, unless you choose to change them. This
screen is also a Progress Report that shows how you are doing with
the problems in each activity at your current level.
16
Click on a
level to
choose it.
Click here
to print out
your personal
progress
report.
➔ The ClueFinders’ Club button takes you to the ClueFinders’
clubhouse to learn more about the personalities, hobbies, and
backgrounds of the ClueFinders.
➔ The Settings button lets you turn the background music off or on.
When the music is off, you will still be able to hear the characters’
speech and the background sounds.
➔ The Credits button displays a list of the people who created
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures.
➔ Click on Quit Game whenever you want to stop playing.
➔ Click on Sign In to return to the sign-in screen.
➔ Click on Return to Game to resume your mission.
17
Starting the Search
You will encounter numerous blocked passageways during your rescue
mission. You can get through them by applying your thinking skills and
knowledge. Your first challenge is to break through the Mysterious Locks.
Mysterious Locks
Read the passage and line up the correct
answers to the questions to open the lock.
Activity focus: reading comprehension,
world cultures, geography, biology
Click on the handle to open the door.
The Outer Regions of the Underground Plant Kingdom
After you, Owen, and Leslie break through the Mysterious Locks, you find
yourselves in the outer regions of a strange and unfamiliar underground
world. How will you find Joni and Santiago?
As you journey through the outer regions of the plant kingdom, you will
notice that planks of petrified wood, guarded by unfriendly plant soldiers,
are scattered in different locations. Use your knowledge and thinking skills
to solve the challenging problems you encounter, and you can free these
planks from the grasp of the plant soldiers. The planks will come in handy
later in your rescue mission. As you collect the planks, the ClueFinders will
put them into Leslie’s backpack so you can take them with you.
18
If you want to leave a place without solving the problem, that’s fine. You
can go back to that place later. Each time you return to a place, you will get
a different problem.
Steps of Expression
Fill in the empty spaces in the paragraph by
dragging down the correct blocks from the
ceiling.
Activity focus: vocabulary, grammar,
reading comprehension
Perilous Faults
Click on the letters to spell the word that fits
the definition shown.
Activity focus: spelling, vocabulary
19
Recipe for Disaster
Create a sleeping potion for the guard
plants. Follow the formula on the wall to
mix the right combination of ingredients.
Activity focus: math computation, decimals,
fractions
Use the cups to take liquid from
the pools and dump it into the
matching color buckets.
Click on the buckets to pick them up and
dump their contents into the feeding bowl.
Cave of Danger
Destroy the spores before they hatch into
unfriendly plants!
Activity focus: math computation, decimals,
fractions, estimation
Click on the answer to one of the
Then click on the spore that matches the color of
math problems on the plants above. that plant to shoot a berry at it.
After you have collected enough planks, you can build a bridge across the
bottomless pit. Cross over to the inner chambers of the Underground Plant
Kingdom, where you can confront the leader of the plants and ask for the
release of Joni and Santiago!
20
Chasm of Time
Build the bridge by arranging the planks in
chronological order. Put the newest planks
closest to you and the oldest planks farthest
from you.
Activity focus: history, world cultures
The Inner Regions of the Underground Plant Kingdom
Once you’ve successfully crossed the bridge into the inner regions of
the Underground Plant Kingdom, you must find the leader of the plants.
The leader may be able to tell you where Joni and Santiago are. You will
discover the plants’ shocking plan to destroy the town above in a desperate
attempt to stop the pollution that threatens their survival. Can you rescue
Joni and Santiago, save the town, and help the plants, too? You must grow
the bacteria that will stop the pollution, and time is running out. But don’t
worry. You and the ClueFinders make a winning team!
You will need to travel through the inner regions of the Underground Plant
Kingdom and solve problems in different places. If you want to leave a
place without solving the problem, that’s fine. You can go back to that place
later. Each time you return, you will get a different problem.
21
Bacterial Growth
Use the clues provided to create the
proper environment to grow the bacteria.
Activity focus: logical reasoning with word
problems
Click on the arrows to adjust the
amount of each ingredient.
Click here to start growing the bacteria.
Pollution Detectives
Using the information presented, identify
the industries that are creating pollution.
Activity focus: reading for information
Click and drag to connect
pollutants with the companies
that are producing them.
22
Click on REFERENCE or NEWS for information
about the chemicals and industries.
Pollution Solution
Time to clean up the pollution!
Clean the water by placing the correct
arrangement of bacteria in the water
purification machine. You may need to
experiment to find the right combinations.
Activity focus: logical reasoning
Use the eyedropper to pick up
bacteria from the table and put
them into the basins.
Then click on the main valve to start the water
flow through the machine.
23
Practice Mode
If you want to take some time to work on problems apart from your mission,
type in your name or choose it from the list at the sign-in screen, and then
choose PRACTICE MODE. The Choose an Activity screen will appear.
Select what you want to practice, and click on GO to go to that activity. You
can also choose the difficulty level for the different activities. Click on
LapTrap to return to the Choose an Activity screen when you are finished
practicing an activity.
Since you are practicing, you do not need to worry about collecting bridge
planks. In Practice Mode, you can work on any of the activities as long and
as often as you’d like.
Click on GO for
the activity you
want to practice.
Click here to
choose levels
for the activities.
Click here to
return to the
sign-in screen.
Click here to
change program
options.
24
DISC 2: PERSONALIZED LEARNING CENTER
(DELUXE 2–CD-ROM EDITION ONLY)
With the Personalized Learning Center, (which is provided on a separate
CD-ROM), you can check each player’s progress on any program that uses
The Learning Company’s A.D.A.P.T. Learning Technology. You can also
print out workbooks, activities, and reward certificates that are customized
for each individual player based on his or her progress information.
Key Features
To access features and information
specific to a player and a program,
insert the Personalized Learning
Center CD. Click on a brightened
program icon and then a player’s
name. Then click on one of the five
Main Menu buttons.
From the Main Menu you can access the following features: Master Progress
Checker, Printable Workbooks, Printable Activities, Personal Rewards, and
A.D.A.P.T. Online. These features are available for A.D.A.P.T. programs
installed on your computer (identified at the bottom of the screen by
highlighted program icons).
MASTER PROGRESS CHECKER
The Master Progress Checker lets you see the programs each user has played
and his or her progress in each program. For each skill covered in an
A.D.A.P.T. program, you can check how many questions a player has
25
completed in each difficulty level, as well the player’s success rate—the
proportion of questions he or she has answered correctly. Success rates are
not available for certain open-ended activities.
Click here to print
the user’s entire
report.
Skills
Success rates
Number of
questions
completed
Click here to print
out a personalized
workbook.
Use the scroll bar
to see more skills.
PRINTABLE WORKBOOKS
You can print out customized workbooks using the Printable Workbooks
feature. (You can also access this feature from the Master Progress Checker.)
The Personalized Learning Center uses each player’s progress information
to design a workbook with activities covering the skill areas where the
player needs the most improvement. For example, a player who can spell
quite well but has difficulty with decimal computation will receive a
workbook with more decimal computation activities and fewer spelling
pages. Each customized workbook contains at least five activities and has a
personalized title page.
26
You can also print out a general workbook appropriate for a player’s grade
level. General workbooks always contain seven activities.
PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
You can go to the Printable Activities screen to view and print out individual
workbook activities by subject area. Subject buttons across the top of the
screen indicate the subject areas covered in each highlighted program.
Click on a subject
button and use
the arrows to
scroll through
activities available
for each subject.
To print an
activity, click
on its icon.
PERSONAL REWARDS
You can print out reward certificates that feature a player’s name by going
to the Personal Rewards screen. These certificates are awarded to players for
their work in the different skill levels in each program. A reward icon
printed on each certificate indicates the level that has been played.
A.D.A.P.T. ONLINE: TIPS AND TOOLS
By visiting A.D.A.P.T. Online, you can access a resource database of
educational tips, tools, and activities that will help you extend each player’s
learning experience.
27
TROUBLESHOOTING
Try this first! If you have problems running the program, try cleaning the
CD. Gently remove any fingerprints and dust using a clean, soft, lint-free
cloth dampened with water or a CD-cleaning solution. Avoid using materials
such as tissue, which may scratch the CD.
If you have questions, call our Technical Support Center at 1-319-247-3333.
You can also reach us by e-mail: [email protected].
Windows
1.
2.
3.
28
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures program icon does not
appear on the desktop or in the Start menu.
• Reinstall the program.
You get a message telling you that there is not enough available
space on the hard disk.
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures requires 22 MB of hard disk
space for the program’s data and executable files.
• Remove some files after backing them up.
You see a message telling you that there is not enough memory to
run the program.
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures needs at least 16 MB of
installed memory (RAM) to run. Your computer’s memory may be filled
with other programs that are running in the background.
• Close any other applications that are running, and try starting the
program again.
4.
5.
6.
The mouse doesn’t seem to work.
There are times in the program when the animation or sound cannot be
interrupted. You will see the hourglass cursor on the screen and any key
presses or mouse clicks will be ignored.
• Wait until the animation or sound stops and your normal cursor
returns. Then try pressing the keys or clicking the mouse again.
Program speed is very slow.
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures needs at least a Pentium
60 MHz computer with a quad-speed (4x) CD-ROM drive for basic
performance.
• Close any other applications that are running.
• Make sure that you have the latest Windows video drivers for your
graphics card. (Contact the manufacturer to obtain the latest drivers.)
You do not hear music, sound, or speech.
• Check that the speakers are properly connected to your computer.
Be sure they are getting power and are turned on, and that the volume
is turned up.
• Make sure that your sound card is Windows compatible and is
properly installed for Windows. Be sure that the sound card is
specifically designed to work with Windows 95/98. Also check that
the volume is properly set. (See the manufacturer’s documentation
for more information relating to your sound card.)
• Make sure the mixer level setting is correct.
Click on the Start button. Choose Programs from the Start menu.
Next choose Accessories. Then choose Multimedia, and choose
29
7.
8.
9.
Volume Control. Make sure that the sliders on the mixer control
panel are all the way up and that no mute buttons are selected.
Strange graphics appear; the game action stops unexpectedly.
• Try using the 640 x 480, 256-color display mode driver that came
with your video card. (See your Windows documentation for more
information.)
• Make sure you have the latest Windows video drivers installed.
(Contact your video card manufacturer for more information.)
Colors don’t look right.
• Adjust your monitor’s color and brightness.
• Make sure the color display is set to 256 colors.
• Turn off your screensaver.
• Close any other applications that are running.
• Make sure you have the latest graphics drivers installed.
(Contact your video card manufacturer for more information.)
The game window seems small.
The program window may not fill the entire screen.
• For maximum window size, make sure that the display mode is
set to 640 x 480. (See your Windows documentation for more
information.)
10. You are not able to connect to Visit Us Online.
This feature requires a browser.
• Make sure that you have a browser properly installed. See your
browser and Windows documentation for more information.
30
•
Make sure that the files with an .HTM extension (for example,
“bookmark.htm”) are associated with your browser. To check,
double-click on any .HTM file. If the browser does not launch,
create an association from the File Manager.
Macintosh
1.
2.
3.
You do not see the ClueFinders 6th Grade program icon.
• Make sure the CD is inserted in the CD tray, printed side up.
• Try restarting your computer and/or rebuilding your desktop.
• Make sure that the CD-ROM drivers are correctly installed.
You get a message that there is not enough space on the hard disk.
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures requires 22 MB of hard disk
space for program data files.
• Remove some files after backing them up.
• Adjust the Virtual Memory Setting to take less hard disk space.
(See your Macintosh documentation for more information.)
You see a message telling you that there is not enough memory to
run the program.
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures requires at least 16 MB of
installed memory (RAM) to run. Try to increase available memory
and then start the program again. (Depending on what Internet browser
you use, you may not be able to run both your browser and the program
in 16 MB).
• Quit any programs that you may be running.
• Turn off or remove from the System Folder non-Apple® control panels
31
4.
5.
6.
32
and extensions. (Leave the CD-ROM drivers.) Restart your computer.
• Reduce the size of the disk cache in the Memory control panel.
(See your Macintosh documentation for more information.)
• Turn off AppleTalk.
• Do not turn on Virtual Memory.
The mouse doesn’t seem to work.
There are times in the program when the animation or sound cannot be
interrupted. You will see the watch cursor on the screen and any key
presses or mouse clicks will be ignored.
• Wait until the animation or sound stops and your normal cursor
returns. Then try pressing the keys or clicking the mouse again.
The music and voice in the game are too loud or too soft.
• Choose Sound from Control Panels. Adjust the system’s speaker
volume as needed by selecting the Volumes setting.
You do not hear music, sound, or speech.
• Make sure that the Volumes setting in the Sound control panel in
Control Panels is not set to zero.
• Make sure that the setting for Music is turned on in LapTrap.
• If you have external speakers, be sure they are turned on and getting
power and that they are properly connected to your computer. Also
check the speaker volume.
• Turn off or remove from the System Folder non-Apple control panels
and extensions. (Leave the CD-ROM drivers.) Restart your computer.
7.
Program speed is very slow, or sounds and animation do not play
smoothly.
The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures needs at least a Power
Macintosh with a quad-speed (4x) CD-ROM drive for basic
performance.
• Make sure Virtual Memory is turned off in your Memory control
panel.
33
SPECIAL CREDITS
A.D.A.P.T. Learning Technology
The Learning Company
Janet Amaro
Matt Archambault
Jon Brooks
Kathy Burlingame
Bernard Camarao
Lisa Catanyag
Fedora Chen
Carla Cruttenden
Keenie DeLaflor
Tony Felgueres
Darrell Fetzer
Simon Fleming-Wood
Jim Foote
Susan Fryer
Candy Galea
Jeff Gordon
Justin Heavilin
Kari Ann Imamura
Denise Johnson
Andrew Kawamura
Gregory Kitamura
Kirk Kirschenbauer
Kelli Lee
Gene Linetsky
Ned Lott
Sally Mark
Dan Mizuba
34
Artist
Production Engineer
A.D.A.P.T. Logo Artist
Mail Room Team Lead
Associate Brand Manager
Asset Manager
Editor
Artist
Customer Service Associate
Customer Service Associate
Lead Engineer
Marketing Director
Sound Designer
Sr. Learning Specialist
Executive Assistant
Audio Lead
Software Engineer
Programmer
Desktop Support Specialist
Sound Designer
Production Engineer
Operations Director
Brand Manager
Programmer
Voice Talent Director
Creative Services Manager
Sr. QA Engineer
Cuong Nguyen
Jenny Nguyen
Paul Oeschger
Ann Olson
George Oster
Hugo Paz
Jamie Risdon
Bill Romer
Kedar Roy
Angela Rumbaoa
Amanda Smith
Star Stephenson
Shirley Tai
Dan Tjandra
Sid Weber
Jana Wilson
Programmer
Project Coordinator
Executive Producer
Sr. Brand Manager
Testing Supervisor
Engineering Manager
Icon Artist
Producer
Sr. Network Administrator
Production Engineer
Sr. Brand Manager
Clue Finders Assoc. Producer
Editor
Scripter
Assessment Producer
Executive Assistant
Contracted Services
Ricardo Bedoya
Emmeline Chen
Marla Cosgrove
Steve Folta
John Fosnaugh
Megan Freitas
Barb Griffin
Dan Handalian II
Shashikala Hedge
Cindy Johnson
Kirby Li
Fred Murphy
Tim Nelson
Ric Parks
Tester
Editor
Associate Producer
Programmer
Tester
Tester
Interim Product Manager
Tester
Tester
Assessment Designer
Tester
Tester
Graphic Designer
Programmer
35
Roger Plotz
Tasha Rinderle
Terry Rudy
Gina Shelley
Michael Weaver
Webtone Productions
Deb Winking
Corrine Wong
Barb Wood
Roberta Lee Woods
Tester
Workbook Designer
Tester
Tester
Tester
Audio Production
Educational Consultant
Artist
Workbook Designer
Launcher & Installer Artist
Personalized Learning Center
Mudpuppy Studios
Steve Axthelm
Denis Burger
Scott Crabtree
Joe Gores
Jon Hays
Michelle Marsden
Toshio Moriya
Jon Newman
Ben Prew
Paul Ting
Yosem Sweet
Special Thanks from Mudpuppy Studios
Darryl Andrews
Erin Flasher
Dan Fredman
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5/99