CD-ROM
RSS-- School Library Journal, 01/01/2006
Art | Language Arts
Art
The Great Art Robbery: I.C. Well and the Case of the Fleeing Impressionists. CD-ROM. Systems: Win 98 & later, Mac Classic and Mac OS X. Crystal Prods. 2005. #CPP-5391. single site: $29.95; 5-copy lab pack: $99.95.
Gr 4-8-Detective I.C. Well has been called in to solve an international crime of theft and forgery. He discovers that great Impressionist paintings have been stolen and have been copied by master thief and forger Artis Ubiquitous. It is up to I.C. and the student players to discover which of the recovered paintings are real and which are fakes. There are three levels of difficulty to the game, but the differences between them are not great. Art experts Nancy Rosen and Ed Paschke provide information about the artists through video clips, and reference books are available with more facts about the lives and techniques of the painters. In the lab, student detectives can scrutinize the three fakes and one original close up, and can also examine the canvases with an X-ray.Unfortunately, the clues provided, although they are interesting, don't help much, and the lab only allows us to examine very small sections of the paintings at a time, which can be confusing. Some students who tried the game actually scored better by guessing, without doing any research. The CD also includes quizzes about the artists, paintings, and the Impressionist period based on the information that is available in the research sections. The animation in the introduction is fairly rudimentary, and differences between the paintings are only evident while using the magnifying glass in the lab. Students were much more enthused about Crystal Production's Artus Against the Demon in the Museum, a CD-ROM in which students help a clever mouse save masterpieces in a museum (June, 2005, p. 84). Still, The Great Art Robbery provides a good introduction to the Impressionist movement and its painters, and may encourage further exploration of the topic.—MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY
Language Arts
Essay Express: Strategies for Successful Essay Writing. CD-ROM. Systems: Win 98 & later, Mac OS 8.6 & later. with tchr's. guide. Fable Vision. 2005. single site, #EE01-01: $89.95; 5 copy lab pack, #EE01-05: $320; contact producer for additional pricing.
Gr 4-8-This highly interactive program uses animation and music, including a robot named BOTEC and a rock band called Rotten Green Peppers, to help middle grade students write better essays. The adult narrators converse with the cartoon characters and users, offering activities at frequent intervals. The three-part program begins with "Before the Essay," which suggests listening to the teacher's cues about what is important. "During the Essay" covers how to determine what is being asked and sketch out the essay using the mnemonic BOTEC (brainstorm, organize, topic sentence, evidence, and conclusion). Here, users learn to hook readers, provide meaningful evidence, use transitions and sequences, and tie up the essay with a conclusion. Graphics are simple and colorful, and users have the option of hearing the sentences read aloud. Students are prompted to highlight or click and drag best possible sentence choices for a variety of essays and are praised for correct answers. "After the Essay" discusses the value of using extra time to review and looks at ways teachers grade essays. "Extras" compares short and long essays using a sandwich or a Greek temple analogy. The Rotten Green Peppers sing a rap song reinforcing the strategies, and there is a printable list of signal words and other graphic organizers. Clicking on "snapshot" reminds students of uncompleted sections. This is an engaging and intuitive program that provides a simple and effective essay structure for middle grade students.—Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
