Newton's Quest 4th Grade

by Vivendi Universal

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005KG67
• Item model number: 71302
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 15, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,847 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From Children's Software Revue® -- "Subscribe Now!"

Created in response to the US government's call for increased standardized testing of elementary and middle school students, this ambitious program attempts to help children develop fundamental skills. Its material has been correlated to major educational standards in California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas. There are both home and school versions available, and each of the grade-level based products has two CDs. Grades currently available are 4th, 5th and 6th. In our review of the fourth grade product, we found great strengths and also significant weaknesses. Newton is the alien host of the program. He has an observatory corner where kids can learn about the planets, and a reading corner where children can peruse an interactive atlas or read up on the seven wonders of the world. Newton also has a cool game machine that can be used when kids have earned enough points. At the heart of the program are the math and language arts skills areas that offer hundreds of exercises and lessons on topics like punctuation, vocabulary, dictionary use, computation, geometry, place value and so on. The exercises are presented in varied multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank formats. Records are kept, personalization features are plentiful, and success is rewarded with points to be redeemed at the game machine. It takes a lot of work to earn points, but the practice afforded is very solid. Strengths include the program's depth and breadth of content (there are 400 exercises with 4,000 questions!), the game reward system and the fun personalization options. Weaknesses include long transitions between screens, cumbersome navigation (multiple clicks required to move about), and too little onscreen help. In sum, this program has a great deal to offer, but its design flaws sometimes stand in the way.
Teaches:
Age Range: Copyright © 2001 Children's Software Revue

Amazon.com Product Description

Give children an edge in test taking with Newton's Quest test-preparation software. Its educational content and format correlate to standardized tests, giving kids the advantage they need in a rich, 3-D environment that can motivate and inspire them to succeed. Children explore and interact with a multitude of different environments filled with multimedia activities in two different, but interrelated modules.

In the Exploration module, children command their very own fully equipped, 3-D space station, comprised of subject-based rooms that are stocked with learning tools and hours of exploration. In the Test Prep module, they will find an interactive five-step learning environment that focuses on building critical skills and problem-solving strategies that center on math and language skills. These challenges will help improve performance on standardized tests. The software also features comprehensive research tools and a reward system that will help motivate children to complete exercises.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this, August 19, 2003

By 

Talya M. Bates "Travel, food and anime" (Kent, Oh) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Newton's Quest 4th Grade (CD-ROM)

This "game" is perfect for getting your child used to the multiple choice set of todays tests. It is set up in a way that is not intimidating to the player and is fun as well. This product is teaching my child information that she has not learned yet in class. I love it!

8 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A CONCERNED PARENT, May 30, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Newton's Quest 4th Grade (CD-ROM)

I BOUGHT THIS PRODUCT FOR MY NINE YEAR OLD, WHO IS GONG INTO THE FOURTH GRADE. WHILE SETTING UP THE PROGRAM IN OUR COMPUTER, IT FROZE UP. WE COULD NOT GET THE PROGRAM TO WORK. AFTER ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES, I CALLED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. WHEN YOU CALL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, YOU GO THROUGH SOME PROMPTS AND THEN YOU'RE TRANSFERED TO THE NEXT AVAILABLE OPERATOR. THE PHONE WILL RING TEN TIMES, THEN YOU'RE PUT ON HOLD FOR ABOUT THIRTY SECONDS BEFORE YOU'RE DISCONNECTED. I THOUGHT MAYBE I HAD A BAD CONNECTION OR SOMETHING, SO I TRIED THREE MORE TIMES - SAME THING HAPPENED EACH TIME! I CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY TRANSFERED ME TO THE SAME NUMBER, WHERE IT ALL HAPPENED AGAIN!! I GUESS I'M STUCK BECAUSE ONCE YOU BREAK THE SEAL ON SOFTWARE YOU CAN'T RETURN IT. I FOUND THE EXPERIENCE VERY UPSETTING AND MY LITTLE GIRL IS NOT HAPPY TO HAVE RECEIVED A GIFT THAT DIDN'T WORK!!