Description
This 4th grade long division activity keeps students engaged as they practice dividing three- and four-digit whole numbers by single-digit divisors. It includes both a black-and-white printable escape room and a digital Google Forms™ version, so you can choose the format that works best for your classroom.
In Operation: Retrieve the Ref, the referee has gone missing. Students race to find the referee and save the soccer game by solving six connected clues. They decode a secret message, solve long division word problems to find a locker combination, and use their answers to uncover the next clue. All division problems have whole-number answers with no remainders.
Use this activity for long division practice, 4th grade math review, math centers, or a partner challenge. Students can work independently, in pairs, or in small groups.
Choose print or digital
- Printable version: Black-and-white clue pages provide a hands-on escape room experience without student devices. Check each answer and give students one clue at a time because later clues reveal earlier answers. With Clue 2, provide the included cipher disk page, scissors, and a brass fastener or brad. Card stock is recommended for the disk.
- Digital version: The no-prep, automated, self-checking Google Forms™ activity checks answers as students move through the adventure. Students need an internet-connected computer, tablet, or phone, but Google™ accounts are not required. An optional link lets teachers save a copy of the form when their school requires forms to originate within its system.
Please confirm that your school district allows access to Google Forms™ if you plan to use the digital version.
Math skills addressed: 4.NBT.B.6
- Division vocabulary, including dividend, divisor, and quotient
- Dividing three- and four-digit dividends by single-digit divisors
- Long division word problems
- Whole-number quotients with no remainders
- Applying division skills to puzzles and coded clues
The escape room does not require a specific division strategy. Students may use area models, partial quotients, place-value reasoning, or the standard long division algorithm.
Included in the PDF
- Digital quick-start directions
- Link to the Google Forms™ escape room
- Optional link to save a teacher copy to Google Drive™
- Printable teacher directions with a quick-check answer table
- Six black-and-white printable clue pages with the backstory
- Printable cipher disk and assembly directions
- Printable success page
- Answer key and teacher tips
- Optional success and photo signs
Frequently asked questions
Do students need Google™ or Gmail™ accounts?
No. Students can complete the digital escape room on an internet-connected device without signing in. Teachers only need a Google™ account if they choose to make their own copy of the form.
How long will the activity take?
Plan for approximately 45 to 60 minutes, depending on students’ division skills, the format used, and how much support they need. Some students may finish in 20 to 30 minutes. Allow time for cipher disk assembly with the printable version.
Will students need to search the web?
No. All information needed to solve the puzzles is included in the activity.
The digital version works for in-person, virtual, or hybrid learning, while the printable version provides a screen-free classroom option.
This resource is purchased through Teachers Pay Teachers. Use the Buy on TpT button above to view the complete listing and purchase options.
