Review by Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Education | Updated August 2014
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Quento

Get it now
  • Download on Google Play
  • Download from App Store

Addictive puzzler drills addition, subtraction; lacks useful feedback

Subjects & skills
Subjects
  • Math
Skills
  • Critical Thinking
Grades This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.
1–3
Common Sense says (See details)
Teachers say (2 Reviews)
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Price:  Free, Free to try A $.99 in-app purchase unlocks four- and five-number puzzles.
Platforms:  Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Chrome, Apps for Windows, Mac Apps

Take a look inside

5 images
Step-by-step instructions are provided the first time kids play.
Play advances from two-number puzzles to three-number puzzles.
Four- and five-number puzzles require an in-app purchase.
Swiping left opens up free play.
Players swipe a finger across numbers and operations to solve puzzles.

Pros: Puzzles are addictively fun and challenging with two- and three-number equations.

Cons: Puzzles only include addition and subtraction; no feedback or progress reports are available.

Bottom Line: Elegant puzzler makes great option for daily math practice.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Quento aligns with CCSS for early-elementary grades, but the challenge will engage students (and adults) of all ages, making it an effective option for daily math practice -- either in class or as a homework assignment -- for elementary students, or as a fun brain challenge for older students.

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Standards:

Starting with an answer and a grid containing five numbers and four operation signs, players swipe through two or three numbers, combined with operations, to find the solution. If players find the correct solution, the next puzzle opens up with a new answer and a new set of numbers and operations. If they're wrong, they hear a short beep and the puzzle doesn't change. No hints are provided after the initial instructional round. Once they've mastered a level of two-number equations, the three-number equations open up, eventually offering both options. (Four-number and five-number puzzles are also available for an in-app purchase.) Players can choose to solve for either answer, and many problems have more than one solution. Swiping left opens up the Free Play mode, where players still start with an answer but can swipe as many numbers as they need to find the solution.

Quento walks students through how to play the first time the app is opened; beyond that, the interface is simple with no distractions. The approach gets students thinking critically, especially since each answer could have multiple workable solutions. The in-app purchase can continue the challenge to four- or five-number problems, but Free Play will extend the challenge as well. No scores are kept and no feedback is provided, which makes it impossible for teachers to monitor students' progress within the app, but it's also freeing for students to practice and play without pressure. (They can't move on to another puzzle until they find the correct solution, anyway.) There's also no time pressure to add stress. Students can take as much time as they need to, or move as quickly as they want to.

Overall Rating
Engagement Would it motivate students and hold their interest? Is it visually appealing? Would it inspire teachers to try something new or change their instruction?

Math-puzzle fans will find swiping the equations addictively fun, but there's not much to engage or motivate those who struggle with math.

Pedagogy Does the tool help teachers promote a more student-centered experience? Will students gain conceptual understanding or think critically? Does it deepen teachers’ pedagogical thinking?

The simple format challenges players to think critically and algebraically. Players advance through the levels; each time they play, they pick up at the level where they left off.

Support Can students and teachers get assistance when they need it? Is it created with people of different abilities and backgrounds in mind? Is learning reinforced and extended beyond the digital experience?

No data or scores are kept, and there are no separate user accounts. After the first-time instructional round, no hints are offered and no feedback is provided, other than a beep for incorrect answers. 

Common Sense Reviewer
Amanda Bindel Classroom teacher
About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Key Standards Supported

Operations And Algebraic Thinking

  • 1.OA.6

    Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10. Use strategies such as counting on; making ten (e.g., 8 + 6 = 8 + 2 + 4 = 10 + 4 = 14); decomposing a number leading to a ten (e.g., 13 – 4 = 13 – 3 – 1 = 10 – 1 = 9); using the relationship between addition and subtraction (e.g., knowing that 8 + 4 = 12, one knows 12 – 8 = 4); and creating equivalent but easier or known sums (e.g., adding 6 + 7 by creating the known equivalent 6 + 6 + 1 = 12 + 1 = 13).

  • 1.OA.8

    Determine the unknown whole number in an addition or subtraction equation relating three whole numbers. For example, determine the unknown number that makes the equation true in each of the equations 8 + ? = 11, 5 = _ – 3, 6 + 6 = _.

  • 2.OA.2

    Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies.2 By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.

  • 2.OA.1

    Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.1

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Teacher Reviews

(See all 2 reviews) (2 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Nanette A. , Technology coordinator
Technology coordinator
Geneva Kent Elementary School
Huntington, United States
Challenging addition and subtraction puzzles encourage critical thinking, but app is very limited
I feel as though Quento is an app that some students will enjoy and use for awhile, but it is very limited and lacks appeal quickly. If it included multiplication and division, if it were a bit more engaging, or if it had more levels/activities it would benefit a larger variety of students. As it is, the usefulness of this app as a teaching tool is severely limited. It is best suited as a resource for my students.
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