Why we started using escape rooms for review
Escape rooms. Why I started making them, what I like so much about them, and how I use them myself – and things you should think about if you are considering adding them into your lessons. I don’t carry how excited you are – sometimes the kids just aren’t. These review games are a great way to escape the classroom and get the kids enjoying learning.
What I look for in resources…
First of all, when I’m looking for resources I have a few criteria I want them to meet:
- Pretty easy to implement
- Fun to do
- Effective
Escape games seem to be irresistibly fun
When I first stumbled upon escape room puzzles, I was hooked. It reminded me of the logic games I used to play to get ready for the LSAT. They are a great combination of fun, challenge, and when used in teaching – content. Escape games for kids are extremely popular. They are popping up for kids’ birthday parties and family events so it is the perfect time to incorporate them into the classroom.
You might want to build your own escape room. For me, I like to keep things simple. I don’t usually actual locks and focus on decoding words on an answer sheet. You can do it the way you want because even if you buy an escape room kit, you can adapt it for your kids and the needs in your setting.
If you are looking for classroom activities for high school or classroom games for middle school, I don’t think you can go wrong with an escape room puzzle.
>>>Click here for a FREE sample of escape the classroom activities.<<<
If you are going to escape the classroom (or wherever your lessons happen), procedures save time…
My escape rooms are set up so that they’re all very similar -once you teach the procedure of the four tasks that are typically in my escape rooms then set up and execution is really easy. That’s important to me because I know time is valuable and sometimes instructional time feels like platinum. I strive to keep the set up very similar.
They are fun to do. Since they are set up the same, my kids know how to get started almost immediately as soon as they see it is an escape room day. Review games are not a new strategy, but they aren’t always fun or effective. It can be hard to find a good fit.
It seems that either the games are boring or the games have too much focus on gameplay and not enough focus on content. Escape rooms seem to be a way to get kids having fun while still being engaged with the actual material. I feel like I can hit the information so much deeper than just asking questions and some of the more standard review strategies.
In my escape rooms, I try to make it fun for the kids so I give them a scenario and 4 tasks.
The 4 tasks
I design my escape rooms with 4 basic parts (usually). Task 1 is a sorting activity so for instance, in my mitosis escape room they are given little bits of information and they have to decide in the escape room.
The second task is typically a set of social media messages. It can be an ordering activity or just standard questions (I prefer order and process questions if at all possible for this task). Sequencing and ordering help me see if they truly understand how the pieces of a process go together.
Task 3 is usually something that’s interacting with the text. It might be a labeling diagram or questions that they go back to a textbook to answer. There might be an informational text that they answer questions about. Sometimes it is a combination of things and if they put those answers into the answer sheet, just like in the previous tasks, they’ll get a codeword which takes them to the fourth task.
The fourth and final task is an encrypted message that somehow relates to the topic. It can be a key piece of information or a quote it just really depends.
>>>Click here for a FREE sample of escape the classroom activities.<<<
Can you escape the classroom and still learn?
Is it effective? Yes. It can be very effective (if you use them correctly). I do not use escape rooms to introduce topics. These are like review games for middle school or high school kids. I’ve talked about a topic or before a test or a combination of those things. The kids’ level of engagement is awesome. Sometimes it is a challenge but they keep at it and persevere.
