Saturday, January 25, 2020

Escape from the Farm! A Subtraction Breakout Activity

Escape from the Farm! A Subtraction Breakout Activity | Apples to Applique

Subtraction seems to be a tricky concept for a lot of kiddos to grasp. For some reason, adding groups together seems more natural, but when it comes time to take away, kids can get stuck. I've been trying to work more engaging subtraction practice into my math block. My kids are obsessed with escape rooms, and so far I had only made one for addition, so of course I had to create one to practice subtraction!

Like my other escape rooms, this one sets the scene by starting with a story card and a clue.

Escape from the Farm! A Subtraction Breakout Activity | Apples to Applique

A storm blew down a fence and some of the farm animals escaped; the students' job is to help the farmer get the animals home safely and repair the fence.

First, they round up all of the chickens and put them back in the correct chicken coops by matching the subtraction equations to the differences. This whole group activity gets them up and moving as they work to find the classmate with their match. Playing a few rounds of this activity gives students the chance to practice several different equations and add to their math fluency.

Escape from the Farm! A Subtraction Breakout Activity | Apples to Applique

Next, they help find the lost sheep as they play a dice game with sheep counters and practice writing number sentences.

Escape from the Farm! A Subtraction Breakout Activity | Apples to Applique

Then, they help the farmer check out the rest of the animals and farm buildings as they do a write the room activity. They complete the subtraction problems and then find the pictures around the room to check their work.

Escape from the Farm! A Subtraction Breakout Activity | Apples to Applique

Finally, they help the farmer repair the fence by completing a subtraction puzzle.

Escape from the Farm! A Subtraction Breakout Activity | Apples to Applique

The variety of activities in this escape room are sure to be a hit with your students, while the incorporated movement and collaboration add to the level of engagement and learning.

Find Escape from the Farm here in my shop or here in my TPT store.

Keep teaching with heart and passion!




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