Ink Learning :

What is the minimum system required to operate Primary Steps games?
System requirements:

• Windows XP/Mac OS X Snow Leopard
• 1.2GHz Intel processor (or equivalent) and later
• 512MB RAM
• 40MB hard disk space

My school uses Apple Macintosh processors. Will the game work on these machines?

Yes. Primary Steps is currently available for use with Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

Can a pupil start playing immediately?

Yes.  Just click ‘Start Game’ and select the ‘Play Now’ option.

How do I set up a class?

• Click ‘Teacher Setup’ on the start screen (top right corner)
• Click the ‘Class List’ button to take you to the class list screen.
• Click the ‘Add New’ button to bring up a dialog that lets you enter the class and teacher name, then click ‘Save’
• The created class will now be displayed in the list. Click the ‘Edit’ button on the same row as the class to open up the ‘Pupil List’ for the class.
• Click ‘Add New’ to open a dialog that allows you to enter the pupils full name and a display name to be used throughout the game. The pupil can also choose a character to play with, from a selection of five, then click ‘Save’
• Repeat number five until all pupils have been added.

How do I set up a group?

• Click ‘Teacher Setup’ on the start screen (top right corner)
• Click the ‘Pupil Groups’ button to take you to the group list screen.
• Click the ‘Add New’ button to take you to the group creation screen.
• Enter a group name in the area that says ‘Enter Group Name Here’.
• From the ‘Select Class’ dropdown, click on the class that you want to add pupils from.
• Either drag and drop the pupil names from the class on the left to the group on the right, or click the ‘All’ button to transfer all the pupils in the class.
• Click ‘Save and Return’.

Do I need to use a dancemat?

No, an interactive whiteboard, keyboard, and/or mouse can be used.

Can we have multiple classes and/or groups?

Yes, just follow the above instructions to create a single class as many times as required.

Do I have to create new classes for each game?

No, classes, pupils, and groups are shared across both the Maths and Phonics games.

I would like to buy an extra mats. Do you supply them or can you suggest a supplier?

We can supply mats. Simply go to the Primary Steps Phonics order page and select ‘Additional Dance Mats’ from the order form.

What mats are compatible with the Primary Steps games?

The mats are standard dance mats and require a USB connection to your computer.

Is there a discount when both games are purchased at the same time?

The short answer is yes. Go to the Primary Steps Phonics order page page to check out the deals available.

What age group(s) are the games suitable for?

Primary Steps games are aimed at Early Years children. (This normally covers the age range between three and six).

Are any other games planned in the future?

Yes, we are currently developing a Science game for Early Years children. We are always looking at ways in which we can support essential curriculum content using new and innovative interactive ideas to enhance the learning experience. Primary Steps Science is the next exciting game in development. Pupils will be able to experiment with energy and forces, magnetism and electricity. They can explore how the moon, earth and sun interact to make day and night, learn about Newtons law of gravity and Darwin’s tree of life and much more.

Do the games follow the curriculum?

Primary Steps maths is based on the Scottish Early Years curriculum and Primary Steps Phonics is designed to support ALL programmes using basic literacy in ’synthetic phonics’.

Is there a maximum number of words that can be added to the existing Phonics library ?

No, although used disk space and time to save/load will increase.

Can we create our own word lists to use in game?

Yes, creating word lists is the same process as creating pupil groups:

• Click ‘Teacher Setup’ on the start screen (top right corner)
• Click the ‘Word Groups’ button to take you to the word groups list screen.
• Click the ‘Add New’ button to take you to the word group creation screen.
• Enter a group name in the area that says ‘Enter List Name Here’.
• From the ‘Letters’ dropdown, select the letter that the word to be added starts with.
• Either drag and drop a word from the words table on the left to the group on the right, or click the ‘All’ button to transfer all the words at once.
• Click ‘Save and Return’.

Can we add new words to the existing word list?

Yes:

• Click ‘Teacher Setup’ on the start screen (top right corner)
• Click the ‘Word Bank’ button to take you to the word list screen.
• Click the ‘Add New’ button to display a dialog to create words.
• For each grapheme-phoneme pair in a word:
• Enter the grapheme(s) where it says ‘Enter Grapheme’
• Select the corresponding phoneme from the ‘Select Phoneme’ drop down.
• Click ‘Add To Word’ to add the phoneme-grapheme pair.
• Repeat until the word is created.
• Click ‘Bank Word’
• Repeat for any number of words.
• Click ‘Save and Return’.

Can we display the word before playing the game?

Yes:

• From the ‘Teacher Setup’ screen, select ‘Game Settings’
• Then click the checkbox ‘Display word hint at beginning of game’.