Why I LOVE Escape Challenges (and how I fixed the biggest problem I had when using them)!

Guided Math Workshop and Problem Solving

By far, the most important thing we teach our students during math is problem solving. We all know none of our kids is destined for a life of completing worksheets with decontextualized numbers. They will grow up to encounter real-world math problems at home and work every day. Teaching problem solving strategies is key (more on that in another post), but what if your kids see every real world problem as an epic chore?
Motivation is a big obstacle when it comes to teaching students to be mathematical problem solvers. After solving eight problems in twenty minutes on task cards or in their math books, most kids are not looking to dig deep into making sense of a problem, choosing a strategy, solving, and checking for reasonableness. We teach these and other strategies regularly as part of our Guided Math Workshop. But when I really want to push my students and see what they're capable of, I set up an escape challenge!

What are escape challenges?

You can find tons of escape challenges on Teachers Pay Teachers and the teacher blogosphere. Some are extravagant classroom transformations for people who are really good at pulling it off -- you know who you are! That's not really my cup of tea, though. I tend to stick with those that are either on paper with a few little design elements to carry the narrative, or digital challenges.

The structure of the challenge varies from one creator to the next, but essentially they all involve using academic content to solve puzzles. The solution of one puzzle might lead to the next, or students may be able to solve in any order.

Escape rooms engage students with a challenge. Students know the tasks are difficult, but still within their reach. Working in teams allows the students to share the load and support each other, and also helps prevent reaching a frustration point or getting completely stuck. It creates the setting we're always striving for in Guided Math Workshop or throughout the school day:

A safe space to take risks and fail, repeatedly.

I loved the engagement I saw when using escape games in my classroom. But quickly, a problem arose. The same few students kept completing them well within the time limit, while others never got past the first couple steps. If you have a few high achieving students in your class who also happen to be very competitive, they become your escape game MVPs. The rest of the class loses interest and gets discouraged. You've just lost your engagement, your motivation, your safe space.

My solution: Leveled Escape Challenges

If you're using the Guided Math Workshop, you may already have your class grouped so that you can offer support for or extension of your grade level standards. My Leveled Escape Challenges are designed to integrate seamlessly with those groups. All are based on fifth grade math standards. Each includes three levels that either include support toward the standards, assess mastery of the standards, or branch into the standards of the next grade level. You can decide which level or levels to use in your classroom and how.

Trapped in the 90s: Operations and Coordinates

In our curriculum, the Operations and Algebraic Thinking Standards are taught alongside the Geometry Standards that relate to plotting coordinates. This escape challenge combines those skills in a low-prep printable. The only thing you'll need is one file folder per group. I even included a Spotify playlist of 90s favorites.

The Shrink Ray Incident: Multiplying and Dividing Fractions

Fractions are a huge part of the fifth grade standards, and the work of multiplying and dividing them is a big shift from what students did with fractions in fourth grade. This challenge focuses only on multiplying and dividing fractions. A challenge for adding and subtracting fractions is in the works! Watch my store. 😉

Digital challenges

My newest escape challenge is ALL DIGITAL. If you have enough Chromebooks or other devices for students to share in teams of 4, then you are ready to implement this challenge in your classroom today! Just like my printable escape challenges, this escape includes three levels that students complete using a Google Form. I used this in my classroom after my class wrapped up four math chapters that cover all the whole number operations standards in the Numbers and Operations in Base Ten domain. 

Or, snag all three with the bundle!

Pin this post so you can find these challenges when you're ready to use them!