Cave Writings

Cave Writings is a location and an activity in JumpStart 2nd Grade. It is accessed by clicking on the 'Cave Writings' button on the elevator. It is designed to teach visual discrimination and language arts skills for second grade.

Characters

 * CJ
 * Edison
 * Arvin

Premise
CJ and Edison descend into the JumpStart Caves to decode cryptic messages.

Description
Before the player can reach the caves where the writings are located, they must solve a riddle from the cave keeper, Arvin the caterpillar. Arvin will ask a multiple-choice question related to biology. The player must select the correct answer to cross Arvin's bridge to the caves.

Once inside the caves, the player must decode a word on the rock wall. Words are written in either Braille, American Sign Language, or Larvaic (language of the larvae). The arrow near the bottom right of the rock wall changes the key on the wall. There are three keys for deciphering the three languages. The player should find the key that correlates to the writings on the wall.

Once the player has the right key, they must translate the word by matching each of the symbols to a letter of the English alphabet. The player must click and drag the letters, and drop them beneath the symbols to spell out a word.

Riddles
Answers are in bold.


 * You are an insect and you want to dance--how many legs in this circumstance?
 * three, six, twenty, eight


 * A spider can have quite a speedy run--how many legs crawl the web she spun?
 * nine, eight, two, none


 * Which one of these would you congratulate--on its fine ability to hibernate?
 * orangutan, worm, bear, dog


 * I'm not talking mammal or reptilian, the one I'm looking for is amphibian!
 * frog, boa constrictor, alligator, bald eagle
 * Error: A bald eagle is obviously not a mammal, but a reptile (which all birds are) since they lay eggs (unlike most mammals) and they have scales (their feet and their feathers being modified scales).


 * Three lay eggs, not all make a nest--which one of these is different than the rest?
 * snake, toad, monkey, dinosaur


 * Though all creatures are strong in their way, one of these could toss you like a bundle of hay.
 * ant, chipmunk, gazelle, elephant


 * He doesn't say meow, he doesn't pitter pat--which one of these is not a big cat?
 * jaguar, tiger, wolf, panther
 * Error: The panther doesn't really look like a panther at all, since it seems to have spots like a leopard. The panther is a spotless cat that is one and same with the mountain lion.


 * One of these might not smell the best--but our concern is much taller than the rest?
 * giraffe, skunk, raccoon, rattlesnake
 * Error: Rattlesnake is misspelled as "rattle snake" and raccoon is misspelled as "racoon."


 * These are all big cats it's quite plain--but which is known for its hairy mane?
 * house cat, bobcat, lion, puma


 * If we were racing these four at top speed-- who would be the winner--guaranteed?
 * cheetah, rabbit, fox, turtle


 * He sleeps upside down when he doesn't fly--what blind creature is in the night sky?
 * cougar, bat, king cobra, zebra
 * Error: Bats are not blind at all since their eyes are just very small and have sensitive vision. Plus, the term "blind as a bat" is just a figure of speech.


 * Birds are feathered and fly all around--but this odd sort lives only on the ground.
 * hummingbird, pigeon, kiwi, duck


 * Some peck, some gobble, and some may coo, this one swims, and very well too.
 * penguin, chicken, turkey, dove


 * The world is filled with odd creatures if you bother to look--but one of these you'll find only in a book.
 * manatee, hippopotamus, toucan, unicorn


 * Each of these animals is quite distinct--but which one of them is long extinct?
 * cricket, crocodile, baboon, Stegosaurus
 * Error: Stegosaurus should be italicized and the S should be capitalized.


 * Upon closer look (we call that inspect) one of these jokers is not an insect.
 * praying mantis, beetle, termite, octopus

Difficulty level differences

 * Level 1 (Scout): The player must spell words up to six letters long.
 * Level 2 (Explorer): The player must spell words up to ten letters long.
 * Level 3 (Trailblazer): The player must spell words up to twelve letters long.

Digital manual description
Step into the underground world of the JumpStart Caves and decode the secret messages. First, you must cross the bridge guarded by the Cave Keeper, a real cool caterpillar named Arvin. Arvin asks multiple choice word problems about animals. You must answer correctly to pass.

At the bridge, solve Arvin's riddle by clicking on the correct answer.

Click on alphabet sign to follow CJ and Edison into the cave!

Playing The Decoder

CJ helps us to identify the clues Edison hides using magical fairy dust. Rotate the decoder so that the symbols match those in the coded message. Then match the letters and signs to reveal the word!


 * Click on the Arrow near the bottom right of the decoder panel to change the language to match the secret message. You can choose from American Sign Language, Larvaic or Braille.
 * Click on the letter below the symbol on the panel to pick it up. Then, drag the letter to the empty space below the matching character in the decoder.
 * Click again to place it in the space.
 * When you complete a word, Edison will create a new message for you to decode.
 * Click the Green Arrow to return to the elevator.

Levels

1. Scout: up to six-letter words such as:

bud

muddy

jaw

nail

spell

bounce

cold

bowl

short

2. Explorer: up to ten-letter words such as:

friendly

morning

divided

sandal

weather

surprise

talking

screamed

yesterday

3. Trailblazer: up to twelve-letter words such as:

alphabetize

consonant

environment

camera

geometry

prediction

seventh

violin

measurement

Educational and Developmental Benefits

The decoder emphasizes visual discrimination and reinforces reading and spelling skills. Specific skills involved are sentence structure, word problems, deducing, basic logic and recognizing patterns.