Ideas for Materials:
Multiple types of locks (directional lock, 3 digit lock, alpha lock…)
Boxes that can be locked
Small lockboxes
Envelopes
Zippered pouches
Diversion safe
Secret codes (can create own codes with symbols and letters)
Magnets
Blank puzzles
Riddles
Step 1: Begin with the end in mind.
What do you want your students to learn from this experience? Is it going to be a
team-building activity that doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to the curriculum? Do you
want your class to review the end of a unit or is it a launch at the beginning? The first step
is deciding what information you want your students to show you they know. For the
purposes of a 40-60 minute class period, you should probably choose no more than a few
main concepts that will be reviewed in different puzzles/tasks.
Step 2: Add the puzzles, riddles, and locks.
The great thing about escape rooms is that the puzzles the students need to solve in order
to “win” or “escape” don’t have to be overly complicated. Close readings with questions
afterward whose answers have certain letters highlighted will work just fine. You can also
try math problems whose numbers are a lock combination. Or maybe you want to try a
riddle about an event in social studies. These can all be used as tasks in an escape room
lesson.
It’s often good to make one or two tasks fairly simple. It builds confidence and makes the
students more eager to continue. Too many challenging tasks can leave our less confident
students ready to quit. The key is a balance between an easy, moderate, and
challenging tasks.
As you finalize what your tasks are going to look like, your escape room will start to come
into focus.
Step 3: If you build it, they will come.
This step is probably the most fun (aside from watching the students during escape room
day) as well as the most time-consuming. Once you’ve decide what concepts you’ll be
asking the students to review and what types of puzzles you will use, you can begin to
organize the activity.
It’s often helpful to role play (mentally) your activity before you run through it with a
class. Pretend you’re the students. What do you want them to do from the moment they
enter the room until the moment they’ve “escaped” or “won”? Is anything too easy?
Unclear? Make sure they are challenged, but not overly frustrated. Then, build out each
step by making sure that it makes sense logically to arrive at the correct answer
Step 4: Do a dress rehearsal in your mind.
You have to run through the activity in your mind to make sure you’re not missing
anything important.
Set-up: alphanumeric code hanging on the wall, planets on the walls, numbers on the door, 816
lockbox with locked iphone in it (locked iphone set to open with code 1943), serpent boa (red
snake from home) draped over the chair, Different planets hanging on the walls, rose in the
bottle on a table (with a question attached to the stem), book on the desk with highlighted
passages, 3 keys hidden in the room (one taped to the back of the renard, one taped on the
inside of the cover of the book, and one
Invisible marker under desk taped to a clue: L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
On page 85 of the book with the quote highlighted is “J’étais publié quand ?”
On the stem of the rose: L’allumeur a la clé.
Question taped to the inside of the reverbere: Qui habitait sur la première planète ?
Lockbox with locked ipad inside it: Locked ipad screen Le businessman avait combien d’étoiles
? → Code to leave the room = 501.622.731
cinq cent un millions six cent vingt-deux mille sept cent trente et un. (501.622.731)
L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
J’étais publié quand ?
L’allumeur à la clé.
Qui habitait sur la première planète ?
Le businessman avait combien d’étoiles ?
Faites attention au serpent !
Rules for the Escape Room:
1. Madame’s desk is off limits.
2. You must work together. If there is no communication going
on we will stop the game. This is a team effort, not an
individual game.
3. Be curious! You are allowed to pick up/move/touch anything
in the room that is not blocked off (either by black paper or
by desks). This means you are not supposed to lift up the
black paper, there is a reason it is there. Same with the
desks. If the desks are blocking something it is not meant to
be touched.
4. If it doesn’t automatically wiggle/move when you try to gently
move it. It is not meant to be moved. Don’t break my stuff
please!
5. You are only allowed to ask for a hint one time. If you do not
need the help great! But if you do, just know that if you get
stuck on a later step, you will not have any help left.
6. You only have this class period to break out. If you do not
break out you lose and Madame has eternal bragging rights.
7. You must leave all your belongings outside. The only things
you may use in the Escape Room are things you find in the
Escape Room. If I see you cheating you will be removed
from the room and have to work on a writing assignment
instead.
8. HAVE FUN!!!!
