Try Out Breakout EDU

BreakoutEDU is all things that I am into.

• Collaboration
• Gamification
• Critical Thinking
• Communicating
• Creative Problem Solving
• Context
• Reflection
• Student Engagement

For #worksheetLESSwednesdays try doing a Breakout EDU with your students!

Discount Code

Create an account at platform.breakoutedu.com/signup. You can get started by purchasing a kit at store.breakoutedu.com.

Discount code: keeler25

Students are challenged to work collaboratively to open a locked box in the classroom. Around the room, clues and puzzles are setup where they have to use the 4 C’s to come up with solutions and try it against one of the locks on the lockbox.

Instead of learning content by doing a worksheet, the room in transformed to where they are immersed in a creative learning environment where they learn content in a fun engaging fashion. Learning by doing, rather than learning by rote task monotony.

These challenges typically take about 45 minutes to solve and there’s a reflection activity at the end.

Each game has a different agenda or theme to it, and there are multiple games for all subjects and all grades.

Tweets

I was at a workshop that began with a Breakout through my Board and got #obsessed! I can’t find an @alicekeeler blog about this so start here with @sylviaduckworth ‘s #BreakoutEDU: https://t.co/qmPLbZfrFJ – and let me know how it goes! #BeauValleyPS #yougotthis #engagedteaching

— Mrs. Thomas (@MrsThomasLC) March 6, 2018

@mrchowmath has some breakout Desmos math stuff

— Nickolas Corley (@MrCorleyMath) March 7, 2018

My best tip: If collaborating (I am MediaSpec and work w/Ts on these) offer breakouts to Ts before they do them with Ss. Ts need the experience.

— CRHS Media Center (@CRHSMediaCenter) March 7, 2018

I did one as a booktalk for a breakout-themed book. The book was inside.

— Corinne Altham (@MrsAltham) March 7, 2018

@breakoutEDU has tons of free activities for multiple subjects and grade levels. You’ll want to almost work through the activity first to see how it’s meant to flow. For the first time, I assigned roles to each person in the group and that helped keep everyone involved

— Ashley Burroughs (@MrsABurr2011) March 7, 2018

(1)This has been my favorite activity so far because of the level of questions and the way Pythagorean theorem was applied. I also liked that the lock codes were only slightly harder to figure out from the found answers. In other acitivities I’ve tried the codes were far removed

— Ashley Burroughs (@MrsABurr2011) March 7, 2018

Reset all your locks to 000 after you have finished. Remembering the codes later is impossible or you have to answer your own questions yourself lol

— SLS Guernsey (@slsguernsey) March 7, 2018

Omg. Read the directions to programming the directional locks once, twice, three times before you even attempt to program! I’ve ruined three locks already! Lol

— Mrs. Johnson (@MrsJohnsonD70) March 7, 2018

I’m a digital coach. I keep a spreadsheet w/all lock combinations for our schools, as we share 8 boxes. The spreadsheet contains a file w/videos/directions about how to reset locks. Always keep extra locks on hand! I’d be glad to share some of our creations.

— Andrea Derrick (@AndreaDerrick19) March 7, 2018

Don’t forget the reflection cards. My fav: Give a shout out to a teammate that impressed you by…..

— Rachel Emenhiser (@REmenhiser) March 7, 2018

Double check all locks work before running session, and that combinations work properly.

— LBHS History (@LBHS_History) March 7, 2018

The first time you do this with your classes, consider scheduling the Breakout Edu activity for two days. Even number classes one day, odd the next. You need time in between to set up everything.

— Audrey Almeida (@AudreyAlmeida09) March 7, 2018

Here’s some great tips from the community: https://t.co/QLFIpGk1v1 . Here’s a great getting started resource: https://t.co/ohWHW9BM7T

— Breakout EDU (@breakoutEDU) March 7, 2018

I have created my own #breakoutedu using Google Sheets, lockers in the hallway, and old TI CBL cases. I’m investigating transitioning to Google Forms.

— Joanna Stevens (@MrsStevensMath) March 7, 2018

I felt the same way at first. There are YouTube tutorials for learning how the locks work. Start with the breakouts on their site (already tested). Print the required files and lay it all out on a desk & it will come together. 1/2

— Jennifer Casey (@jcaseydesign) March 7, 2018

2/2 I would also really suggest you consider your students. A lot of Ss in SpEd? You’ll need more time. Do it without the timer or start time after they open first lock. Prepare Ss for the idea of “failing fwd” if you do use timer. Have fun!

— Jennifer Casey (@jcaseydesign) March 7, 2018

We’ve done @50 Breakouts in our district-first ones were daunting. We’ve found it easier to look at BO resources on site/FB & use ideas from various games 2 match Ts comfort level. We rarely use clues as written on the site, but use them as idea starters. Starting small helps!

— Andrea Derrick (@AndreaDerrick19) March 7, 2018

This can be seriously intimidating. I go through the activity step by step, gathering what I need for each and writing it in my own words. Then, I try each piece so I understand how it connects with the big picture. The hardest part are the locks, imho. ? Need silence to focus!

— Penny Currier (@penncurr) March 7, 2018

Celebrate win or lose! Even if they don’t get the box open, they did a lot of learning along the way. @breakoutEDU

— Jeff Hennigar (@MrHennigar) March 7, 2018

Celebrate the journey and learning along the way and think about the “reward” at the end. Having a prize in the box sometimes becomes an expectation of you run another one later on. The journey and learning is the prize

— Mario (@margreek) March 8, 2018

Set up a folder in your GDrive. Keep everything in 1 place. Start with Sites. Build a story. Add pics,links,draw,puzzles etc. Get ideas from other #breakoutedu rooms. Once you have site built. Build locks around what you have. Have fun. Kids love and are so engaged. Good luck

— Karla McEachern (@mrsm_sms) March 8, 2018

I love keeping a spreadsheet that I can add dates for the lock changes so that way if I do forget the current, I can go back to the previous sets so you can always go back. Also, you can set a Google Form to the exact characters for digital locks for digital breakout

— Ryan Read (@Ryan7Read) March 8, 2018

I created a sheet to go in each box for post use. It has pictures of what should be in box prior to returning and also how to reset the locks and what the reset codes should be. It also has my contact info on it Incase of issues and malfunctions. We share our boxes k-12!

— Miss Smith (@Miss_SmithRASD) March 8, 2018

Also I wouldn’t let students reset locks alone. Once they are done wrong there is no way to get them open. I learned the hard way and had to purchase new locks on multiple occasions due to errors.

— Miss Smith (@Miss_SmithRASD) March 8, 2018

I think the biggest takeaway for teachers is knowing that they can use #breakoutedu to introduce new topics and as inquiry activities. Most of my teachers request Breakout as review games; I try to reverse this mindset. Link to team roles cards I created! https://t.co/ywmHn6sb1w

— K Weaver (@kwreads) March 8, 2018

Always test any #breakoutedu game that you create/borrow/adapt with real humans before you run it with a class

— Cammie Kannekens (@MrsKannekens) March 8, 2018

Do websites do soft openings? Doing one anyway https://t.co/oSdrhGvDxm

— Jay Chow (@mrchowmath) March 8, 2018

@alicekeeler https://t.co/PrpsEnUeQV

Check out this order of operations March Madness Breakout Edu! 6th graders had a blast with it!

— Samantha White (@MsWhite6th) March 8, 2018

I keep a paper record of all the Breakout sessions we have done. It’s good to be able to refer back, otherwise they all seem to blur into one after a while! The torch and invisible pen are very popular. Breakout is so versatile as it can be tailored to any subject or age group.

— Julia Bichard (@JuliaBichard) March 8, 2018

I use #breakoutedu in the beginning of the year, first full class period, to give a preview of the content and to start routines around collaboration! #wmssciclass

— Debbie Holman (@debbiejholman) March 8, 2018

Be prepared ahead of time and flexible. We have 8 boxes we share at my school. When I wanted to use them, 2 locks were on hasps with no known code. The PE teacher cut them off. And all of the invisible ink pens were dried up and only 4 flashlights worked, but I still did breakout

— Joanne Park-Smith (@joanneparksmith) March 8, 2018

For digital breakouts make text appear with =if( statements https://t.co/Sjch9EX1jm

— Daniel Kaufmann (@KauDan721) March 8, 2018