Lock in teachers! Get your 6th grade & 7th grade students excited about solving one-step equations with this brain rot themed escape room activity. Gain aura with your middle schoolers while giving them a fun and engaging way to practice standards-based math skills. This digital or printable escape room incorporates appropriate "Vintage 2025 Brain Rot" slang such as "six seven" that is familiar to Gen Z and Gen Alpha students. A brain rot virus has overtaken the school, turning everyone into meme obsessed zombies. The teachers are using cringy slang and the students are crashing out! Can your students use their knowledge of solving single-step equations to stop the brain rot virus before its effects become permanent?

This one-step equations activity is a great team building activity to use at the beginning of the school year, or an engaging way to review prior to end of the year testing. Students will solve single step equations in the form of x + p = q and px = q using non-negative numbers. Most equations involve whole numbers, however, a few decimals are also included.

Both print and digital versions are included in this escape room challenge. Options for both color and black and white printables are included. The print version is low prep & easy to implement and has five required pages to print. The online digital version of the escape room has no clues to hide, and is self-checking. It is extremely easy to implement and can be completed in-person or virtually. The breakout process is automated by a Google Form™, but you do not need to have Google Classroom™ or student e-mail addresses to use this product. There is the option to create your own copy of the form for schools that require Google Forms™ to originate from within their system. *Please make sure that your school district does not block Google Forms™. Any student with a device and internet access will have the tools they need to complete the digital version of this order of operations breakout activity.

Math Skills Needed to Complete the Puzzles

• Solving one-step equations with positive whole numbers and decimals
• Use inverse operations to solve single step equations in the form of x + p = q, x - p = q, px = q, and x/p = q
• Match a one word problem with a one-step equation that could be used to solve it
• Perform the four operations with decimal numbers
• Perform multi-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

What's included in the PDF?

• Quick start guide with link to the digital escape room
• Optional link for Google Drive™ users to create a copy of the form to save to their own drives in order to view student results.
• "Brain Rot" Glossary (printable version)
• Printable black and white version of the escape room (includes the mission explanation, six puzzles, and a "mission accomplished" page).
• Printable color version of the escape room
• Answer key & teacher tips

Digital Escape Room 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. Many students with a firm grasp of the concepts will complete this escape room in 30-45 minutes. You can allow 60 minutes to be safe. The form will only save data if students are signed into Google accounts, 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.
• Can this be used for remote learning? Yes! This product is designed to be able to be completed completely online and can be done in-person, for distance learning, or hybrid models. Students will need a device and internet connection.
• 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.

Escape rooms are a great way to get students excited and engaged with math. This activity encourages active learning and allows students to experience productive struggle to complete their mission.