ESCAPE ROOM: Math Coordinates in 1, 2 and 4 Quadrants, Problem Solving, Reflection and Translation

Using an Escape Room to develop curriculum knowledge is an exciting activity that will inspire learners from 2nd Grade to 5th Grade.

The curriculum content of this Escape Room is linked to:

• Math – coordinates
• Reading, writing and plotting coordinates in 1, 2 and 4 quadrants
• Reflective symmetry of 2D shapes across quadrants
• Translation of 2D shapes using positive and negative coordinates

The aim of the Escape Room is to provide jeopardy for the students to work under pressure to solve 7 challenges to use their and practice their knowledge and skills of reading, writing and plotting coordinates in four quadrants, as well as reflecting shapes and translating shapes. The 7 Challenges within this Escape Room will support and embed these math skills.

Before beginning, you will need to prepare the following:

• A copy of the Pupil Workbook for each group
• A set of table team names for every group – prepared beforehand and given to each group to set up their own working space
• Initial Starting Script sharing the problem to the children
• Completion Script celebrating the completion of the challenge

All the resources you require are included within this product - simply print and go!

Students will need some prior knowledge of reading, writing and plotting coordinates in order to achieve success – and therefore this resource makes a great activity to embed skills or use as assessment at the end of a unit.

The activity begins by the teacher reader the Initial Message received. It clearly tells the students that the Earth has been attacked by aliens. The special forces who deal with alien invasions have given up and sent a jumbled message to the players which they must unscramble (using coordinates in the first quadrant) to inform them what they must achieve to beat the alien invasion and save planet Earth! What follows are 6 more challenges which reveal the appearance of the aliens, their hidden space craft, the ten places on Earth which the aliens plan on attacking, reflective symmetry to demonstrate how aliens multiply, and teleporting the aliens back to their ships using translation skills. Once achieved – the Escape Room is completed!

After the 7th successful activity – the teacher can read the final script which reviews the learning the children have undertaken as they have completed each of the challenges. This script, together with team labels and the opening challenge script are contained within the Resource Pack.

Each activity focuses and builds the children’s knowledge of coordinates and movement of shapes

The 7 activities are based on the following outcomes:

• Jumble message from the special forces – find coordinates in the first quadrant, reveal the word and create the message
• Plot coordinates to reveal the first alien in the first quadrant
• Plot coordinates to reveal the second alien in the first and fourth quadrant
• Plot the coordinates in two quadrants to reveal the cloaked spacecraft
• Record the ten places identified for the alien invasion in all four quadrants – using positive and negative coordinates
• Reflective symmetry
• Translating 2D shapes

When all 7 activities are completed, and the students have successfully completed each one, the final celebratory script can be read which reviews the learning and informs the students that they have saved planet Earth and can leave the Escape Room!

Setting up the Escape Room

1. Children should be split into groups of no more than four and be placed in their own workspace.

2. Review their own knowledge of coordinates, reflective symmetry and translation.

3. Each group should have a Code Key Booklet and decide on a team name

4. Read the Initial Message to the children to set the challenge in context. Discuss what this means, and what the activity entails.

5. Turn to Code Key 1. Agree with the children a set time to complete the problem in – this ensures that the children stay on task and maintains the Escape Room element of working under pressure.

6. At the end of the time, children should have filled in the Code Key in their booklet. The teacher can then check the accuracy of all the groups and talk through the responses the children should have.

7. Move on through the remaining challenges until all 7 have been completed.

8. For those groups who have been successful, they are then able to read the completed statement where they find out if they have escaped the Escape Room!

There are other ways of running Escape Room activities, for example, each activity could be set up on 7 tables and the children then move from table to table completing the activity.

The Escape Room should last for at least 2 hours.

We hope that your students enjoy this Escape Room.

Best wishes

INSPIReducation