| Grade Level | System Requirement | Product Number |
|---|---|---|
| Grades 5-9 | Apple 128K | A335 |
| Students become employees of Arizona Mix, a young geologist searching for the lost mines of her home state, Arizona. Starting with a $100,000 expense account, kids travel to many places of geographical, cultural, and historical interest and interview people of varied backgrounds to get clues. After collecting clues, students go into the field to search for the lost mine. Whatever remains of their expense account after finding the lost mine is their reward — and their score. Arizona Mix gives kids the chance to exercise problem-solving skills and develop an appreciation for diverse cultures as they read for content, interpret information, and much more. | ||
Introduction
In this social studies product, students become employees of Arizona Mix, a young geologist who owns a business that searches for the lost mines and treasures of her home state, Arizona. As employees, students are given a more-than-sufficient expense account. They must travel to many places of geographic, cultural, and historic interest and interview people of many different backgrounds to get clues. After they collect all the clues, they must go into the field to actually search for the lost mine. After they find the mine, whatever remains of their expense account is their reward-and their score for the program. The Arizona Mix™ software program gives students the opportunity to exercise problem-solving skills and develop an appreciation for diverse cultures as they read for content and interpret that content for useful information.
Title: Arizona Mix
Subject: Interdisciplinary
Topic: Language arts; geography; U.S. history; Arizona
Grade Range: 5-9
Program Type: Discovery-learning simulation
Required Hardware: Apple II series computer with 128K RAM; color monitor recommended but not required
Classroom Use: Individual students or small groups
Learning Objectives:
- collect, organize, record, and interpret data in order to solve the problems of finding the lost mine
- practice and develop reading and thinking skills while gaining historical and cultural knowledge
- gain an appreciation of the diversity of people in Arizona (and by extrapolation, in America)
- determine directions from observing and evaluating compass readings, sightings of geographic and geologic formations, and map information
Concepts Addressed in or Related to Arizona Mix:
- Native Americans were in the Southwest for millennia and included irrigation farmers of great skill
- The Spanish were the first Europeans in the area, and their descendants, the Mexicans, lived here for a long time before the area became part of the U.S.
- American Indians consistently fought for their country and their independence
- Many African Americans and Asian Americans settled in the West and took on many different roles