Middle School - Brief Article

Instructor, April, 2000 by Warren Buckleitner

The design isn't flashy, but the content is plentiful, and the lessons are excellent in Geometry World, an all-purpose geometry program on CD-ROM for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. After a student signs in to a personal account, she or he may work through one of the 24 well-designed tutorials covering such subjects as right triangles, area, and volume. Alternatively, kids may choose an adventure game in which they tackle problems encountered while navigating a maze. We especially liked the computer simulations of traditional math-teaching tools, such as Venn diagrams, tan-gram blocks, and a geoboard. These simulations would be especially useful for demonstrating geometry concepts to the entire class. (You can do this via an LCD panel or a video-output cable that connects your computer to a television.)

The lessons don't have a lot of bells and whistles, like the game-show-type activities you'll find in Geometry Blaster (Knowledge Adventure), but they are to the point and often interactive. For a middle schooler, this program provides an excellent tool for either reinforcement or the initial introduction of a concept. The User Management Program allows the teacher to keep track discreetly of the progress of multiple students.

Geometry World, Cognitive Technologies Corporation, Win/Mac, $39.95; Grades 6 and up.

Warren Buckleitner is the editor of Children's Software Revue

He has taught preschool and fourth and sixth grades, and is an E.D.C. (eternal doctoral candidate)in educational psychology at Michigan State University.