My high school class ended the year with a review of multiplying and factoring simple polynomials. We played this matching game, and then I gave them a puzzle worksheet. I liked this idea, but I didn’t like the decoded answer. In my opinion, puzzles should give the student a “reward” for solving them — maybe a joke or riddle or something — but that answer seemed almost like nagging.
So I changed things around to make my own version:
More Fun with Factoring
Here are some other blog posts and resources you may find helpful:
[Photo is a very old math joke, passed around in multiple emails and forum posts. If you know where it originated, please tell me, so I can give credit.]
- Teaching Factoring — Should we?
The beginning of a series from Jonathan, who always has wise advice. See also: I ban FOIL (Amen!) and a links post.
- Module — Factoring
Lessons and worksheets for algebra 1 students, and source of the original factoring puzzle. We also worked through the Factoring Trinomials by Grouping lesson, and if we’d had more time, we would have played the Old Poly game.
- Four Fun Ways to Review Factoring Trinomials
More factoring games and puzzles, courtesy of Mr. D, who wrote the Matching Game we used.
- Perplexing Polynomials
Another review puzzle that I wanted to use, but we ran out of time. See also: Algebra 2: Factoring Trinomials (Part 1).
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“Puzzle: Factoring Trinomials” copyright © 2009 by Denise Gaskins.
Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math 
Thanks for the compilation, I’ll be sure to go through these soon.
Wow! This is a fabulous list! I am nowhere near teaching something like this yet, but when I am I’ll be checking this post out again!
Thank you!
Is there an answer sheet i’m trying to grade but i have to many papers and i keep losing my answer sheet
Sorry, Jesse! I didn’t make an answer sheet, but this worksheet is not supposed to need grading. If the quote makes sense, then the students must have gotten the right answers. Knowing kids, they may skip a few problems at the end (playing Wheel of Fortune), but they will have worked enough to get some solid practice.
Just to be sure can i get the Quote so i know if my kids got it right?
“It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.” — Rene Descartes
Hi Ms.Gaskins , where do we get the Can you decipher the quotation answer key?
The worksheet is self-checking. If you get a quote that makes sense, then you must have the right answer.
not sure how number 10 is I, it does not work out correctly. Unless It should be (x+1)(4x+5)
That is the same answer, only with the factors written in a different order.
Like 2 × 3 = 3 × 2. It doesn’t matter which factor you write first.