A Smart Place to Play Learning is a lot more fun when a funky cartoon gorilla coaches you in grammar, or when you can score home runs for correctly solving a math problem. More than 40 games, each customizable for varying levels of ability and tied to national curriculum standards, are offered in math, science, grammar, geography, music, and foreign language. Illustrating the games are colorful graphics, silly jokes, and cartoon characters who offer words of encouragement. The QuizLab area of the site offers registered teachers and parents an array of professional teaching tools designed to save time and augment lesson material. These include a database of 10,000 quizzes, which are searchable by grade level and subject and which have been compiled by experienced teachers across the country.
Quizzes are graded and the results e-mailed to the teacher.
An online gradebook tracks the scores. In addition, an authoring tool enables users to write their own quizzes. Teachers can give everyone in the class the same test at the same time and have them instantly graded, so they can go on to other things. The game won awards and attention, prompting the partners to launch the comprehensive educational Web site. The site is advertising-supported to the extent that the ads are appropriate for young children.