First, the class had to skip count and decode a cryptogram that told them the location of a key. The key was used to quickly to unlock the first box- the class had only 40 minutes to complete the challenge. The first box contained bags of nickels, dimes, and $2 bills (yes, $2 bills) where they had to skip count and then add the whole numbers that resulted. This produced the combination to the locked pencil box.
Inside the pencil box were card sets that had numbers on one side and arrows on the opposite side and mirrors. Skip counting by 6's helped them find the code for the slide direction lock. What did that contain? Well, another puzzle, of course!
After unlocking the last box, the students saw a weird-looking URL. The class was not stumped though and they swiftly figured out that they should use the mirrors to read the URL. There was a scramble for Chromebooks as they entered the URL.
A Google Form with repeated addition and multiplication arrays was the next challenge. In order to complete the whole challenge, though, the students needed to create an array based on a specific multiplication expression with Google Drawing... and submit the URL for this file within the Google Form.
Each table in the classroom is named for a continent and students worked with their table as a team throughout the challenge. This time "South America" completed the challenge first. The best part? They then went on to help their classmates complete the challenge without being asked!
The article written by Mr. Warren about his experiences in our classroom will be published in a few weeks! Stay tuned!
To create this challenge, 'Professor Product' utilized most of the materials that came with the BreakoutEDU kit. If you have not heard of Breakout EDU- you should definitely check it out!
