ALEX Learning Activity

This Digital Breakout is a perfect way to enhance a unit of study with animal standards for grades 3-5. It can be used before or after a unit of study or a field trip to the Birmingham Zoo. Students will work creatively and collaboratively to solve academic puzzles to unlock an answer. Academic puzzles are centered around a variety of Course of Study standards that engage students through the Breakout process. This activity can be done as a whole group for students that are not familiar with the Digital Breakout process. This activity can be done in small groups in grades 2-5 with students that are familiar with the Digital Breakout process.  

This Learning Activity was created in partnership with the Birmingham Zoo. 

The students will...

• use information analyzed to problem solve in discovering codes to unlock locks throughout the entire Digital Breakout. 
• compare and contrast ideas with other students to justify codes to unlock locks. 
• observe and recall information from a nonfiction text by reading a nonfiction passage and completing a Google Form with multiple choice questions from the text to receive a puzzle to find the code to a lock.   
• observe, analyze, and recall information from a nonfiction video to find the code to a lock. 
• analyze patterns, inference, and apply observations while working collaboratively with peers to figure out codes to locks. 
• enhance communication skills by working together in pairs, groups, or as a whole class to complete and solve the digital breakout. 
• use higher-order thinking and perseverance to solve the mystery/problem posed in the digital breakout. 
• add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers and decimals using the standard algorithm. 

***This activity is a great addition to an animal unit of study or as a culmination activity after the unit or a field trip to the Birmingham Zoo.

The goal of the breakout is to use the skills in the learning objectives to analyze and apply information on the digital breakout to discover codes to unlock locks. 

Teacher Directions for a class that has never done a digital breakout

1.  If students have not participated in a digital breakout, try this one called Catch The Bus. It is a great introduction to solving digital breakouts. 

2. Start the digital breakout by displaying the game on the board/screen and telling the students that they will be looking for clues to unlock the digital locks on a Google Form. The first place to look for clues will be in the story at the top of the webpage. Pay close attention to the hyperlinks in the story and pictures on the webpage.

3. Explore the website until all locks have been unlocked. The Google Form for the digital locks will tell you when the locks have been unlocked or if you still need to keep looking. 

4.  After completing Catch The Bus, discuss what strategies students needed to complete the breakout: cooperation, communication, perseverance, and problem-solving. 

5. In another class session, proceed to the Digital Breakout Safari.

Teacher Directions for Digital Breakout Safari

1.  The teacher will introduce the Digital Breakout Safari by displaying the webpage on the board/screen. This game can be completed in small groups sharing a Chromebook or in the computer lab using this shortened URL for the Digital Safari Breakout, https://goo.gl/c5HH45

2. The teacher will explain to the students that they will need to work together to solve the breakout of this digital game.

3.  The teacher will read the mystery/story at the top of the digital breakout. The teacher will ask: Do you notice anything that gives us a clue to solve the mystery? Students might point out the random capital letters in the story. The teacher can then help them make a connection to the word lock on the Google Form. 

4. Work through the digital breakout together or in small groups until the digital breakout has been completed. Click the Teacher Hints to find answers for hints that you can help groups that get stuck. 

5. After completing the digital breakout, discuss how the group improved from the first digital breakout and what strategies they used to complete the breakout. 

6.  Use exit tickets to evaluate the learning objectives from the digital breakout:

Emoji Exit Ticket

or 

Breakout Lock Exit Ticket

Use these exit tickets to evaluate learning objectives: 

Emoji Exit Ticket

or 

Breakout Lock Exit Ticket

Before playing Digital Breakout Safari with the class, please take the time to work through the Breakout yourself to have an understanding of how to play the Breakout. This is a teacher answer sheet with codes and where to find them in the Digital breakout. Do not share answers with students. Please allow them to use their clues to figure out the lock codes.

This Digital Breakout Safari can be done in a whole group, small groups, or individually.  Before assigning this Digital Breakout Safari in small groups or individually, I would highly recommend doing another breakout from the Digital Breakout site like Catch the Bus or Soar as a whole class, so students can understand the structure of a Digital Breakout.