The New Adventures of Jasper Woodbury: Sample Booklet

Spark your students' interest in math with this videodisc-based problem-solving series. The New Adventures of Jasper Woodbury is a multimedia videodisc series designed to improve both basic and higher order mathematics learning in Grade 5 and up. The series bridges the gap between "natural" and "school" learning environments by using real-life authentic content and complex problems called challenges. The focus is on building students' mathematics problem-solving skills, and the series includes links across the curriculum to science, social studies, literature, and other subjects. Each Jasper episode contains a discrete adventure and challenge, which begins with a short (approximately 20-min.) video story in which Jasper and his friends confront a problem to be solved. Students then work collaboratively in small groups, re-exploring the video to define subproblems and find the information needed to solve them. Finally, students present their solutions to fellow classmates and discuss the effectiveness of different approaches. They may also choose to extend the challenge by revisiting the adventure from new points of view. Jasper works because: the power of video creates an active learning environment, reallife stories help students to visualize and solve problems, barcoding of the story events on the videodiscs permits instant access to information imbedded in the stories, the teacher and student materials provide everything needed to solve the problems in 3 to 5 or more class periods, and it meets NCTM standards. Extensive research has shown that Jasper works well with both high- and low-achieving students. Following experiences with Jasper, students outperformed control groups in solving single- and multiple-step word problems as well as formulating problems to be solved. The exciting program creates positive attitudes toward mathematics and has been used successfully in thousands of classrooms. The following episodes are available: (For a description of and to order each episode, see the individual episode listing.) Jasper: In the Classroom - Training Video Jasper: Journey to Cedar Creek Jasper: Rescue at Boone's Meadow Jasper: The Big Splash Jasper: A Capital Idea Jasper: The Right Angle Jasper: The Great Circle Race Jasper: Get Out the Vote Jasper: Blueprint for Success Jasper: Bridging the Gap Jasper: Working Smart Jasper: The General is Missing Jasper: Kim's Komet