Change Up Reading Lessons With This Easy Idea

Reading can be such an intimidating subject for some of our students. So any chance I get to make reading fun, I take it!

There are many ways you can practice reading skills, but a lot of times, they are redundant and not very engaging for students. Reading Escape Rooms are one way to practice reading skills in a way that's fun for students!

How to Use

Reading Escape Rooms are COMPLETELY ready-to-use! All of the passages, questions, directions, and scenarios are done for you! Here are some of the skills Reading Escape Rooms cover, with more on the way!

• Main Idea/Key Idea & Details
• Making Inferences
• Identifying Theme
• Cause & Effect
• Problem & Solution

To keep things engaging and fresh, each reading skill has its own theme! Each skill has its own scenario for the students to overcome by reading short passages, answering related questions, and unlocking each station with different decoders. No two themes are the same so that students will have a new adventure every time!

Printable

Each skill comes in a printable version. The printable version includes so much!

• Black & White and Color versions of all printable files
• 4 question task cards (16 total questions)
• Recording Sheet
• Station Cover Pages
• Decoders 
• Scenario
• Swag Tags 
• Photo Booth Props 
• Answer key
• Teacher directions

The best part is that it is ready to print and go! Minimal prep is needed because the passages, questions, answers, and decoders are done for you.

Digital

All of the skills have a digital version in addition to the printables. You can use parts of both or be completely digital!

• Google Slides escape room (16 total questions) | Linked and ready to use!
• Google Slides recording sheet
• Linked google forms for students to check their codes for each station
• Themed classroom slides for use in Google or PowerPoint (edit or just present)

The digital escape rooms are perfect if you want something very low-prep because everything is linked and ready to use! All you have to do is pick and choose a few slides at the beginning that work best for you.

3 quick tips:

1. Remind students to go through the escape room on present mode for everything to work correctly!
2. Print recording sheets for students so they can easily use the decoder at the end of each station.
3. Watch the fun scenario video at the beginning of the activity to really hook your readers!

Two Versions

There are two separate versions for each skill—a 2nd and 3rd-grade version and a 4th and 5th-grade version since reading levels, vocabulary, and skills fall into similar ranges in these grade levels. These are the recommended grade ranges based on reading complexity.

You could utilize both and differentiate for various learners in your classroom. The themes and the skills are the same! The reading complexity and questions are the only parts that vary between the two versions.

Problem & Solution Escape Room Freebie

Ready to try a Reading Escape Room for yourself? Grab the Escape the Island Problem and Solution Reading Escape Room below!

This fun island-themed escape room has 12 passages and questions to engage your students in a new and exciting way.

Ways to Use

There are so many ways to use Reading Escape Rooms in your classroom!

• Content Review
• Enrichment
• Test Prep
• Morning Work
• Fast Finishers
• Spiral Review
• Stations
• Small Groups

One of my favorite ways to use the escape rooms is in stations. Assign the escape room as a reading station for the week, and students can work their way through it during the week. This can be at the end of a unit for a grade or to prepare for an upcoming test.

A student favorite is using escape rooms for a fun Friday! That's where the printable swag tags and photo booth props really come in handy. Assign the escape room with task cards around the room for some extra movement, or assign it digitally and let students sit wherever they want around the room.

Then, as students complete the escape room, award them with a swag tag and photo booth moment! This would also be such a fun memory to post on the Classgram bulletin board or in the students' memory books!

Interested in more ways to use escape rooms in your classroom? Check out this post all about Engaging your Students with Escape Room Templates. Escape rooms that fit ANY content!

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