Jumpstart Adventures 6th Grade: Mission EarthQuest (1998 prototype version)/Digital Manual

This is the digital manual description for the prototype version of Jumpstart Adventures 6th Grade: Mission EarthQuest.

## What Is the JumpStart Learning System?

The JumpStart Learning System is an award-winning line of software that provides your child with a head start on education from baby-hood through elementary school. Each product includes dozens of puzzles and games blending an entire grade level of age-appropriate curriculum combining reading, math, language arts, science, art, music and more. Instruction is based on proven lesson plans from teachers.

JumpStart has developed ground-breaking technologies to help customize individual titles to your child’s personal skill levels.

* JumpStart Adaptive Learning Technology - Automatically adjusts each program's difficulty levels on an ongoing basis to match your child's abilities.

* JumpStart Tutor Technology - Recognizes your child’s learning obstacles and provides targeted lessons to help master them.

* JumpStart Progress Report - Progress Report is an additional unique feature that monitors the progress your child has been making throughout the individual products. Use the Progress Report to view individual and group progress. The JumpStart Learning System makes it easy to track your child's strengths and challenge areas while providing the support you need to give him a jump-start in school and in life.

## Welcome to JumpStart Adventures 6th Grade!

JumpStart Advanced 6th Grade Fundamentals presents education in an imaginative, adventurous, action-packed environment designed to make learning more enjoyable. The evil computer A.R.T. has captured Astronaut Enos, and made robot villains to destroy the earth through pollution. Children can join Uncle Eli, Jess, Zack, and , the EarthQuest team, in an advenure to save the earth from A.R.T.'s plans and rescue Enos. During their adventure, children will practice and improve skills in language arts, science, history, math, and other curricular areas.

## Two Ways To Play JumpStart Adventures 6th Grade

* Game Mode allows you to earn Pod Points.
* Simulation Mode is accessed through the Progress Report or the Sign-In screen. In Simulation Mode, you can choose games for extra practice in specific lessons.

## How do I Sign In?

Before you can enter Headquarters, you have to sign in.

* After the Autorun screen, you will see a list where you can enter your name to sign in. Use the keyboard to type your name. Type up to 12 letters or numbers and click on Enter to begin your adventure. You can enter as many as 99 new names.
* After you’ve signed in for the first time, your name will appear on the list. Each time you need to sign in again, just click on your name and press Enter to continue. You may have to scroll up and down the list to find your name.
* To delete your name, click on it and press **Alt-Delete** (as an alternative press Alt-D-D on PC or Ctrl-D-D on Mac).
* From Sign In, you can also access the Set Levels Screen.

## What’s on the Toolbar?

After you enter the Headquarters, move your cursor to the bottom of the screen. You will see two superhero arms clasping together at the bottom of your screen. Along the horizontal section of the arms are the icons for your Toolbar. Here’s what you’ll find on it in order from left to right:

* Return/Exit - Click on the arrow to leave any activity and return to Headquarters. If you are already at Headquarters, clicking on the arrow exits the program.
* Learning Level Indicator  - Click here to adjust the learning level from easy to difficult in each game or activity.
* Tutor Mode - Are you really stumped? Click here for in depth help.
* Help - Don’t know quite what to do next? Click here for some quick help!
* Inventory/Ranking - Check here to see the Pod Gadgets you’ve collected. You can also view your rank! You will increase in rank every time you earn a pod gadget.
* Progress Report - You can also see how you’re doing by taking a look at the progress report.
* Pod Point Meter - Check here to see how may pod points you have collected in a round. After every five pod points collected in a round, you earn one pod gadget.
* Pod Strength Meter - Check here to see how much energy your pod has left.

## Progress Report

Knowledge Adventure’s exclusive Adaptive Learning Technology tracks your advancement through the program. The difficulty levels of each activity will be automatically increased or decreased depending on your success. A Progress Report gives immediate feedback on how you are doing in each fundamental concept.

* You can check your progress by clicking on the check mark / plus sign icon in the toolbar and then clicking on the Progress Report. The first page of the Progress Report shows how you’re doing in all the areas.
* The red bar represents successes. The yellow bar beneath it represents attempts.
* The percentage is the percent of times you successfully answered a question or completed an activity.
* Teachers or parents can click the All Players button to check the progress of all names signed into the program.
* To see how you’re doing in a specific area, click on that skill in the Progress Report to display a detailed page for that skill. The graph on this screen shows the percentage of successes in this skill, by learning level, for each session of play. Near the bottom of the screen is a button for each game in the program that includes this skill. Click on the button to go directly to that game in "simulation mode." That means you won’t be earning any pod points or gadgets as you play.
* To print a report, select the Print button.
* Click the Exit button on the toolbar to leave the Progress Report.

## What’s Inside EarthQuest Headquarters?

Headquarters is the nerve center of EarthQuest. It is from here that Uncle Eli, Zack, and Jess monitor the state of the world. From EarthQuest headquarters, you can go down to the Robot Re-circuitry Center or you can take a closer look at the Map Screen.

* Hyper Space
* Pollution Solution
* Mine Games
* Viral Vanguard
* Insect Overthrow
* Canopy Crusade
* Monument Mischief
* Robot Recircuitry Center
* Space Scan
* Tutor Mode
* Finale

## Map Screen

### Object

The map screen is an ingenious invention of Uncle Eli’s. It flashes warnings wherever there is trouble. Click on a Hot Spot Icon to select a mission and then choose either Zack or Jess to board a Pod bound for that region.

The map will display six mission icons and dots.

* Pollution
* Mine
* Viral
* Insect
* Canopy
* Monument

Click on the smaller dots to display information about different world locations.

## Hyper Space

### Object

In order to land the pod in a Hot Spot, you need to figure out the landing code.

* As the hero you selected is flying the pod, a clue will be given. Shoot at the correct pieces that answer the question or make a connection.
* After five connections have been made the left hand panel tiles will be filled with one or two letters.
* Arrange the scrambled tiles to form a word or name by clicking on a tile and dragging it to one of the squares in the center of the screen. This will form the landing code.

Curriculum: Science

## Pollution Solution

### Object

This sabotaged factory is leaking toxic waste that could pollute the environment. Navigate your pod around the plant and answer mathematical problems before the barrels spill!

Pod Navigation: the RIGHT and LEFT ARROW keys move the pod to the right and left. The UP ARROW key enables the pod to jump. The ENTER key selects an answer. The TAB key activates a pod gadget.

* Once a correct answer has been given you will proceed to the next factory area.
* Once you are taken to the arcade game you will need to jump the toxic puddles and avoid the yellow bots.
* After the arcade game you will automatically go to an elevator that will lead you to the next level. On the way you will start the Sonic Shower that will clear the floor of toxins.

Curriculum: Math

## Mine Games

### Object

A.R.T.'s minions have placed explosive and poisonous mines in the oceans of the world. You must use the submarine pod to defuse the mines and save the various sea habitats.

Pod Navigation: the RIGHT and LEFT ARROW keys move the pod to the right and left. The UP and DOWN ARROW keys move the pod up or down. The ENTER key selects and releases an answer. The TAB key activates a pod gadget.

* Each mine will have a question or category display.
* Answer will be in bubbles and will float up from the bottom of the screen.
* Steer the pod to touch the correct bubble and press ENTER.
* Once you have the bubble, place it at the stem protruding from the bottom of the mine. Press ENTER to release the bubble.
* Don't let the shark bots touch your pod. If they do, your pod will lose strength. If you lose too much pod strength, you'll have to return to EarthQuest.

Curriculum: Language Arts

## Viral Vanguard

### Object

A.R.T. has infected several endangered species with viro-bots. They have the ability to disable the animals’ natural defenses, rendering them helpless in the wild. The cell pod will enable you to fight the viro-bots inside the animal.

Pod Navigation: the RIGHT and LEFT ARROW keys move the pod to the right and left. The UP and DOWN ARROW keys move the pod up or down. The TAB key activates a pod gadget.

* Move the pod directly to the correct answer and touch it with the pod. Press the ENTER key.
* During the regular part of this activity you have three lives. After three hits from the viro-bots you will lose a pod life.
* In the arcade artery you must gobble up the blue viro-bots. You can do this just by passing over them. If you eat all eight blue viro-bots in the arcade game, you will completely restore your pod.

Curriculum: Science

## Insect Overthrow

### Object

Mysterious clamps are killing trees in the world’s forests. The EarthQuest team must infiltrate the trees and solve the code that unlocks the clamps and removes them from the trees. But there are a lot of dangers lurking in the woods.

Pod Navigation: the RIGHT ARROW key moves counter clockwise and the LEFT ARROW key moves the pod in a clockwise direction. The UP ARROW key moves the pod toward the center of the tree and DOWN ARROW key moves the pod to the outside rings of the tree. The ENTER key selects and releases an answer. The TAB key activates a pod gadget.

Avoid the green millipedes and also avoid the blue tree bug. If any of these bugs come into contact with your pod, the pod will lose strength. If you lose enough pod strength, you will need to return to EarthQuest. The red center of the tree is a Safe Zone. No bugs will attack you here. If you need time to think about a question, stay in the center of the tree until you know the answer.

* Using the tree ring pod, hop along the rings of the tree to catch the correct answer node.
* Once you have found the correct answer grab the node and hop back to the center of the tree ring. To release the node press the enter key.
* When five questions have been answered correctly and dropped in the center of the tree by pressing ENTER, the tree clamp will come off.

Curriculum: Math

## Canopy Crusade

### Object

Beneath the dense canopy of the rainforest lurks a threat to the existence of the entire planet! Hovering in the heli-pod, you must track down the exact location of A.R.T.’s accomplice, stop the destruction and replant the damaged areas.

Pod Navigation: rapidly tap the RIGHT and LEFT ARROW keys to move the pod to the right and left. Rapidly tap the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move the pod up and down. The ENTER key selects and releases an answer. The TAB key activates a pod gadget.

* Uncle Eli will instruct you to select an area that needs to be saved. You must drop answer bags into the grid where you can see the villain's bulldozer.
* Move the pod to the bag of rainforest fortification supplies that corresponds to the correct answer. These will be on the right side of the screen.
* Press ENTER to pick up the bag. Move the pod to the selected grid containing the villain's bulldozer. To drop the answer bag press ENTER.

Curriculum: Science

## Rainforest Villain Challenge

### Object

Once you have correctly answered 5 questions, you must face off with the villain. Use your game pieces in an attempt to overthrow the villain and abolish the damage in the rainforest.

* When you arrive at the close up of the grid, you must get six of your pieces in a row before the villain does. To do this, click on the game piece on the left side of the screen. After you click on the piece, drag it to the desired location on the grid and click your mouse. The piece will then be placed. If you can surround two of the villain's game pieces with one of your game pieces on either side, the villain's pieces will be changed to your side, but be careful, he can do the same to you.
* As you progress in answering questions correctly, Uncle Eli will give you some pod gadgets to help you win the grid game. You can activate these game pieces by pressing the tab key on your keyboard.

## Monument Mischief

### Object

The ancient monuments of the world are eroding at an accelerated rate, thanks to A.R.T.’s corrosive chemicals. Use your knowledge of history to save the monuments from crumbling irrevocably into dust.

* Pod Navigation: the RIGHT and LEFT ARROW keys move the pod to the right and left. The UP and DOWN ARROW keys move the pod up or down. The ENTER key selects and releases an answer block. The TAB key activates a pod gadget when you have earned one.
* Jump the pod from block to block on the pyramid for the correct answer. When you land on a colored block, a possible answer will appear in a blank space on the scroll.
* Each blank on the scroll has three different answers color coordinated with it.
* When you think you are on the correct answer to a question in the scroll press ENTER.
* If you want to change a selected answer, hop onto the colored block of the answer you want changed and press ENTER. This will remove the answer from the scroll. Then jump to another block with the same color for the answer you want.
* Don't let the scorpion bots touch your pod. If they do, your pod will lose strength. If you lose too much pod strength, you'll have to return to EarthQuest.

Curriculum: History

## Robot Recircuitry Center

### Object

Once one of A.R.T.’s robot accomplices has been captured, Roswell returns to HQ with the hapless villain. You must then assist Zack and Jess in re-wiring the robot’s brain chip in order to get the coordinates of A.R.T.’s last transmission.

* Zack and Jess sit at the controls of the Data Retrieval panel.
* Click on a highlighted villain monitor to select a villain.
* Unscramble the word problems by clicking on one of the dark green idiom boxes. Then choose another box that best matches the first box.
* Once the correct connections have been made you will receive coordinate clues.

Curriculum: Language Arts

## Space Scan

### Object

Enter the coordinates from the re-organizer exercise onto the space map and then "scan" the area plotted for A.R.T.’s capsule. After you have captured all of A.R.T.’s robots, you will be able to narrow down the location of the capsule in space.

* Plot the coordinates using the "X" and "Y" numbers on the right side of the screen.
* A light will appear on each correctly plotted point.
* When you have successfully plotted all four points, Zack and Jess will scan the area for A.R.T. and Enos. A.R.T. is pretty crafty though, so you'll have to catch all the villains before you can narrow down where he is.

Curriculum: Geometry

## Tutor Mode

The Tutor Mode assists your child in curriculum areas in which he or she is having difficulty. The Tutor Mode is styled like a high tech monitor.

In the Tutor Mode, there is information about content contained in JumpStart Adventures 6th Grade. If you are having trouble with a type of question, select the topic area from the heading on the top of the screen, then click on the sub-topic for which you would like more information.

If your child makes frequent mistakes on any of the games, he or she will automatically be sent into the appropriate section of the Tutor Mode. When your child successfully solves the sample problems he or she will automatically return to the same location in the game.

## Finale

Once you’ve captured all the destructive robots, get ready for a final, no-holds-barred showdown with A.R.T.!

Feel free to visit any of your favorite EarthQuest activities through my simulated EarthQuest training center available through the progress report or sign in as a new player to start the adventure all over again.