Common Sense Review
Updated June 2014
Evolver
Common Sense Rating
3
Teacher Rating
Not Yet Rated
Not Yet Rated
Price
$39.99
This grade range is a recommendation by the Common Sense Education editorial team, not the developer/publisher.
Grades
4-8 Platforms
Mac, Windows Subjects
Math
- algebra
- equations
- fractions
- functions
- graphing
- animals
- life cycle
Skills
Critical Thinking
- logic
- solving puzzles
- thinking critically
Standards
Common Core State Standards 
Students can look at the missions and see which ones they've completed.
At the start of each level, review background information and math required to complete that mission.
Missions focus on such pre-algebra concepts as finding prime numbers.
Each mission starts with a fly-through overview of the area students will explore.
Pros
Features a broad knowledge base that builds at a steady pace.Cons
It can be hard to find help, and it feels outdated for the high price.Bottom Line
The high price and aging design make it a potentially justifiable purchase only for pre-algebra classrooms that'll get a lot of use out of it. Be aware some students might see it as old school.
Setup Time
5-15 minutes
Additional Pricing Details
Teacher Dashboard
None
Tech Notes
Operates on PC and Mac.
External Links
Evolver Website
Publisher
Dimension U
Common Sense Rating
3
Engagement
Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?
3
Thanks to an array of challenges, students will find moderately entertaining mechanics as they progress, but poor graphics and unintuitive controls prevent real immersion.
Pedagogy
Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?
3
Challenges are arranged by subject and difficulty, and students can learn specifics about the topics inside the game. Math concepts are the core mechanic, including collecting prime numbers and perfect squares.
Support
Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?
2
Included math lessons are helpful but don't make up for the absence of other helpful support features. A lack of tool tips too often leaves students wondering "what next?"
How Can Teachers Use It?
Teachers can assign Evolver as homework or seatwork, allowing them to practice learned skills. Students who need only a little variety will respond well enough, but more creative or advanced students may dismiss Evolver as archaic and inconvenient.
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What's It Like?
Evolver drops students into a hostile mathematical puzzle made of immersive -- but outdated -- graphics, and they must draw simple logical conclusions from the environment to progress. There's a variety of pre-algebra lessons embedded in each part of the puzzle, but students must connect the content on their own. While these logical leaps are interesting enough for late elementary students, older students may see the game as transparent or tedious.
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Is It Good For Learning?
It's a moderately well-designed game that provides both educational pre-algebra content and a platform for practicing knowledge and skills. It covers such topics as prime factors, fractions, percents, solving equations, functions, and coordinates. Unfortunately, the design is so out-of-date that many students will have difficulty suspending disbelief, which makes the inherent learning stick out. This leaves students feeling like they're playing a homework assignment.
Read more Read lessKey Standards Supported
Building Functions | |
| HSF.BF: Build A Function That Models A Relationship Between Two Quantities | |
| HSF.BF.1 | Write a function that describes a relationship between two quantities. |
| HSF.BF.1.a | Determine an explicit expression, a recursive process, or steps for calculation from a context. |
| HSF.BF.1.b | Combine standard function types using arithmetic operations. For example, build a function that models the temperature of a cooling body by adding a constant function to a decaying exponential, and relate these functions to the model. |
| HSF.BF.1.c | (+) Compose functions. For example, if T(y) is the temperature in the atmosphere as a function of height, and h(t) is the height of a weather balloon as a function of time, then T(h(t)) is the temperature at the location of the weather balloon as a function of time. |
| HSF.BF.2 | Write arithmetic and geometric sequences both recursively and with an explicit formula, use them to model situations, and translate between the two forms.★ |
| Build New Functions From Existing Functions | |
| HSF.BF.3 | Identify the effect on the graph of replacing f(x) by f(x) + k, k f(x), f(kx), and f(x + k) for specific values of k (both positive and negative); find the value of k given the graphs. Experiment with cases and illustrate an explanation of the effects on the graph using technology. Include recognizing even and odd functions from their graphs and algebraic expressions for them. |
| HSF.BF.4 | Find inverse functions. |
| HSF.BF.4.a | Solve an equation of the form f(x) = c for a simple function f that has an inverse and write an expression for the inverse. For example, f(x) =2 x3 or f(x) = (x+1)/(x–1) for x ≠ 1. |
| HSF.BF.4.b | (+) Verify by composition that one function is the inverse of another. |
| HSF.BF.4.c | (+) Read values of an inverse function from a graph or a table, given that the function has an inverse. |
| HSF.BF.4.d | (+) Produce an invertible function from a non-invertible function by restricting the domain. |
| HSF.BF.5 | (+) Understand the inverse relationship between exponents and logarithms and use this relationship to solve problems involving logarithms and exponents. |
Creating Equations | |
| HSA.CED: Create Equations That Describe Numbers Or Relationships | |
| HSA.CED.1 | Create equations and inequalities in one variable and use them to solve problems. Include equations arising from linear and quadratic functions, and simple rational and exponential functions. |
| HSA.CED.2 | Create equations in two or more variables to represent relationships between quantities; graph equations on coordinate axes with labels and scales. |
| HSA.CED.3 | Represent constraints by equations or inequalities, and by systems of equations and/or inequalities, and interpret solutions as viable or non- viable options in a modeling context. For example, represent inequalities describing nutritional and cost constraints on combinations of different foods. |
| HSA.CED.4 | Rearrange formulas to highlight a quantity of interest, using the same reasoning as in solving equations. For example, rearrange Ohm’s law V = IR to highlight resistance R. |
Expressions And Equations | |
| 6.EE: Apply And Extend Previous Understandings Of Arithmetic To Algebraic Expressions. | |
| 6.EE.1 | Write and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents. |
| 6.EE.2 | Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers. |
| 6.EE.2.a | Write expressions that record operations with numbers and with letters standing for numbers. For example, express the calculation “Subtract y from 5” as 5 – y. |
| 6.EE.2.b | Identify parts of an expression using mathematical terms (sum, term, product, factor, quotient, coefficient); view one or more parts of an expression as a single entity. For example, describe the expression 2 (8 + 7) as a product of two factors; view (8 + 7) as both a single entity and a sum of two terms. |
| 6.EE.2.c | Evaluate expressions at specific values of their variables. Include expressions that arise from formulas used in real-world problems. Perform arithmetic operations, including those involving whole- number exponents, in the conventional order when there are no parentheses to specify a particular order (Order of Operations). For example, use the formulas V = s3 and A = 6 s2 to find the volume and surface area of a cube with sides of length s = 1/2. |
| 6.EE.3 | Apply the properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions. |
| 6.EE.4 | Identify when two expressions are equivalent (i.e., when the two expressions name the same number regardless of which value is substituted into them). For example, the expressions y + y + y and 3y are equivalent because they name the same number regardless of which number y stands for. |
| Reason About And Solve One-Variable Equations And Inequalities. | |
| 6.EE.5 | Understand solving an equation or inequality as a process of answering a question: which values from a specified set, if any, make the equation or inequality true? Use substitution to determine whether a given number in a specified set makes an equation or inequality true. |
| 6.EE.6 | Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set. |
| 6.EE.7 | Solve real-world and mathematical problems by writing and solving equations of the form x + p = q and px = q for cases in which p, q and x are all nonnegative rational numbers. |
| 6.EE.8 | Write an inequality of the form x > c or x < c to represent a constraint or condition in a real-world or mathematical problem. Recognize that inequalities of the form x > c or x < c have infinitely many solutions; represent solutions of such inequalities on number line diagrams. |
| Represent And Analyze Quantitative Relationships Between Dependent And Independent Variables. | |
| 6.EE.9 | Use variables to represent two quantities in a real-world problem that change in relationship to one another; write an equation to express one quantity, thought of as the dependent variable, in terms of the other quantity, thought of as the independent variable. Analyze the relationship between the dependent and independent variables using graphs and tables, and relate these to the equation. For example, in a problem involving motion at constant speed, list and graph ordered pairs of distances and times, and write the equation d = 65t to represent the relationship between distance and time. |
| 7.EE: Solve Real-Life And Mathematical Problems Using Numerical And Algebraic Expressions And Equations. | |
| 7.EE.3 | Solve multi-step real-life and mathematical problems posed with positive and negative rational numbers in any form (whole numbers, fractions, and decimals), using tools strategically. Apply properties of operations to calculate with numbers in any form; convert between forms as appropriate; and assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies. For example: If a woman making $25 an hour gets a 10% raise, she will make an additional 1/10 of her salary an hour, or $2.50, for a new salary of $27.50. If you want to place a towel bar 9 3/4 inches long in the center of a door that is 27 1/2 inches wide, you will need to place the bar about 9 inches from each edge; this estimate can be used as a check on the exact computation. |
| 7.EE.4 | Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities. |
| 7.EE.4.a | Solve word problems leading to equations of the form px + q = r and p(x + q) = r, where p, q, and r are specific rational numbers. Solve equations of these forms fluently. Compare an algebraic solution to an arithmetic solution, identifying the sequence of the operations used in each approach. For example, the perimeter of a rectangle is 54 cm. Its length is 6 cm. What is its width? |
| 7.EE.4.b | Solve word problems leading to inequalities of the form px + q > r or px + q < r, where p, q, and r are specific rational numbers. Graph the solution set of the inequality and interpret it in the context of the problem. For example: As a salesperson, you are paid $50 per week plus $3 per sale. This week you want your pay to be at least $100. Write an inequality for the number of sales you need to make, and describe the solutions. |
| Use Properties Of Operations To Generate Equivalent Expressions. | |
| 7.EE.1 | Apply properties of operations as strategies to add, subtract, factor, and expand linear expressions with rational coefficients. |
| 7.EE.2 | Understand that rewriting an expression in different forms in a problem context can shed light on the problem and how the quantities in it are related. For example, a + 0.05a = 1.05a means that “increase by 5%” is the same as “multiply by 1.05.” |
| 8.EE: Analyze And Solve Linear Equations And Pairs Of Simultaneous Linear Equations. | |
| 8.EE.7 | Solve linear equations in one variable. |
| 8.EE.7.a | Give examples of linear equations in one variable with one solution, infinitely many solutions, or no solutions. Show which of these possibilities is the case by successively transforming the given equation into simpler forms, until an equivalent equation of the form x = a, a = a, or a = b results (where a and b are different numbers). |
| 8.EE.7.b | Solve linear equations with rational number coefficients, including equations whose solutions require expanding expressions using the distributive property and collecting like terms. |
| 8.EE.8 | Analyze and solve pairs of simultaneous linear equations. |
| 8.EE.8.a | Understand that solutions to a system of two linear equations in two variables correspond to points of intersection of their graphs, because points of intersection satisfy both equations simultaneously. |
| 8.EE.8.b | Solve systems of two linear equations in two variables algebraically, and estimate solutions by graphing the equations. Solve simple cases by inspection. For example, 3x + 2y = 5 and 3x + 2y = 6 have no solution because 3x + 2y cannot simultaneously be 5 and 6. |
| 8.EE.8.c | Solve real-world and mathematical problems leading to two linear equations in two variables. For example, given coordinates for two pairs of points, determine whether the line through the first pair of points intersects the line through the second pair. |
| Understand The Connections Between Proportional Relationships, Lines, And Linear Equations. | |
| 8.EE.5 | Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as the slope of the graph. Compare two different proportional relationships represented in different ways. For example, compare a distance-time graph to a distance-time equation to determine which of two moving objects has greater speed. |
| 8.EE.6 | Use similar triangles to explain why the slope m is the same between any two distinct points on a non-vertical line in the coordinate plane; derive the equation y = mx for a line through the origin and the equation y = mx + b for a line intercepting the vertical axis at b. |
| Work With Radicals And Integer Exponents. | |
| 8.EE.1 | Know and apply the properties of integer exponents to generate equivalent numerical expressions. For example, 32 × 3–5 = 3–3 = 1/33 = 1/27. |
| 8.EE.2 | Use square root and cube root symbols to represent solutions to equations of the form x2 = p and x3 = p, where p is a positive rational number. Evaluate square roots of small perfect squares and cube roots of small perfect cubes. Know that √2 is irrational. |
| 8.EE.3 | Use numbers expressed in the form of a single digit times an integer power of 10 to estimate very large or very small quantities, and to express how many times as much one is than the other. For example, estimate the population of the United States as 3 × 108 and the population of the world as 7 × 109, and determine that the world population is more than 20 times larger. |
| 8.EE.4 | Perform operations with numbers expressed in scientific notation, including problems where both decimal and scientific notation are used. Use scientific notation and choose units of appropriate size for measurements of very large or very small quantities (e.g., use millimeters per year for seafloor spreading). Interpret scientific notation that has been generated by technology. |
Functions | |
| 8.F: Define, Evaluate, And Compare Functions. | |
| 8.F.1 | Understand that a function is a rule that assigns to each input exactly one output. The graph of a function is the set of ordered pairs consisting of an input and the corresponding output.1 |
| 8.F.2 | Compare properties of two functions each represented in a different way (algebraically, graphically, numerically in tables, or by verbal descriptions). For example, given a linear function represented by a table of values and a linear function represented by an algebraic expression, determine which function has the greater rate of change. |
| 8.F.3 | Interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function, whose graph is a straight line; give examples of functions that are not linear. For example, the function A = s2 giving the area of a square as a function of its side length is not linear because its graph contains the points (1,1), (2,4) and (3,9), which are not on a straight line. |
| Use Functions To Model Relationships Between Quantities. | |
| 8.F.4 | Construct a function to model a linear relationship between two quantities. Determine the rate of change and initial value of the function from a description of a relationship or from two (x, y) values, including reading these from a table or from a graph. Interpret the rate of change and initial value of a linear function in terms of the situation it models, and in terms of its graph or a table of values. |
| 8.F.5 | Describe qualitatively the functional relationship between two quantities by analyzing a graph (e.g., where the function is increasing or decreasing, linear or nonlinear). Sketch a graph that exhibits the qualitative features of a function that has been described verbally. |
Number And Operations—Fractions | |
| 5.NF: Apply And Extend Previous Understandings Of Multiplication And Division To Multiply And Divide Fractions. | |
| 5.NF.3 | Interpret a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator (a/b = a ÷ b). Solve word problems involving division of whole numbers leading to answers in the form of fractions or mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem. For example, interpret 3/4 as the result of dividing 3 by 4, noting that 3/4 multiplied by 4 equals 3, and that when 3 wholes are shared equally among 4 people each person has a share of size 3/4. If 9 people want to share a 50-pound sack of rice equally by weight, how many pounds of rice should each person get? Between what two whole numbers does your answer lie? |
| 5.NF.4 | Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction or whole number by a fraction. |
| 5.NF.4.a | Interpret the product (a/b) × q as a parts of a partition of q into b equal parts; equivalently, as the result of a sequence of operations a × q ÷ b. For example, use a visual fraction model to show (2/3) × 4 = 8/3, and create a story context for this equation. Do the same with (2/3) × (4/5) = 8/15. (In general, (a/b) × (c/d) = ac/bd.) |
| 5.NF.4.b | Find the area of a rectangle with fractional side lengths by tiling it with unit squares of the appropriate unit fraction side lengths, and show that the area is the same as would be found by multiplying the side lengths. Multiply fractional side lengths to find areas of rectangles, and represent fraction products as rectangular areas. |
| 5.NF.5 | Interpret multiplication as scaling (resizing), by: |
| 5.NF.5.a | Comparing the size of a product to the size of one factor on the basis of the size of the other factor, without performing the indicated multiplication. |
| 5.NF.5.b | Explaining why multiplying a given number by a fraction greater than 1 results in a product greater than the given number (recognizing multiplication by whole numbers greater than 1 as a familiar case); explaining why multiplying a given number by a fraction less than 1 results in a product smaller than the given number; and relating the principle of fraction equivalence a/b = (n×a)/(n×b) to the effect of multiplying a/b by 1. |
| 5.NF.6 | Solve real world problems involving multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem. |
| 5.NF.7 | Apply and extend previous understandings of division to divide unit fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by unit fractions.1 |
| 5.NF.7.a | Interpret division of a unit fraction by a non-zero whole number, and compute such quotients. For example, create a story context for (1/3) ÷ 4, and use a visual fraction model to show the quotient. Use the relationship between multiplication and division to explain that (1/3) ÷ 4 = 1/12 because (1/12) × 4 = 1/3. |
| 5.NF.7.b | Interpret division of a whole number by a unit fraction, and compute such quotients. For example, create a story context for 4 ÷ (1/5), and use a visual fraction model to show the quotient. Use the relationship between multiplication and division to explain that 4 ÷ (1/5) = 20 because 20 × (1/5) = 4. |
| 5.NF.7.c | Solve real world problems involving division of unit fractions by non-zero whole numbers and division of whole numbers by unit fractions, e.g., by using visual fraction models and equations to represent the problem. For example, how much chocolate will each person get if 3 people share 1/2 lb of chocolate equally? How many 1/3-cup servings are in 2 cups of raisins? |
| Use Equivalent Fractions As A Strategy To Add And Subtract Fractions. | |
| 5.NF.1 | Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators (including mixed numbers) by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in such a way as to produce an equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like denominators. For example, 2/3 + 5/4 = 8/12 + 15/12 = 23/12. (In general, a/b + c/d = (ad + bc)/bd.) |
| 5.NF.2 | Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions referring to the same whole, including cases of unlike denominators, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem. Use benchmark fractions and number sense of fractions |
Ratios And Proportional Relationships | |
| 6.RP: Understand Ratio Concepts And Use Ratio Reasoning To Solve Problems. | |
| 6.RP.1 | Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. For example, “The ratio of wings to beaks in the bird house at the zoo was 2:1, because for every 2 wings there was 1 beak.” “For every vote candidate A received, candidate C received nearly three votes.” |
| 6.RP.2 | Understand the concept of a unit rate a/b associated with a ratio a:b with b ≠ 0, and use rate language in the context of a ratio relationship. For example, “This recipe has a ratio of 3 cups of flour to 4 cups of sugar, so there is 3/4 cup of flour for each cup of sugar.” “We paid $75 for 15 hamburgers, which is a rate of $5 per hamburger.”1 |
| 6.RP.3 | Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations. |
| 6.RP.3.a | Make tables of equivalent ratios relating quantities with whole- number measurements, find missing values in the tables, and plot the pairs of values on the coordinate plane. Use tables to compare ratios. |
| 6.RP.3.b | Solve unit rate problems including those involving unit pricing and constant speed. For example, if it took 7 hours to mow 4 lawns, then at that rate, how many lawns could be mowed in 35 hours? At what rate were lawns being mowed? |
| 6.RP.3.c | Find a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100 (e.g., 30% of a quantity means 30/100 times the quantity); solve problems involving finding the whole, given a part and the percent. |
| 6.RP.3.d | Use ratio reasoning to convert measurement units; manipulate and transform units appropriately when multiplying or dividing quantities. |
| 7.RP: Analyze Proportional Relationships And Use Them To Solve Real-World And Mathematical Problems. | |
| 7.RP.1 | Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or different units. For example, if a person walks 1/2 mile in each 1/4 hour, compute the unit rate as the complex fraction 1/2/1/4 miles per hour, equivalently 2 miles per hour. |
| 7.RP.2 | Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities. |
| 7.RP.2.a | Decide whether two quantities are in a proportional relationship, e.g., by testing for equivalent ratios in a table or graphing on a coordinate plane and observing whether the graph is a straight line through the origin. |
| 7.RP.2.b | Identify the constant of proportionality (unit rate) in tables, graphs, equations, diagrams, and verbal descriptions of proportional relationships. |
| 7.RP.2.c | Represent proportional relationships by equations. For example, if total cost t is proportional to the number n of items purchased at a constant price p, the relationship between the total cost and the number of items can be expressed as t = pn. |
| 7.RP.2.d | Explain what a point (x, y) on the graph of a proportional relationship means in terms of the situation, with special attention to the points (0, 0) and (1, r) where r is the unit rate. |
| 7.RP.3 | Use proportional relationships to solve multistep ratio and percent problems. Examples: simple interest, tax, markups and markdowns, gratuities and commissions, fees, percent increase and decrease, percent error. |
