Lookout

The Lookout is an activity in JumpStart 2nd Grade. It is accessed by clicking on the ladder in the clubhouse. It is designed to teach astronomy at a second grade level.

Characters

 * CJ
 * Edison

Premise
CJ and Edison must protect the planets of the Solar System from being invaded by malevolent robotic aliens.

Description
At the beginning of the activity, CJ and Edison board the rocket ship. First, the player must inspect the planet map on the wall, which shows all the planets in the solar system. A clue will be read aloud, and the player must figure out which planet the clue refers to in order to find out which planet is under attack.

After the player has selected the correct planet, CJ and Edison will fly there. CJ reads the sign that says "Welcome to Mercury/Venus/Mars/Jupiter/Saturn/Uranus/Neptune/Pluto" while Edison comes out of the rocket. After landing on the planet, the player must control a land cruiser using the arrow keys to move and the space bar to shoot. The player must shoot all of the robotic aliens without letting the cruiser take too much damage or the aliens successfully invading the planet. The robotic aliens never invade Earth, because there's no scientific evidence that they'll invade the 3rd Planet from the Sun.

Academic

 * Level one (Scout): Clues to identify the planet under attack feature solar distances.
 * Level two (Explorer): Clues to identify the planet under attack feature physical properties of the planet.
 * Level three (Trailblazer): Clues to identify the planet require interpretive logic based on the clues in the first two levels.

Game Play

 * Level one (Scout): 20 aliens attack, but do not fire any shots.
 * Level two (Explorer): 25 aliens attack who randomly fire shots at the land cruiser. Asteroids also target the land cruiser.
 * Level three (Trailblazer): 30 aliens attack who fire direct shots. Asteroids also target the land cruiser.

Quotes

 * CJ: Pilot to copilot.
 * Edison: You mean me.
 * CJ: Lieutenant Edison, all systems are go.
 * Edison: Yeah, go already. Let's get this tin can off the ground.
 * CJ: Blast off! And we have touchdown! Welcome to ( name of planet ). Lieutenant Edison, ready for spacewalk?
 * Edison: My toes are tapping.
 * CJ: Commence space walk.
 * Edison: Ooh. A little nippy out here.
 * CJ: Lieutenant, any sign of aliens?
 * Edison: Not yet, sir.
 * CJ: We'll use this chart to monitor the number of aliens that land on the planet. Be very careful! If five aliens land, then the planet will be invaded. The yellow column shows how many aliens you've defeated. Keep an eye on it as you defend the planet. Ready to deploy Land Cruiser?
 * Edison: Roger, commander.
 * CJ: You can control the Land Cruiser by using the left and right arrow keys. Use the spacebar to fire.
 * Edison: Alert! Alert! Aliens approaching.
 * CJ: Get ready. Here they come. Fire!

Digital manual description
Climb the Clubhouse ladder to reach the Lookout. From here you can blast off into outer space to defend the solar system from aliens. Listen to the clues from the Intergalactic Alien Task Force to identify which planet is being invaded. Use the land cruiser to defend the planet! Help CJ and Edison scout for aliens. Hurry, if more than five aliens land, they will take over the planet!


 * Listen to the clue from the computer.
 * Click the Planet Map on the wall.
 * Use the clue to select which planet to save.

Defending the Planet


 * Use the Right and Left Arrow Keys to move the land cruiser.
 * Use the space bar to fire a deflector pellet that pushes the alien away.
 * Keep an eye on the alien gauge to see how many aliens have invaded while you are shooting.

Levels

1. Scout: The clues for the planets are the solar distances. Twenty aliens attack, but they do not shoot.

2. Explorer: The clues to identify the planet under attack the physical properties. During the attack you face 25 aliens who shoot randomly at the land cruiser! Asteroids also target the land cruiser!

3. Trailblazer: The clues require interpretive logic based on questions from the Scout and Explorer levels. During the attack you face 30 aliens who shoot directly at you. The asteroids also target the land cruiser!

Educational and Developmental Benefits

The Space Blaster game increases familiarity with objects in the solar system and their properties. Visual discrimination and categorization are required to play successfully.

Trivia

 * At the time of the game's creation, Pluto was still considered a planet, and thus is included in the activity.
 * Billion is thousand million when you add a triple zero.
 * Earth is the only planet in which the robotic aliens never invade.