Vocab Gal’s

Escape
Room
ACTIVITY
Vocab Gal’s Escape Room Activity for Students

Research shows that students learn best when learning feels authentic. They want to figure out information rather than have
it handed to them—and working together as a group to solve complex problems is a vital skill set for future jobs. Below, you’ll
find instructions and resources that will help you set up an Escape Room activity for students to learn literacy skills, such as
building their vocabularies in a fun and novel way.

INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Select Content Standards and Outline Lesson Goals
The first step in planning this activity is to decide on your content standards and lesson goals. Select which content standards
you want to address with the Escape Room activity and identify the lesson goals for students. These goals will become the
categories you create for the students’ specific tasks. Teams of students complete a specific task for each category.
For an English teacher, the content standards that the Escape Room activity might address could be learning the week’s
vocabulary words. The specific lesson goals would be for students to learn definitions, list similes, examine word parts, identify
context clues, and so on. These key ideas would become the categories you create for the students’ specific tasks.

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After you decide which content standards the Escape Room activity will be addressing, choose seven key ideas (categories)
to create specific tasks. The seven tasks will be labeled A–G.

Step 2: Look at the Logistics

Next, decide on how many students you want on each Escape Room team, the order in which tasks must be completed, and
where each task will be located in the classroom.
As I thought about my Escape Room plans, I knew I wanted to have ten teams, and I didn’t want all of the teams trying to
complete the same task at once, or students would swarm to one area at the same time. I decided, therefore, that each task
would be a stand-alone task and would not need to be completed in any specific order.1 I labeled my tasks A–G and changed
the order of the tasks for each group so that while one group might start on task A, another would start on task F, and so on.
I also tried to decide how the students would use each “solved” task in the larger picture of “escaping”. I decided that at the
end of each task a number would be provided to the team, and then they would add up all the numbers at the end to get the
combination to a lock box. (Learn more about the lock box below).

Step 3: Create Tasks That Help Achieve Lesson Goals

Plan Escape Room Tasks
For most of the Escape Room tasks, you want students to be able to complete them by themselves and by using as similar
directions as possible.
For example, in a library orientation Escape Room, I wanted students to understand how to look up and locate nonfiction
books, so I provided each group with the same directions, to find a nonfiction book, but gave each group a different book
to locate on the library shelves. This became Task A. To “solve” the nonfiction task, the students had to locate the specific
nonfiction book and then find the number taped inside the book.
In the same way, you might want all students to know the week’s vocabulary words, so you would need to assign a different
word to each group. To “solve” the vocabulary word task, the teacher could have a sheet of definitions at a table, and each
definition would have a different number. Each group would need to write down only the number that corresponds with the
correct definition to their word.
To keep everything straight in regard to the tasks and logistics, fill out an Escape Room Spreadsheet (see below) with all your
Escape Room information. In column A, write the lesson goal (key idea) for each task. Then, in column B, write in the actual
directions for each task.

Note, in many escape rooms, there is a sequence in which tasks must be completed; however, there is only one team competing in a room at a given time,
1

unlike in a school scenario where multiple teams are competing at once.

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Vocab Gal’s Escape Room Activity for Students

In order to deliver these instructions to the students, copy and paste each team’s directions to an easy-to-read Escape Room
Directions Sheet for students (see below). Be sure to start each direction sheet with a different task, so that Team 2’s first task
is Task B and then paste Team 2’s Task A’s directions at the bottom of the sheet. Also note, that any close-ended task with one
right answer should be different for each team. So, Team 1 is asked for the word that means mercy, while Team 2 is asked for
the word that means mean-spirited, and so on.

EXAMPLE TEAM 1
Escape Room Directions

Task Directions: Complete the tasks from top to bottom. At

each task location you will find a list of possible answers on
the Answers for Task sheet. When you complete a task, check Task Number
to see if your answer is one of the listed options. If you have Answer
successfully answered the task, write down the answers’

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corresponding number.

What word is defined by "showing mercy, leniency"? Go to the

123
Task A desk by the window to find the answer.

What does the word exhilarated mean? Go to the Task B table

245
by the door to find your answer.

Go to the bookshelves and find the sheet labeled Task C. Which

834
of the given sentences uses a semi-colon correctly?

Provide an example of a simile. Share it with the student helper. Teams write down
If you are correct, the student helper will provide you with your 654 the number that
answer number. (Task D) corresponds to
the task answer.
Which character in A Raisin in the Sun grows the most and
why? Each group member must support the group's answer
729
with textual evidence. See your teacher to explain your answer.
If correct, you will receive a number. (Task E)

What word is defined by “kind, helpful?” Go to the Task F desk

812
by the whiteboard to find your answer.

What does the word meager mean? Go to the Task G table in

904
the front of the room to find your answer.

Add up all the task numbers. The total is your Lock

4301
Combination:

Teams add together ALL the

task answer numbers. The sum
is the Lock Combination.
4301 becomes 4-3-0-1

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Vocab Gal’s Escape Room Activity for Students

Assigning Numbers to Tasks

Each task answer has a corresponding number. As teams move around the room solving the tasks listed on their Escape Room
Direction sheet they will collect the numbers that will help them open their lock box. In order to assign a number to each task
for each team, type in arbitrary numbers in each team column of the Escape Room Spreadsheet and use the spreadsheet sum
function to total up the numbers to get a combination number for each team’s lock.
With answers and numbers designated for each task for each team, fill in the Answers for Task template (see below) for
Tasks A–G. Each team answers and their corresponding number should be placed in random order on each Answers for Task
sheet to ensure teams have to solve each task. Each Answers for Task sheet also has two fields where teachers need to provide
false answers and numbers.
Place each Answers for Task sheet in the area where teams will go to solve that task. For example, the Answers for Task A sheet
would be taped to the desk where teams will go to solve Task A.
Here is an example of what could be taped to a desk where students are solving Task A—what word is defined by this definition?

Answers for Task A

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Number Answer

123 Clemency

82 Dubious

71 Advent

91 Bouyant

19 Nomadic

98 Pacifist

59 Hearth

34 Figment

18 Cope

65 Waggish

22 False Answer (Provide an answer that doesn’t match

any team’s task question)

114 False Answer (Provide an answer that doesn’t match

any team’s task question)

Involve Others in Certain Tasks

To keep the Escape Room teams focused and to provide for more complex tasks, you can build in two kinds of interactions.
Feel free to ask older student helpers to run a puzzle, involve an administrator, or find a friend/colleague who wants to
volunteer for a class period or two. By involving others, not only does it help teams stay on task, but they also can complete
more open-ended question tasks.
For example, one of my tasks was for groups to explain which resources the public library has and how students can access
those resources from the school library. Students explained their answer to the library assistant, who, when satisfied with their
answer, gave them their group’s task number to add to their Escape Room Directions sheet.
In the same way, a teacher could ask students to explain a story’s theme and all the students must provide textual evidence to
support that theme. If groups had to explain their answers to an older student helper, co-teacher or administrator in order to
receive their answer, they could think more complexly and enjoy the “game” aspects at the same time.

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Vocab Gal’s Escape Room Activity for Students

Step 4: Putting the Lock in the Escape Room

The goal of an Escape Room is clearly to escape. However, chaining classroom doors shut is not a good idea (and is probably
not permitted at your school). So, instead substitute with two toolboxes with a hasp of locks on each of them. Each team has
to unlock their lock and, if the entire class manages to unlock their locks, the toolboxes could be opened to find small stickers,
candy, homework tickets, buttons, and/or bookmarks inside as prizes!
I had gotten the idea of using toolboxes from a colleague in a neighboring school district and was able to find a few by
sending out a group email. I then purchased two hasps at $5 each and ten numbered Master Lock 175D 2" Resettable Brass
Combination Padlocks. The Master locks are the greatest expense, as each one is about $10, so the total cost to buy ten locks
online in bulk is about $175. However, I would ask your tech department if they have extra locks. You could also ask your
department chair for funds, or see if people have extra luggage locks you could borrow/keep. Luggage locks can be less
durable and it can be harder to change the combination, but you still get the same effect.
Another, completely free option, is to have each group turn in their final number to you or another gatekeeper. If all groups
turn in an accurate final number, then the box of prizes can be pulled out from wherever it has been hidden and the
celebration can ensue.

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Step 5: Setting the Scene
To prepare students for the Escape Room activity, write a countdown on the board, or put up signs. You can ask for an
entrance ticket to class or post notices on your class social media page. Another option is to have the locked boxes on dislay
for students to see.
Most importantly, when entering the room, have some “Mission Impossible” or other escape room-style music playing. I easily
found a YouTube station that played music and had a countdown timer attached for extra heightened excitement.
Break students into groups and pass out their team’s Escape Room Directions sheet. Remind students they have to work
quietly so as to ensure that they get the right answers and escape in time. Show them the lock boxes, explain the rules, and
set them loose!

TE M P LATE S
Vocab Gal’s Escape Room activity includes three templates:
• Escape Room Spreadsheet
• Escape Room Directions sheet
• Answers for Task template
The first template is the Escape Room Spreadsheet. This excel file will help keep everything straight in regard to the task
questions, answers, lock box codes, etc. To download the Escape Room Spreadsheet, click here.
The next template is the Escape Room Directions sheet. In order to deliver task instructions to students, copy and paste each
team’s directions to an Escape Room Directions sheet. For convenience, the template has been copied and labeled with each
team’s number. To download the Escape Room Directions sheet, click here.
Finally, there is the Answers for Task template. For convenience, the template has been copied and labeled for tasks A–G.
For each Answer for Task sheet (i.e. Answers for Task A, Answers for Task B, etc.) copy and paste team answers and assigned
answer numbers in random order. To download the Answers for Task template, click here.
Reread Step 3 for details on how to use each template.

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