This is the perfect escape room for BTS season! If you are looking for a highly engaging breakout that focuses on reading and solving a mystery, then this Escape is for you! This fabulous paper/pencil breakout includes reading a fiction story and completing four puzzles to "escape." This is The Case of the STEM Lab Adventure.

➡️In this Easy Prep No Locks Escape Room, students complete tasks to earn a method of ‘escaping’. The prep for the events with NO LOCKS is minimal- just making copies. No locks or boxes! Teams solve puzzles to "unlock" the code to solve the case.

➡️ This escape is perfect for introducing STEM at the beginning of the school year. Use it as a lead-in to the first STEM Challenge of the year!

How Does a Reading Escape Work?

• Teams will read a short story about a class visiting the STEM Lab for the first time. In the story, students wonder what their first STEM project will be.
• They will complete 4 puzzle tasks. Each puzzle gives the students a secret word.
• After collecting 4 Secret Words, students use a decoder to create a 4-digit number.
• The 4-digit number ends the mystery and The Case of the STEM Lab Adventure.
• Follow up this breakout with a STEM Challenge of your choice to get your STEM year started!

What is the story?

Students will read a short fiction story about a STEM Lab visit.

• Clues in the story do not inform students about a particular STEM Challenge. You can add any project you like!
• In the story, the teacher tells students they will complete four puzzles to learn about the STEM Project.
• The puzzles provide vocabulary and activities to support the Engineering Design Process.

Puzzle tasks that must be completed are:

• Match vocabulary words to steps of the EDP.
• Use words from the story to complete a word search puzzle and find the secret word.
• Work through mini-mazes and match words to synonyms,
• Use a coded message to find the most important part of STEM.
• Use a Decoder with the 4 secret Words to "escape" this mystery!

Included in this resource, you will find:

• 6-page Teacher's guide
• The guide includes prep and procedure directions, how the escape works, choices you will make to print parts of the resource, several options for adding to the escape, and tips to make this work for your students!
• The Reading Passage with and without color
• 4 puzzle sheets
• Directions page for students (optional)
• Answer sheets for students with and without color
• Answer Keys
• Award Certificates- in full color or black/white
• List of vocabulary words from the passage
• Black/white versions of student pages
• FAQ and ideas for use
• Terms of Use

NOTE: This resource does not include a STEM Challenge. After completing the Escape, you will answer the question in the story students read. In the story, students ask, "What will our first project be?" When your students escape, you can surprise them with a challenge of your choice! What a perfect way to "set the stage"!

IDEAS FOR USE!

• Introduction to STEM in your classroom or STEM Lab
• Preview or review of the Engineering Design Process
• Class reward
• For teachers of multiple classes, use an escape for a class that has gotten ahead of others!

➡️NOTE: The reading passage is written for upper elementary students.

➡️NOTE: The Escape Room event can be completed in 30-45 minutes.

NOTE: YOUR PREP for the Escape Room includes:

• Copy the 4 puzzle sheets for students. (1 copy per team)
• Copy and cut apart the answer sheet
• Optional copies: awards certificate, answer key (for teacher)

➡️ NOTE: This Escape Room does not use real locks. The experience is all paper/pencil.

➡️Check my custom categories for more Fiction and Nonfiction Escapes with no locks!

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