Best New Software

Volume 31, Number 4, April 2004

Joanne Troutner

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Mozart’s Magic Flute.
Music Games International. Grades 3-9.
These two programs provide a myriad of musical games and trivia activities. The Nutcracker includes nine activities and mesmerizing musical jigsaw puzzles. The Magic Flute contains eight games and nine twisted musical riddles. Both programs encourage appreciation for music as well as providing practice with critical thinking skills.

Ancient History.
Teaching for Thinking. Grades 6-8.
This CD offers an introduction to ancient civilizations and sections on Greece, Rome and Egypt. Excellent audio is interwoven with still images while Nefertiti, Archimedes or Cleopatra narrates the content-rich story. A timeline, questions to think about, web links and a well-developed teacher’s guide round out the resource.

Skill Navigator Mathematics.
Riverdeep. Grades 9-12.
Designed to provide practice in more than 190 mathematical and test-taking strategies, this resource provides students with an initial assessment and then progresses through a customized curriculum of interactive tutorials, practice assessments and a variety of tests. Student progress is reported on all tests. Good, comprehensive program for drill and skill use.

Classroom Jeopardy.
Educational Insights. Grades 3-9.
This game unit includes cartridges with pre-programmed questions and the necessary student and teacher controllers. Easy to use, the cartridges allow for the display of true Jeopardy-style games on a classroom television. Blank cartridges allow students and/or teachers to create their own versions.

Joanne Troutner is director of Media/Technology for the Tippecanoe School Corporation and owner of Creative Computer Enterprises in Lafayette, Indiana. She can be contacted at troutner@mindspring.com.