TECHNOLOGY ESCAPE ROOM: THE CHALLENGES

This escape room consists of 5 chanllenges that combine curricular contents, maths, logic...Here below the description of the challenges and how they are connected. 

1. SCALING

When the box is opened, the first thing found is a plastic folder which contains the first challenge: 3 scale problems. Students have to realise about the relationship between the result (measurement in the drawing) and the number of the problem. Once they find the link, they correctly fill in the table from lowest to biggest and they get the code that opens the locker. To help them symbols are included in piece of paper

challenge 1, correctly solved 

challenge 1, including the key to link clues (created to use in this blog)

2. VOLTAGE MOTOR PUZZLE

The number combination opens the locker and inside a pencil case there is a screw (needed for the third challenge), a puzzle and a piece of paper  with instructions and hints to solve the riddle (maths operation).  When all the pieces of the puzzle are fit together, students have to solve the problem: at which voltage should each motor work to satisfy the conditions given? When they guess the voltage they have to solve a simple operation. The result indicates the book page to which the have to go. 

the puzzle (pieces fit by a team)

instructions

riddle to solve

3.  WHO AM I? THE HIDDEN MESSAGE

Inside the book there is a piece of paper.  On one side there is an easy riddle and a measurement problem. They have to measure the length of a screw using the caliper (some students didn’t realize about the screw inside the pencil case!). Following the symbols hints and arrows in the worksheet they get the code to use the decoder wheel. Turning over the piece of paper, there is a message that is decoded using the wheel correctly. 

Worksheet to guess the code. Be aware about the symbols below the number 1 and letter C

           message decoded using the wheel

Note: the book is closed with adhesive tape in order to avoid discovering what is inside at the beginning because students are usually excited when teacher says… ready, steady, go…). If they discover what is inside, it really doesn’t matter because they can do nothing without the previous clues, but it is even more excited discover each clue according to the plan...!)

4. RED ACETATE

The hidden message says open the browser and go to https://codemaer.blogspot.com.es/ . The post opens the students mind to use the red acetate that they found inside the book. In the post they also find the next message One memeber of the team (only one!) go to the gamemaster and say to her...COULD YOU PLEASE GIVE ME THE HINT...? So, the student comes to me and I give him or her a cardboard tube that contains a piece paper with a message that has to be revealed using the red acetate. Hidden between senseless sentences there is one that says TAKE THE ENVELOPE UNDER THE TABLE. 

The red message. It can be decode using red acetate

The hidden message. Highlighted is the key sentence (this is a mock example)

5. THE DANCER BLACK SQUARE

The last puzzle leads the team to the ultimate “prize” to escape. This puzzle consists of 4 grids (see picture). Students have to realize that the trick is rotate the grid until the black square is at the top. This way, if the grids are superimposed, the word POLYESTER appears. Turning the piece of paper over there is a code that associates one number to each letter. Following the instructions, students have to do the operation using the numbers associated to the letters located in the diagonal. The result is 4. 

Note: Why POLYESTER? Because textiles is a content studied during this term.

The grids

The grids and how to rotate them (picture only used for explanation)

The solution

Letter-number code, diagonal and the operation that leads to the final prize.

6. THE FINAL DECODER 

On the floor there are 4 boxes. The box number 4 contains the winner decoder. At the beginning students don't know what to do with the cylinder and the ribbon full of letters, it seems to be senseless! But when the ribbon is wound round the cylinder...CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE ESCAPED FROM THE ROOM!

If a team fails (get number 1, 2 or 3) the message that appears is YOU HAVE FAILED, YOU HAVE NOT ESCAPED...

The 4 boxes. Cylinder decoders inside. 

 The decoder. CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE ESCAPED FROM THE ROOM!