Classroom - The Escape Room

2010 AASL Substandards:

LESSON PLAN Ref: 2      Standards:
1.2, 3.3 & 5.2      

Subject / Course: Math and/or Social Studies     

Topic: Escape Room     

Lesson Title: Save Tom the Turkey     

Level: 6th-7th Lesson Duration: Block Schedule: 90 min     

Lesson Objectives:

- Develop Research Skills

- Learn the layout of their Library
- Create a connection between history and modern traditions.
- Promote digital citizenship through fun, learning experiences 

Summary of Tasks / Actions:

- The teacher and Media Specialist gather the necessary clues that the students will need to decipher.
- As a class, they will watch the most recent pardoning of the Turkey.
- The assignment will be to then use their tablets and as a class, find different facts about the history of the Pardoning of the
Turkey.
- After the research phase, the Media Specialist will stand in front of the class and read the “plea” for Tom the Turkey’s rescue.
After the plea is delivered, the rules and instructions will be presented. (15 min)
- The countdown clock will be put onto the SMART Board: 45 min
- Students will be split into groups and given a manilla envelope with clues.
- The first clue will be in the form of a riddle, the students will be given a mixture of words that will eventually spell the an-
swer: What can you sink into a pie at Thanksgiving? Answer: Teeth 
- The next clue will be to figure out the number lock combination, students will have to research and find the date of the first
turkey pardon in the history of America. They will take that number to the lock box on one side of the room.
- Once the lockbox is opened, the student will see an invisible pen light. They will use the next clue in the manilla envelope to
see a paper with highlighted words. All the words are thanksgiving themed, there will be pictures hanging up around the li-
brary with the picture of these words.
- The students will use the pen light to discover the invisible number written on the pictures. These numbers will be the page
numbers to an atlas. All locations marked in the atlas will be significant towards Thanksgiving history.
- Once the locations of the atlas are written down, students will then use the rest of the numbers to retrieve graph coordinates.
- The graph coordinates correlate with different cartoon-pie directions. These different directions will go with the arrow lock.
- Once all three lock combinations are found, students are to report to the teacher/Media Specialist to review their current
progress.
- If the lock combinations are correct, students are given the printed out Twitter page of Abraham Lincoln. This clue will lead
them to the Bibliography section of the library. Students will have to use the Research Guide in order to find the location of
the shelves.
- Once the bibliography section is found, the Twitter clue points them in the direction of a specific book. The students will have
to use their knowledge of the decimal system in order to find the location before the other groups.
- Inside the book: Abraham Lincoln’s Bibliography, students will find the last “key” clue.
- The “key” clue is to be given the Media Specialist/Teacher and they will be handed the lock box. Each set of lock will be there
and the students will have to input their answers.
- If done correctly, students will emerge victorious with a WE BEAT THE CLOCK certificate and a lollipop!

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 Classroom - The Escape Room

Materials / Equipment:
- Countdown Clock 
- Invisible Pen Lights
- Lock boxes
- Lollipops
- 4 different types of locks: key, letter, dial, arrow lock
- Library Layout Map
- Bibliography of Abraham Lincoln
- “Twitter Account” for Abraham Lincoln
- Different math problems that involve graphs, division, multiplication
- Laminator

- Printer     

References:
- Youtube: video of recent Turkey Pardon
- Youtube: Countdown Clock
- history.com: history of the Turkey Pardon
- Yearly Presidential Pardoning of a Turkey    

Assessment:

- This was such a fun activity to do with the 6th graders. They were so excited to beat the clock, figure out all the
puzzles and try to free Tom the Turkey.
- I think that the instructions were not as clearly explained, or at the very least, not well understood with the first
class. However, as the day progressed, the students were able to figure out the progression of the clues.
- I think that next time I would try to do a school wide event. I think this has the potential to be a “pokemon-go”
style event.      

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