You guys know by now that I love using escape rooms with my students. They make such a great way for students to get up and moving, and to collaborate together while learning.
I am so, so excited for the newest addition to my line of escape rooms: Christmas Around the World!
These provide a fresh new way to learn, thanks in part to the element of imaginary play, as students pretend to take a journey. First, they scan a boarding pass to reveal a secret destination. When they scan the QR code, a map of the country they are "visiting" comes up, along with a simplified explanation of holiday traditions in that country.
Students are presented with a question to answer or a sentence to finish. Just like my other escape rooms, the answer has four letters, and they will earn one letter with the completion of each task.
When they are finished reading about the traditions, they earn the first letter. The next task is to discuss some of the holiday symbols they just read about. They take turns rolling a pocket dice and naming or describing the symbols and customs. This earns them their second letter.
Next, they complete a write the room activity, where they find pictures of holiday symbols and write the names. When this activity is finished, they earn the third letter.
The final task is to create a booklet which includes information about the holiday. At the conclusion of this task, they earn the last letter and win the game.
As they win the game, the included story cards say they are now ready to join in the celebration. An enriching follow-up activity would be to have a themed snack or mini party afterward, so they can celebrate the holiday in a small way.
All of my Christmas Around the World escape rooms are available for purchase separately, so that you can focus on just the country(ies) you want.
Currently, these are the countries I have available (with more in the works):
The Netherlands
Sweden
England
Italy
Australia
Mexico
They are also all available in this money-saving bundle. I plan to add more to the bundle, so buying early saves you the most money, because you will get all future additions for free!
The other fun thing about the bundle is that it includes a FREE bonus file, which has a student passport and stamps.
Isn't this the cutest? |
I am so looking forward to using this interactive format to study holidays and customs from around the world with my students.
What other countries would you like to see included? Let me know in the comments!