Using Breakouts in the Science Classroom

Are your students tired of the same old study guides and review games? Looking for an activity that requires students to apply what they have learned while also building communication skills and perseverance? Need a fun way to introduce a unit and review prior knowledge? Try a breakout!

I often visit escape rooms with my friends. As a teacher, I always thought it would be fun to bring this experience to my students. How fun would it be to watch my students solve puzzles and work together in this way? After trying a few I found online, I began to develop unique breakout experiences, modifying puzzles I saw in real escape rooms, to help my students master the Science concepts we study.

In this image, you see a group of students fully engaged in their Chemistry Breakout. The students must apply their knowledge of the periodic table and the Bohr model of the atom in order to solve the puzzles, find the code, and open the box.

In this image, you see students working together on a word search. First, the students answer questions about DNA, then they find those answers in a word search. When they are done, the word search reveals a number code that helps them open the next lock.

My students love breakout days. One student asked if we could do one every week! While participating in the game, students get so caught up in the competition and puzzles that they forget they are learning.






Interested in trying a breakout game in your classroom? Click the links to find the Atoms and Periodic Table Breakout Game or the DNA Breakout Game on my Teachers Pay Teachers page.

Concept Models - Assessments that dig deeper

At the end of an activity, lesson, unit, or year, teachers want to know what students have learned. Traditionally, students are asked to answer questions in the form of a test or quiz to see what they have learned. As we know, these assessments often ask students to recall or recognize information, rather than show what they truly and deeply understand.

Over the past few years, I have begun asking my students to draw and write out models for the key concepts we are studying. Each unit is broken into modules (which I call Missions) and each mission has an essential question. 

Sometimes, I have students answer this question before we begin the module, and then again after, having them reflect on how their ideas have changed over time. This allows students to see that they are learning, and allows me to see what they understand.

In the concept model to the right, you can see how much more the student understands after the module, both from how she explains and based on her self-drawn diagram.

In other modules, students complete a concept model at the end of a unit as part of an assessment. The examples below show models students completed after a unit on river systems. This line of questioning helps me know that students are doing more than just memorizing the vocabulary terms.