Week 4 – Wikipedia & Seven Little Words
We want your tablet to add connection, fun, and learning to your life. So your tablet includes over a dozen apps and functions that you will find useful, fun and engaging. This lesson will dive into two of those apps, Wikipedia and Seven Little Words. In this lesson we’ll provide a brief description of the app and enough information for you to start your exploration.
Wikipedia – Your online encyclopedia
When most of us were growing up, many families had an encyclopedia in their homes. Whether it was the Encyclopedia Britannica, World Book or Compton’s or an encyclopedia that you accessed at your local library, encyclopedias were a comprehensive source of information about almost any important topic.
Your tablet includes the Wikipedia app which is a modern online equivalent to a classic encyclopedia set. But it offers much more by being current and more complete. Let’s get started.
Launch the app by tapping the Wikipedia icon.
You essentially have two options from the opening screen:
- Browse the content of the Wikipedia Home screen that often includes a featured article, picture of the day and an In the News current events section.
- Use the “Search Wikipedia” search bar to search for a topic,
Wikipedia Home Screen
The Wikipedia Home Screen immediately provides information for reading and learning. This includes Today on Wikipedia, a list of topics selected by the news and events of the day and the Picture of the Day, an image from the Wikipedia collection intended to be visually appealing and thought provoking.
Tap on any topic or image of interest to read more about this subject. Tapping opens up a world of learning.
Search Wikipedia
Even more powerful is your ability to search for a specific topic. Wikipedia has nearly 7 million articles and search allows you to move directly to a topic of interest. That topic of interest could be almost anything, a place, person, event or interest. You have the world at your fingertips!
You will find a Search Wikipedia search bar at the top of every page.
Search for a particular topic by tapping on the Search Wikipedia search bar and typing a desired topic using the onscreen keyboard. The topic you seek could include places, people, events, businesses, products and more.
Quick Video Tutorial on Wikipedia Search
Watch this video to get an overview of using Wikepedia search
Understanding Hyperlinks
As you read an article, you will find words with a blue color. These blue words are links that will move you to read and learn about that topic. Tap on the blue term or phrase to learn more. You can follow links from topic to topic for hours.
Tap the arrow on the upper left to return to the previous page. Or you can also tap on the back arrow on the navigation bar.
Never Stop Learning – Wikipedia is a great tool to help you learn a new topic or explore more into the world around you. Have fun with Wikipedia!
Game of the Week : 7 Little Words
Introduction to 7 Little Words
7 Little Words is a fun and engaging word puzzle game that you can play on your tablet. It combines elements of crosswords and word-building games, making it a great way to exercise your mind and improve your vocabulary.
Get started by tapping on the “smiley” 7 Words icon on your Home Screen.
Here’s how to get started:
Step 1: Understanding the Game Layout
- When you open the game, you’ll see seven clues at the top of the screen. These clues are like riddles that help you figure out the mystery words.
- Below the clues, you’ll find 20 groups of letters. These letter groups can have 2, 3, or 4 letters and are used to build the words. Use these groups to build answers to the clues
- To build a word, tap on the letter groups in the correct order. For example, if you think a word is “WEDNESDAY,” you would tap on the groups “WED”, “NES” and “DAY” to assemble your guess.
- Tap GUESS to check your answer. If the word you build matches one of the clues, it will automatically fill in the correct answer. You can answer the clues in any order.
- If your word is correct, it will appear above the clues, and the used letter groups will disappear. If your guess is incorrect, don’t worry! The letter blocks will return to their position and you can try again without any penalties.
Quick Video Lesson
Watch this quick video to get an overview of the game and how to play.
Tips:
- Take a moment to read through all the clues. They might remind you of crossword puzzle clues, giving hints about the word’s meaning or synonyms. Think about what words might fit each clue. Do the easy clues first.
- If you get stuck, tap Get A Hint. Tap the clue you want to receive a hint about and you can receive the first letter, the first tile or the whole solution. Remember, hints are there to help you have fun and learn, so don’t hesitate to use them if needed.
- Tap SHUFFLE to rearrange the letter blocks. It might help to see the blocks in a different order.
- When you complete all seven clues, you will get a Well Done message with a Smiley Face. Tap the Smiley Face to choose and start another game.
Available Puzzles
You have two collections of puzzles to choose from:
- The Sunrise collection is a set of 25 free puzzles. The first puzzle you play will be from the Sunrise collection. The game will keep track of the puzzles from this collection you play. Tap Play to choose the next puzzle from this collection.
- Free Daily Puzzle – Every day you are given a free puzzle. If you don’t play on a given day, this puzzle is kept for up to three puzzles available. Tap Play to choose the next puzzle to play from the Free Daily Puzzles collection.
You do not have the ability to purchase more puzzles to play on the tablets.
7 Little Words is a great game to engage your brain – Have fun with 7 Little Words
Homework
Practice is important in your learning. Here is your practice homework for this lesson:
Wikipedia
Read two topics of your choosing on Wikipedia.
- Use the search function to search for your hometown and learn about your hometown’s history and features.
- Use search to explore another topic that interests you. Pick places, people, celebrities, or subjects. Be prepared to share your topics and learning with next week’s class
7 Little Words
Play a few games of 7 Little Words. Remember you get a new free Daily Puzzle every day.