Math Bug user's manual

1. Introduction
This is a game written for the fourth grade classes of Cristine Mendoca and Holly Polhemus at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School in Providence, RI by a group of students at Brown University in the context of a course on educational software, CS92.  The goal of the game is to help students practice calculating area and perimeter.  It is modeled on a creative workspace where students make shapes and then converse with the computer as it asks them questions about their design.  The program is divided into three parts:  tutorial, game and rewards sections.
 

2. Tutorial
The tutorial is intended to help students who have questions about how to calculate area and perimeter.  It is divided into two sections, area and perimeter, which each include three subsections, rectangles, triangles and irregular shapes.  Additionally, there is a tutorial to learn how to play the game.  Students can choose which subject they would like to explore and navigate at their own pace through a series of screens explaining the chosen concept using an example.  Students may go directly to the tutorial from the opening screen or from the game.  If students ask for help while playing the game, they will jump directly to the tutorial section explaining the type of question being asked in the game.  Players can click on any text in the tutorial, as in the game, to have it read to them.  At any point in the tutorial, students may jump back to their game.
 
 

3. Game
The idea of this game design is to allow students a large amount of flexibility to create shapes in a workspace environment while providing calculation exercises in a dialog format.  There are no timers and students can add and erase tiles unlimitedly.  If they have a question, the tutorials are always available to guide them.  This format should allow students to re-use this game without getting bored.
The game is divided into eleven levels of increasing difficulty.  Students may start at any level they wish.  No games can be saved.  Students create shapes on a grid using square and triangular tiles.  Vertical and horizontal edges of tiles are two units long.  In the interest of ease of calculation, diagonal edges are rounded to three units.  The computer then asks players questions about their shapes.  It also asks them to make changes to their shapes like increasing their area or perimeter.  Players may make single or multiple shapes.  At all times when asked to do calculations, they must calculate the combined area or perimeter of all their shapes on the grid.  If a student answers the same question incorrectly three times, he will jump directly to the tutorial.  Clicking on the perimeter button with display the lengths of the exterior sides of a shape.  The area button will display the area of all tiles on the grid.  Clicking on these buttons again will remove these labels.  The white tile will erase any other tile.  Clicking on a text will have it read aloud.
 
3.1 Level key
1. Perimeter of a rectangle
2. Perimeter of a rectangle continued
3. Perimeter of a triangle
4. Area of a square
5. Area of a triangle
6-8 Area and perimeter with increasing numbers of bugs
9-11 Practice at area and perimeter with random numbers of bugs

Level 1-This level introduces the idea of perimeter of a rectangle.  It also provides an initial structure for students to learn how to play the game.  When the grid appears,
there is a rectangle with one block missing which the students are asked to complete.  They then do calculations of perimeter.
Questions:
Complete the rectangle. Press done.
How many whole tiles make up the rectangle?
What is the perimeter of one whole tile?
How many sides does the rectangle have?
How long is one short side of the rectangle?
What is the perimeter of the rectangle?
Now erase one tile from the rectangle and press done.
What is the perimeter of the new shape?
Press done for the next level.

Level 2-This level continues the study of perimeter of a rectangle started in level 1.  The grid initially appears with an incomplete rectangle, larger than the previous level, and again students calculate perimeter.
Questions:
Complete the rectangle. Press done.
How many filled tiles make up the rectangle?
What is the length of one of the long sides of the rectangle?
How much longer is a long side than a short side?
What is the perimeter of the rectangle?
Now make your shape smaller and press done.
What is the perimeter of the new shape?
Press done for the next level.

Level 3-This level introduces the calculation of the perimeter of a triangle.  As in the previous levels, the grid appears with an incomplete shape, this time a triangle, already on the screen.  Students are allowed to use both square and triangular tiles for the first time.
Questions:
Complete the triangle. Press done.
How many whole tiles are in the triangle?
How many half tiles are in the triangle?
How long is the base of the triangle?
What is the perimeter of the triangle?
Now erase half of the triangle and press done.
What is the perimeter of the new shape?
Press done for the next level.

Level 4-This level introduces the calculation of area for the first time.  It deals with an incomplete square, which appears on the grid at the beginning of the level.  Students complete it and calculate its area.
Questions:
Complete the square.  Then press done.
How many whole tiles are in the square?
What is the area of one whole tile?
How long is one side of the square?
What is the area of the square?
Make the square into a bigger shape and press done.
What is the area of your shape?
Press done for the next level.

Level 5-This level introduces the calculation of the area of a triangle.  An incomplete triangle appears on the grid initially.  Students complete it and calculate its area.  The important concept is that a half tile has half of the area of a whole tile.
Questions:
Complete the triangle.  Press done.
How many whole tiles are in the triangle?
What is the area of one whole tile?
How many half tiles are in the triangle?
What is the area of one half tile?
What is the area of the triangle?
Make a bigger shape and press done.
What is the area of your new shape?
Press done for the next level.

Level 6-This is the first free-drawing level.  It appears with a bug which students must cover with any shape they wish.  The computer will then ask them questions about their shape and ask them to modify it.  This level and subsequent levels include calculation of both area and perimeter.
Questions:
Cover the bug.  Then press done.
How many tiles total are in your shape?
What is the perimeter of your shape?
Change your shape to make the perimeter larger.  Keep the bug covered.
What is the new perimeter of your shape?
What is its area?
Change your shape so that its area is twice as large.
What is the new area of your shape?
Press done for the next level.

Level 7-This level is essentially the same as level 6 except that it has more bugs.  This requires the students shapes to be larger, making calculations perhaps more difficult.
Questions:
Cover the bugs.  Then press done.
How many tiles are in your shape?
What is the area of your shape?
Change your shape so that its area is smaller.
What is the new area of your shape?
What is its perimeter?
Change your shape to make the perimeter twice as large.
What is the new perimeter of your shape?
Press done for the next level.

Level 8-This level is again like levels 6 and 7, with even more bugs.  Again, the goal is to encourage students, when making larger shapes, to calculate by dividing large shapes into smaller ones rather than by counting all the squares and triangles.  As the shapes get larger, the counting method becomes more tedious and the division into smaller shapes more rewarding.
Questions:
Cover the bugs.  Then press done.
How many half tiles are in your shape?
What is the area of your shape?
Change your shape so that its perimeter is smaller.
What is the new perimeter of your shape?
What is its area?
Change your shape to make the perimeter twice as large.
What is the new area of your shape?
Press done for the next level.

Level 9-Levels 9-11 are the same.  They place bugs randomly and provide practice at calculating area and perimeter of large shapes.  Once they reach this level, the player will loop through levels 9, 10 and 11 over and over.
Questions:
Cover the bugs.  Then press done.
How many tiles are in your shape?
What is the area of your shape?
Change your shape so that its area is bigger.
What is the new perimeter of your shape?
What is its area?
Press done for the next level.

Level 10-See level 9.
Questions:
Cover the bugs.  Then press done.
How many whole tiles are in your shape?
How many half tiles are there?
What is the area of your shape?
Press done for the next level.

Level 11-See level 9.
Questions:
Make any shape that covers all bugs
How many blocks are in your shape?
What is the area of your shape?
What is the perimeter ?
Press done for the next level.
 

4. Rewards
Students reach the rewards section after completing a level.  This section allows students to choose from eleven objects they would like to build on their land.  After each level students may choose one object and upon returning to the rewards section after subsequent levels, the previously chosen objects will be saved.  Students may choose to build:
* Two basketball courts
* Two tennis courts
* A swimming pool
* A house
* A stable with a horse
* A pond with a boat
* A baseball field
* A forest
* A field of wildflowers
* A tent
* A rollercoaster

This section is based on the same model of a grid with movable tiles as the game.
 

5. Installation
Insert the CD into the CDRom drive and double click on the Math Bug file.  To quit the game, press quit.  There is some sound so be sure to adjust the volume of the computer accordingly.