It’s that time of year again… August has begun and it’s time to plan your first day activities which should definitely include a first day escape room this year. Being the cool teacher that you are, you want to engage your students. However, you are tired of the ice breaker activities such as give an adjective to describe you or everyone take a piece of candy and share a fun fact. Let’s be honest, those fun facts never stick in your brain and the kids have a glazed look in their eyes.

Inspired by an excursion with some of my friends, I decided that I wanted to create an escape room for my students that would engage them instead of bore them on the first day.

Warning: This activity is very time consuming to set up before the first day but is worth it!

Steps to Creating an Escape Room

1. Decide On Your Content

My first step was to decide what I wanted to include in this escape room. I knew that I wanted my students to read over my syllabus to find the most important information. I also knew that I wanted them to learn about the most important apps that we use in my classroom. Finally, I wanted to review the main skills that they learned last year in English 9. For me that included: Non-fiction, Short Story and Reading Comprehension, Problem Solving , Literary Elements, and Figurative Language. That meant that I needed five clues and a starter clue.

2. Determine Each Clue’s Puzzle Style

After I knew the content that I wanted to create, I needed to decide how each puzzle will work and what that would look like for the students. I decided that I wanted multiple choice questions, matching, fill in the blank, and a secret message code.

3. Assign a Puzzle Style to Each Clue

Once, I had the puzzle types, I decided which puzzle types would work best for each content area. Here is what I matched up:

• Short Story & Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice
• Literary Elements: Matching
• Nonfiction-Syllabus: Short Answer/ Fill in the Blank
• Figurative Language: Multiple Choice
• Problem Solving: Secret Code Message and Instructions

4. Build Each Puzzle

Welcome Message: Students receive a welcome clue that tells them to use all of their resources and look around the room for clues. They are also given an answer sheet where they are to record all of their findings.

Clue #1: Short Story and Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice

First, I had my students read a short story (a sampler from the Keystones since that is our state mandated testing for this class). They then had to answer multiple choice questions. I changed all of the letters in the multiple choice questions so that the answers would spell out the word: analysis which is the most important skill that they students will learn this year.

Clue #2: Literary Elements: Matching

Students are given an envelope with cards that have definitions on them and a letter written on the card as well. On their answer sheet, students have literary element terms and they must match the definitions to the correct term. Since each card has a letter on it, if they correctly match them all, it will spell: Symbols. As an added piece next to each letter is a symbol which will later be used to crack the secret message at the end of the escape room.

Clue #3: Nonfiction-Syllabus: Fill in the Blank

Secondly, students had to look over my syllabus and answer questions about my policies and expectations. Each answer was fill in the blank with boxes on the answer sheet. Some of the letters on the fill in the blank have boxes around them that when unscrambled spell a key phrase: Warm and Fuzzy which is my respect policy where students must compliment someone that they mock, make fun of, or insult while in my room.

Clue #4: Figurative Language: Multiple Choice

Students are given examples of figurative language and must correctly choose the answer. These answers will then spell out the Schoology code that they will need to join my course for the semester.

Clue #5: Problem Solving: Secret Code Message

The ultimate goal of my escape room was to learn about my number 1 policy which is respect. In order to get them to that point, they needed to decipher a message that states: You Owe Mrs. Rice a Warm and Fuzzy. With this clue, they are given a paper that has blanks and under each blank is a symbol. They will need to look over all the materials and clues because under all the letters of the alphabet across the clues, I have symbols to show what letter matches with each symbol. Once they have created the cipher, they can then solve the message and complete the action the code states.

5. Create Clue Cards, Materials, and Answer Sheet

After creating all the clues, you will need to create clue cards, handouts, and an answer sheet for the students. I created half page clue cards and double sided answer sheets. I complied all of these materials in one document to make it easier for myself. I also included a completed answer sheet at the end for my own records.

6. Set Up the Escape Room

Once I have everything created, I print it all out on different colored paper for each clue and I print five copies of each clue, resource, and answer sheet because I split the class into five even groups when doing this activity. I then stick all materials for each clue in envelopes and staple the clue to the outside of the envelope. I then hide all the clues around the room. Note: Each clue is hidden in the same place for each group so students should be sneaky as they discover clues. They are not allowed to move the clues for other students.

7. Have the Students Escape

You are now ready for the students to escape your classroom. I set a timer for 60 minutes. As students enter the classroom, I give them a number 1-5 and a syllabus. I then get them into their groups, hand them their welcome clue and answer sheet and give no other instructions.

Current Time to Beat: 23 minutes 14 seconds

You are all set to create your own first day escape room!