The Super Science Show

Grades 3-6
C 2003 Micrograms Software

WINDOWS and MACINTOSH

Have fun with elementary science in 9 basic science categories:

Plants, Animals, The Human Body, Health, Weather,
The Earth, Matter, Energy, and The Universe

Installation and Startup

Computer Compatibility
The Super Science Show is recommended for Pentium level Windows 95/98/ME,
NT/2000/XP machines. It is also designed for use with Macintosh Power Macs, iMacs,
G3’s, and G4’s running OS 8.1 through OS X Classic.

Single-Station License
Macintosh: Insert the CD. Double-click on the Show icon and the Micrograms installer
icon. Select the “Standard Installation” option. When the installation is complete, close
the CD-ROM window and open the Show program folder in your hard drive window.
Click on the Show icon to start the program. The CD must be in the drive.

Note: It is recommended that you turn off security desktop programs (i.e., At Ease, On
Guard, etc.) and other extensions before you install new programs.

Windows 95/98/ME, NT/2000/XP: Insert the CD. Click on “Install Program” if it

appears, or go to Run on the Start menu and type D:\setup (where D is your CD-ROM
drive) and press Enter. Follow the standard screen directions to complete the installation.
The CD must be in the drive to run the program.

Network/Site License
A Network/Site License will install on a network server and/or on stand alone machines.
It then will operate independently of the program CD. To install the Network/Site
License version, insert the 3.5” enabler disk and the CD-ROM into their respective
computer drives. Then start the installation from the CD-ROM. For greater detail, see the
Micrograms Network + School Site License Users’Guide which accompanies
Network/Site License purchases.
 Directions and Options
The Game
Bob Treebark asks students to select one of 9 science categories. Students can choose to have a
300, 400, or 500 point question. Within each category is a separate game board. Students score
X’s and O’s by answering questions correctly.
Players can play against a friend or against an appropriate computer contestant. Knowledge of
basic science curriculum, a logical strategy, and perhaps a little luck help players to win. Since
Bob Treebark always takes the time to provide the correct answer when students are wrong,
contestants that pay close attention will learn as they play.

Game Options
Game options, accessible under Options on the menu bar, allow for teachers or students to
select 1 player, 2 players, 1 team, or 2 teams. Two students at one computer will probably select
the 2 player option. If only one student is at the computer, the one player option allows the
student to compete against a contestant provided by the computer. Some of the computer
contestants are more difficult to beat than others. Selecting teams rather than players affects only
the way in which Bob addresses players.

The option to play with 2 teams rather than two players works well if you have a large screen
viewable by the entire class. Bob will refer to “Team 1” rather than “Player 1”. A team
representative can then suggest the correct answer. If team names are selected from the
following list, Bob can refer to them by name:
Boys, Girls, Hawks, Falcons, Health Nuts, Storm Troopers,
Astronauts, Electrons, Androids, Star Gazers, Guys, Ladies, Raptors, Cruisers,
Bruisers, Performers, Eagles, Buzzards, Sharks, Team USA, Rebels, Raiders, Pirates,
Vikings, Jets, Knights, Road Runners, Minutemen, Patriots, Barracudas, Gators,
Koalas, Game Masters, Warriors, Braniacs, Quiz Kids, Dust Bunnies, Stars, Broccoli
Busters, Team X

Level 1
The object of the game at level one, is to get three marks in a row in a single category (i.e. 3 X’s
horizontally, vertically, or diagonally in the MATTER category). Good strategy dictates that if
player 1 chooses the category WEATHER, and earns a mark, that player 2 also chooses the
WEATHER category to prevent player one from gaining an advantage.

Remember, there is a gameboard within each of the 9 categories. If you select a new science
category, you will not see the X’s or O’s earned in a previously selected category. To review
where each player has played and to help decide where to play next, press M. Bob will display a
map showing the pattern of X’s and O’s earned in the game.
Level 2
At level two, players try to win or control a line of 3 categories. For example, 3 X’s in a row in
MATTER, 3 X’s in a row in PLANTS, and 3 X’s in a row in ANIMALS (given that MATTER,
PLANTS, and ANIMALS are in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line on the game board).
Actually, in many categories, neither player will score 3 marks in a row. When a category is
played out with no sequence of 3 like marks, the player with the most points earned within that
category wins the category. This is why it may be wise to select questions with a higher point
value, or at least to mark in 5 of the 9 boxes within a category.
A good strategy in level 2 is to secure the middle position (#5) in as many categories as possible
at the start of the game, rather than focusing on just one category. Keep in mind you are using a
tic-tac-toe strategy, but on 9 boards at once. Also, in order to place your X or O, you must answer
the question correctly. Again, when neither player gets 3 marks in a row to win a category, the
category is won by the player with the most points in that category. Remember that on any turn
you can select a 300, 400, or 500 point question.

Add Your Own Data!

Though there is significant data included with The Super Science Show at 3 levels in each of 9
categories, you may enjoy the flexibility to add additional questions.

A simple format allows the teacher or students to create questions which can be used within the
Super Science Show program. On the Options pull down, select Create question file. Select Level
1 to create questions presented as 300 point questions. Level 2 questions will become 400 point
questions, and Level 3 will be 500 point questions. Begin by typing a question. Provide the
correct answer. If only the correct answer is entered, it will be a fill-in-the-blank answer. If you
provide one, two, or three incorrect choices, your question will be presented in a multiple choice
format. Save the file when you are done.

Also on the Options pull down, you will find Choose included questions. This option enables you
to load saved files, that you created earlier, into the game data. Game questions in any of the 9
science categories, may then be selected from the provided game data or from questions added
by you. If you add data files (i.e. Sharks supplementing the Animals category), you may click on
the priority button to have your questions receive priority in the selection process. If you have
enough questions to fill the category (minimum 9 questions each at levels 1, 2, and 3), then Bob
will present only your questions in that category when priority is marked. If priority is not selected,
questions will be chosen randomly from Micrograms data and the data you added. To add to or
edit your files, select Edit Question File from the Options drop down menu.

When creating new game categories, the import and save as features allow you to first organize
data in sets such as Sharks, Marsupials, and Insects, and then to import and combine these sets
and rename the collection perhaps as 3review. This allows you to make a game category as
focused or inclusive as you choose.

Student Records and the Teacher Module

Record of Student Work
The Summary page displays how each student or team has performed in each of the 9 science
categories. When using Class Files, results can be viewed for the latest session, the last 5
sessions, or students’cumulative work. Choose to see scores as right/total, as a percent correct,
or as a letter grade. Note that the grading scale for letter grades may be established from the
Teacher Module. Results for each of the 9 science categories are divided into 300, 400, and 500
point questions. Thus, a third grader may do quite well with 300 point (third grade) questions, but
will naturally have more difficulty when attempting 400 or 500 point questions.
Class records are also shown on the Summary page. At a glance, teachers can quickly assess
the classes’overall understanding of each particular science category. By clicking on the ?, you
can view the most frequently missed questions. This provides a nice direction for future lessons
or quick explanations to explain why a specific answer is correct.
All records are available for printouts.

Class Files
When Super Science Show is first loaded, a name entry box invites the student to enter a name
before beginning work. The current class file is listed as “none”. When students use the program
with no class file shown, their work is not recorded for future reference.
To create a file for your class, select Teacher Module (administrator password required) from the
File menu. Click on Create New Class File. Type in the name of the file (i.e., Mrs. Jones), and
click OK. Save the newly created file in an appropriate place by specifying the drive and folder.
Follow the prompt to create a password for your file. Your class file password, or the
administrative password, will allow access to the Teacher Module.
Teacher Module File Management
Located on the Teacher Module File Menu for Windows (at the bottom of the Teacher Module
panel for Macintosh), are some features which are especially helpful for anyone administering
over multiple class files. One very nice convenience made available in the Teacher Module File
Menu is the capability to import and export names from text files (tab delimited format). This
enables teachers to Create a Class File and then import an existing text file from school records.
Also, once a class list has been created in one Micrograms program, it may then be exported and
available to import into a second Micrograms program.
Teachers can also Open class files, Delete class files, and Select a class file folder. Each of
these actions requires the Administrator password. Note that though teachers can open their own
class file with their class file password, they can not open other class files. This, hopefully, will
limit the effect of creative exploring by students if one or two teachers leave password doors
open.

For additional safeguards in navigating through program features, the teacher may choose to
require passwords for printing, opening class files, and student name selection. Passwords and
lock settings will pertain specifically to the current class file.
The Teacher Module is also where you might change the settings for the grading scale which
affects the grades displayed on the summary.
If you need to change your class file password it is easily done from the Teacher Module. If you
have forgotten your password, use the administrator password to access the Teacher Module,
then change to a new class file password.

Password Tip
Setting up class files for the entire school can be a sizable task. When opening files,
importing files, etc., you will encounter several requests for passwords. By leaving the
administrator password entry box empty at first, you can bypass all password
requests with the Enter key (or click OK). Then, after all class files are complete and
teacher passwords established, go to File on the Teacher Module and change the
administrator password to something more effective.