Cedric, the sorcerer standing on a cartesian plane with two coordinates for his wands.
Activity

Plot like a wizard: recreating Cedric’s Quest 1 in Desmos

Learn how to bring Cedric’s Cartesian Quest to life in Desmos! This post includes step-by-step instructions and video tutorial.

Cedric’s Cartesian Quest, APH’s new iPad app, offers an exciting and accessible way for students to build spatial reasoning and coordinate plane skills. For students who are blind or visually impaired, it serves as a powerful bridge between tactile learning—like using a braille or raised-line Cartesian plane—and the digital experience of graphing in Desmos. By guiding players through a series of engaging quests, the app helps solidify core concepts such as direction, distance and point plotting, laying the foundation for more advanced digital math tasks.

(See previous posts?)

Why Desmos layout matters

Before beginning a graphing activity in Desmos, it’s essential that students understand the layout of the Desmos Graphing Calculator. With VoiceOver on, students need to know how to locate and interact with key areas like the expression list, graph area and graph settings. Familiarity with these elements supports smoother navigation and reduces cognitive load, allowing students to focus on math rather than interface mechanics. Understanding this layout is especially important when transitioning from apps like Cedric’s Cartesian Quest to open-ended digital graphing tools like Desmos.

Desmos screen layout

The screen is divided into key areas: a toolbar across the top, the expression list on the left quarter of the screen, and the graphing area taking up the right three-quarters. Knowing where features like the Add Expression button, graph settings, zoom controls, and help menu are located helps students efficiently navigate and interact with the calculator. This familiarity reduces frustration, supports independence, and allows students to focus on the math concepts rather than struggling with the interface. 

Tool bar across the top:

Expression list: Panel on left 

Graphing paper: Right 3/4ths of screen.

Graph settings and zoom in/out buttons: In a column starting at the top right corner of the graph

Desmos activity goals

The goal of this activity is to practice Desmos skills by recreating and graphing the quests from Cedric’s Cartesian Quest iPad app. As students transition from guided, tactile-friendly gameplay to open digital graphing, they apply the same spatial reasoning and coordinate skills in a new environment. This process not only reinforces their understanding of points, directions and relative distances, but also builds fluency with the Desmos Graphing Calculator. By duplicating the quests, students strengthen their mental mapping abilities and develop the confidence to navigate and create digital coordinate grids independently.

The ultimate goal is for students who are visually impaired to confidently access and complete digital math assignments alongside their peers. By starting with structured, accessible tools like Cedric’s Cartesian Quest and gradually transitioning to open platforms like Desmos, students build the spatial understanding, technology skills and screen reader strategies needed for digital independence. Recreating the app’s quests in Desmos bridges tactile exploration with real-world classroom tools—empowering students to fully participate in mainstream math instruction and assignments.

This post provides step-by-step instructions and a video tutorial that walk students through Quest #1: Find the Lumen Tenebris Wand. Using this quest as a guide, students will learn how to transfer coordinates from Cedric’s Cartesian Quest into Desmos, plot and label points, and navigate the graphing calculator with VoiceOver. The tutorial supports the transition from tactile-based learning to digital graphing, reinforcing key math and tech skills needed for success in today’s classrooms.

Quest #1: Find the Lumen Tenebris Wand Desmos activity

Note: The video tutorial was created on a Mac using VoiceOver. However, the screen reader keyboard commands are similar for users of JAWS and NVDA on Windows. The core navigation strategies—such as interacting with expression lines, entering coordinates and accessing graph settings—translate well across platforms, making this tutorial useful for all screen reader users.

Use Google Chrome web browser. There may be keyboard command bugs when using Safari or other browsers.

Goal: Plot and label the points

Image 1: Quest #1 graph in Desmos:

Quest #1 graphed in Desmos with (0,0), (-1,-5) and (-3,-4)

Accessible version of the image: link to the Desmos graph.

Step 1: Change the graph grid size

Set both x- and y-axis to range from –6 to 6 to make the Desmos Graph the same size as the Cedric’s Cartesian Quest graph.

A. Open Graph Settings

B. Deselect Minor Gridlines

C. Change x-axis range

D. Change y-axis range

E. Exit graph settings popup

Note: “Escape” will currently exit the popup menu and will minimize the screen.

Image 2: Graph Settings popup menu with options:

Screenshot of the Desmos Graph Settings popup menu with Minor Gridlines unchecked, and x- and y- axis range set from -6 to 6.

Step 2: Add labeled points

Note: Random coordinate points are used each game play. The coordinate points used in this lesson are for example purposes only. Use your student’s coordinate points given in the Cedric’s Cartesian Quest app.

A. Go to the Expression List

B. Add each point and label

C. Move to a new line

(This is currently a bug in Desmos on a Mac with VoiceOver. Down Arrow does not work to navigate to a new line after adding a label. You must first move back to the last coordinate, then you are able to down arrow to a new line.)

D. Add additional points and labels.

Step 3: Review points on the graph

A. Move to the graph area

Quest 1 with VoiceOver on a Mac video tutorial:

Once the graph is complete in Desmos, students should save their work with a clear, descriptive title. The graph can then be shared—either by copying the link or exporting an image. For tactile learners, the graph can also be embossed, providing a physical version that reinforces spatial understanding and supports review or assessment.

Summary of activity

You’ve now:

Mental map

When plotting points on the coordinate plane, students should create a mental map of the grid to build spatial awareness and accuracy. This is particularly important in Quest 1, where clues describe points as “2 more” or “1 less” than a given coordinate. By visualizing the x- and y-axes and estimating where each point falls, students can better understand relationships between coordinates and navigate the plane more confidently—especially when using screen readers.

VoiceOver & Desmos keyboard commands

Note: Currently the commands to navigate directly to the expression list, the graph and the graph settings do not work consistently on the Mac with VoiceOver. While these direct keyboard commands are more efficient, it is important that students know additional commands that can be substituted (Tab or Shift + Tab multiple times will navigate to these areas.) The similar JAWS commands on Windows computers is more consistent.

More activities

Use this video tutorial as a model for taking each Quest and creating a corresponding graph in Desmos. Need more practice? Replay the Quest #1 on your iPad to receive new coordinate points and practice graphing them in. Desmos. Then continue the challenge—graph Quest #2 and beyond to strengthen spatial reasoning and build confidence with accessible digital math.

Resources

Cedric’s Cartesian Quest series:

Numerous lessons and video tutorials support the progression from tactile graph boards to digital tools like Desmos. For more information, visit the TEAM Initiative web page and the Digital Math Summary page on Paths to Technology.

The Plot like a wizard: recreating Cedric’s Quest 1 in Desmos post, written by Diane Brauner, was created as part of the TEAM Initiative to support Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVIs) in teaching foundational technology and algebra skills through tactile graphics, touch screen apps and finally mainstream math tools like Desmos. This resource helps students with visual impairments build the tools they need to explore digital coordinate planes, develop early algebraic thinking and succeed in digital math alongside their peers.

If you would like more information about the TEAM Initiative, contact Leslie Thatcher at [email protected].

Back to Paths to Technology’s Home page

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