Mangahigh: The Wrecks Factor

The Wrecks Factor asks students to factor quadratics using a grid system in order to answer distress calls from ships by drawing a search area that corresponds with the necessary factors. With four levels of difficulty, three levels of help, plus a useful tutorial and reference materials, the game is bound to help students gain familiarity with factoring trinomials. The first level deals with positive numbers and coefficients within the trinomial. Later levels include negative numbers, subtraction, and squares, which will require changing the starting/ending corners for the drawn rectangle.

Make sure that your students are relatively comfortable factoring trinomials before beginning the game. Playing will help students improve their speed, but won't really allow for working problems out on paper. Game time will vary, as the better students do, the more extra time they're awarded. Encourage your students to play multiple times at each level, and with varying amounts of built-in help.