Create Your Own

Back-to-School

Escape Room
Google Form by

Improve your back-to-school game and

engage students with this fun,
collaborative, student-centered activity.

Be amazed by how much you’ll learn

about your students in just the first
class!

Teach your students your classroom

expectations & procedures while sitting
back and observing!
 Why I love starting the
semester with my Escape Room
using Google Forms.

- It sets the tone for an engaging student-centered course. On the first

day of classes, I want my students to have a preview of what they can
expect throughout the year - fun but challenging, student centered
learning. An escape room demands students steer the ship. To be
successful in my course, students will have to engage, participate and
problem solve, from the get go.

- It sets students up for success. Students of all ages are excited and
anxious on the first day of school - no matter how “too cool for school”
they may appear. They want to project intelligence, leadership, and share
their capabilities with their peers. Escape rooms provide students with
many wins! Every time they crack a code, they win and they start the
year feeling confident that they will have many successes in my class.

- It breaks the ice. One of the best ways to get people to bond is to
overcome a shared challenge. I set my escape room up so that every
student has to complete it, but they are encouraged to do so
collaboratively. As a teacher, it’s a treat to see students problem solving,
communicating, and collaborating on day one.

- It's a formative assessment from the get go. While students are moving
through my room, scanning the course syllabus, finding the safety
equipment, opening up the textbook, I stand back and observe. My Day 1
escape room allows me to learn how my students work. I learn who
naturally takes leadership positions, who has a growth mindset, who gets
along with whom, who will try learned helplessness strategies, etc. Learning
how my students learn is one of the most important parts of my job,
and I love getting started right away.
What 15 “locks” need “cracking” in
your class?

● To create this Escape Room, prioritize 15 things you need

your students to know to be successful in your class.
● For me, I break it down into 3 categories.

Safety Supplies Learning

Phone number Inbox Grade

of nurse weighting
Tissues
Gas shutoffs Reading the
Pencil textbook
Broken glass Sharpeners
box Plagiarism
Extra papers policy
Safety
goggle Dry erase Lab makeups
cabinet boards
Late work
Fume hood
location
 Where do students find the
“keys” to open the “locks?”
Make them move.
● I wrote “SiO2” on my broken
glassware box, which is the key for
the first lock. They have to walk
throughout the room to find it.

Make them read.

● Many keys can be found in my
syllabus, safety agreement,
plagiarism policy, and the textbook.

Make them problem solve.

● Students have to show me they can
restring the elastic on a pair of
goggles to earn the last key.
 Create Your Google Form
Back-to-School Escape Room

My guide specifically
describes customizing a
Google Form to be used as
an Escape Room.
Here you can find assistance
on Google Forms in general.
 Creating a Google Form
Back-to-School Escape Room
1. In the first section, explain the
rules and ask students for their
names.

When students have completed the

escape room, their answers will
populate a Google Sheet so you will
know who completed it successfully.
 Headings
2. Each Section becomes a lock.

Give students a clue in the heading

of the section. Have fun here - let
yourself be clever and creative!
 Locks
3. Here, set up the question your
students will need a “key” to answer.

When you click on the clue, make sure

it is set up to receive a “Paragraph”
or a “Short Answer” response.
 Response
Validation
4. Response validation tells the Google
Form it needs a correct “key” before
showing the next “lock.”
This is what makes the Google Form
feel like an Escape Room experience.

Click on the kebab menu to select

“Response validation.”
 “Matches” or
“Equal to”
5. Under the clue, select “Number” or
“Regular Expression.”

Be sure to select “Equal to” for a

“Number” question, or “Matches” for
a “Regular expression” question.
 “Keys” and
Feedback
6. Type in the EXACT answer students
need to type to unlock the clue.

If the wrong “key” is typed,

students will see this note and make
them try the question again.
Let them know the answer is wrong,
in a light-hearted, yet encouraging
way.
 Case Sensitive &
Required
7. Let students know if they “key” is
case sensitive, is all letters, has no
spaces, etc.

And make sure the section is marked

as “Required” so they successfully
unlock it before moving on.
 Order of
Questions
8. At the bottom of the question,
there is an option to tell Google Form
which question to show next.

I recommend “continue to next

question” the first time you do this
activity.
 PUBLISH!
9. When you are ready to share this
with students, click “Send” on the top,
right of the page. I prefer to get the
shortened link, and provide it to my
students through our learning
management system.

DO NOT COPY/PASTE the URL of this

form because that would allow students
to edit the questions!!!
DO NOT ADD STUDENTS AS
COLLABORATORS either. I know from
experience. :)
 Tips for Executing
Reward

1. Offer a reward to any student who

completes the Escape Room AND a class
reward if the ENTIRE class completes
it. For example IF the entire class
completes it then students can choose
their own seats and the order in which
they complete the Escape Room is the
order in which they choose their seats.

At the top of the screen, choose

“Responses” and then “Link to Sheets” to
generate a Google Sheet listing the
students who completed the form.
 Tips for Executing
Accountability

2. I try to make the first day of

school low stress for my students.
I encourage students to work in small
groups to complete this activity, but
permit them to work independently if
they choose.
I do, however require ALL students to
complete a form, even if they are
working in small groups. I like keeping
students accountable to independently
complete their work.
 Tips for Executing
Groups

3. I let students choose their groups.

This allows me to learn:

- Who the leaders are.
- Who the insecure students are.
- Who’s friends with whom.
- Who might need support with peers.
 Tips for Executing
HAVE FUN!

4. For me, while my Escape Room is designed

to set the stage for what students can
expect throughout the year, it’s mostly
about making my students feel welcome.
Decide whether or not you’ll give additional
clues or support to your students. READ THE
ROOM! If students are getting crazy
stressed, HELP!
If you made a mistake on the programming
end, BE HONEST. Modeling mistake making
to your students might be the best lesson
they learn that day. Let them know and
talk about your class being a
mistake-friendly environment.
 I wish you and
your students an
amazing year full
of
student-centered,
gamified learning!
I’m building my TPT store, Biscuits and Beakers,
and I hope my innovative lessons help you improve
your lessons and advance your students’ learning!
Please let me know how your Escape Room works in
your class!