Description

Can your fourth grader use their math skills to save Thanksgiving? The clock is ticking when the Thanksgiving Thwarter locks the oven with dinner inside. Five locks need to be opened by rounding, finding quotients, solving multi-step word problems, interpreting multiplication, comparing the value of numbers, and solving simple logic puzzles. Get your students engaged in this fun and challenging math activity before Thanksgiving break! Bring some excitement to your Thanksgiving class party while still having learning take place! Encourage cooperative learning, provide enrichment opportunities, and get in the holiday spirit with a mathematical mission!

This product has been updated to include distance learning tools and tips. Because some of the puzzles, especially logic puzzles, are quite challenging, setting up online groups to work together is recommended for implementing this online breakout for remote instruction.

Included in this Great Classroom Escape activity:

• Printable version of this breakout activity. Includes backstory, five mathematical puzzles to solve based on 4th grade math standards, and a success page to hand students once they have unlocked the oven.
• Digital story with one page to print with the backstory page with QR code (URL also provided) to access a Google Form. The form automates the escape room process. No e-mail addresses required!
• Success signs for students to snap a photo with after they have successfully saved Thanksgiving
• Detailed answer key.

In order to complete the five puzzles, students must be able to:

• Round numbers to the nearest hundred and ten (in the form of a more challenging guess my number puzzle)
• Find quotients with three digit dividends and a one digit divisor
• Solve multi-step word problems with the four operations
• Interpret multiplicative comparisons
• Complete simple substitution problems (substitute a letter for a number to form a phrase)
• Compare the value of numbers using place value, expanded form, and numbers written with words using <, >, and = symbols.

FAQ

• Do students need to have Gmail™ accounts? NO! Anyone with internet access and a tablet, computer, or even phone can complete the breakout.
• How long will this take? That is the hardest question as the answer varies depending on each classroom, student, or group. Most students will be able to complete this activity in under 45 minutes. You can allow 60 minutes to be safe. The form will not save student data, so if you are worried about your students not finishing on time, simply have them write their answers on scratch paper. They can then come back and quickly re-enter their answers and pick up where they left off. Some students with a firm grasp on the concepts covered in this escape room will be able to complete the puzzles very quickly (20-30 minutes), others will take longer.
• Will students have to search the web to figure out the puzzles? NO! All of the information needed will be provided in the Google Form™. The math in this activity is all standards-based.
• Can this be used for distance learning? Absolutely! There are tools in the PDF to help you successfully implement this in a virtual learning setting. Because some of the puzzles in this escape room are challenging, I would recommend setting up Google Meets™ or Zoom™ groups for students to collaborate on solutions.

Encourage collaboration and provide a unique enrichment or review activity with a holiday theme! Your students will love this exciting worksheet alternative!

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