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Breakouts are huge right now, but they are also a bit intimidating for teachers to create and implement. Just programing the locks for each kit has caused me anxiety. How would I find the time and patience to set all the locks? How would I reset everything in time for the next class? A digital breakout with Google Forms is the perfect solution. Read on for ideas and resources to create clues, and step-by-step instructions on how to set up a Google Form with locks and different pages.

I started to write this out as part of the blog post, but it was too difficult to explain in words. Instead I made a 10-minute video that walks you through each step from start to finish to create your locked Google Form.

Click the image below to check it out at YouTube.

Breakouts are really fun, but I also wanted to make sure mine was relevant to a subject beyond just team building. I created one for Macbeth (click here to check it out at my TpT store) and the first step was deciding what content to focus on. I finally settled on iambic pentameter, the Globe, Gunpowder Plot, theme, and Shakespearean insults. I had a few more ideas, but I couldn't figure out how to make the clues work.

In the end I only went with five topics since I expect students to spend about 10 minutes on each topic. I suggest having a few extra ideas from the start so you can easily drop the ones that are too difficult to turn into clues.

Click here for a one-stop-shop list of FREE websites and apps to creatively make clues for your Breakout. This is where I found the ticket and text message generator listed below. Lots of ideas and resources and they're all free!

Fake Concert Tickets

I used fake concert tickets to help teach about the Globe. I made theater tickets for a handful of Shakespeare's plays and included as much factual detail as I could: the name of Shakespeare's theater group (both groups!), correct dates for the plays, admission fee for the pit versus bench, and even location of the theater and Hampton Court Palace for their performance for King James I. As students analyze the tickets for clues, they can't help but learn all of these details about the Globe and the plays.

I turned them into clues by hiding directions in quotes from the plays. Students need the right set of directions to open the lock. You could also have clues hidden in event codes, the names of events, or additional comments on the tickets. Click here to make up your own.

Fake Text Messages

When I saw the text message generator, I knew I wanted to use that for Shakespearean insults. I sorted through to find a few dozen insults from various plays - ones I knew the students would enjoy. I looked for a common theme in some of the insults and created a clue from there. I also like the idea of having students manipulate the clues, so I cut out all the comments and have the students reorganize them in the correct order. The correct order will give them the answer to the clue. Here's an example of what it looks like when the students first begin the Breakout.

You can use this to have students order events or quotes for a text, identify different characters by the quote, or you can hide a message in a text message that students need to sort through. For mine, I included letters on each text that spell a word when correctly lined up. The word is the key for the digital lock. Click here to make up your own.

Podcasts

The website 5minutehistory.com is perfect to introduce students to a topic and have them pull information for a clue. As the title implies, it is not in-depth and can be heard in just five minutes. I used this for the Gunpowder Plot and had students get various names as the key to the digital lock. To give it the feel of a puzzle, I used the same letter for each name I wanted: the mark, the mole, the mastermind, and so on. It took some extra time, but I did not want this to feel like a worksheet in any way.

I also like this website because you can listen, read the transcript, or both. The more choice the students have the better.

Posters

Have you tried Canva.com yet? You need to if you haven't. It's free and you can easily create engaging posters to display around the room as clues. I used this with theme to create something similar to movie posters. I used three different stories that all have the same theme as Macbeth in order to introduce the theme.

You can hide clues in posters or create a handful of posters that all have some sort of similarity that is the clue.

Rebus Clues

Made easy using www.myrebus.com. Here is an example of what you can do with rebus clues.

Could you figure it out? It says "Look under the teacher's chair for a clue." And then I would have an envelope with a clue taped under my chair. Going this route you would want to do a different location for each group so they don't catch on to what is happening.

Number Clues

Want to incorporate some math into your clues? Try this website (click here) where I was able to quickly make the worksheet below. You could designate certain answers as the key for the lock.

Regardless of the subject you are teaching, this is a good option if you are short for clues. In groups of students, it's likely one or a few enjoy number problems like this one!

I've seen a few different ways to do this. I like to include a certificate for an ice cream from the cafeteria for each Breakout winner, but I also like to document their success for a more intrinsic motivator. I'm attaching here a few free Breakout celebration posters students can pose with for pictures. You can post the photos on a bulletin board, include them on a school web page or Instagram account, or just let students take selfies to document their awesomeness.

Creating activities like this one has actually helped me evade the elusive teacher burnout. Sure, it's more work for me than creating a worksheet or even a gallery walk. But I enjoyed unleashing my creativity, and my students had a blast while they were learning and collaborating! An awesome lesson never fails in helping me out of a slump.

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How to Create a Digital Breakout for the Classroom - Engaging and Effective Teaching

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Ideas and resources to create digital breakout clues and a link to a how-to video for step-by-step instructions on how to make locked pages in Google Forms.

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Scavenger Hunt / Digital Break out with Google Forms

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Breakout Games are all the rage and with good reason. This puzzle format encourages engagement by providing something for all of the Player Types.

Free Spirits are encouraged to explore the area and find unlockable content.

Achievers get some hard fun and challenges to overcome.

Players might get some points or rewards (candy?!) that are locked in the box.

Socializers benefit from the teamwork and/or competitive aspects.

Philanthropists are able to share out their knowledge with others, earn access, and (if there is a good narrative) derive a sense of Purpose from the challenge.

Disruptors will find liberation in the choice and voice anarchy of the innovative student centered nature of the breakout.

My first experiences with the format were with the physical breakout box games from Breakoutedu.com (@breakoutedu). I enjoy puzzle games and quickly tried my hand at developing my own game with the same locks and boxes as in a typical breakout game. It was just as fun making the breakout as playing one. It was also more fun watching students figure out my hidden blacklight message and various red herrings than when they were trying out a stock game that I downloaded.

At the beginning of this school year digital breakout games emerged as a new twist on the format. I was excited about the format but was a bit overwhelmed when I attempted to create my own. The key (sorry about the pun) to digital breakouts is understanding the digital lock system.

Google Form Lock - EdTech PowerUp

Creating a digital lock begins with creating a Google Form. I like to label my forms with the Unit Name or Standard and in the following screencaps I am showing the opening salvo in my Standard 7 Cold War Digital Breakout. This is actually a mashup of my " Launch Codes - Badging " activity. As students accomplished tasks for this unit they received "launch codes" which were encrypted with a modified Masonic code. When broken, the Launch Codes will give a clue and the answer is the "key" to the digital lock I am showing here. Since this is my first real attempt with digital breakout creation, when unlocked the "submitted" message will lead to a pre-made Cuban Missile Crisis digital breakout with a 45 minuted timer.

Here are the steps to creating your very own Google Forms Digital Lock.

1. Create a Google Form. Yes, its obvious but needs to be said.

2. Hit the Plus (+) button to add a new question. It will likely default to a "Multiple Choice" type of question. You will want to change this to "Short Answer"

3. In the Question section write your clue. As an example I have written "Lock Clue". This is one part you can get creative with.

4. Be sure to hit that little button on the bottom right to make this a "Required" question. The rest of this won't work without doing so.

5. Click on the Three Vertical Dots near the Required button and it will pop up this menu. Then Click on "Response Validation".

6. Once the Response Validation is selected the question will look like this.

7. Click on the drop down triangle next to "number" and several options emerge. The "key" can be a number, text, have a certain length or be a regular expression. So far I have only used text and that is what is demonstrated below. So, select "Text".

8. Then if a specific word or phrase is required for the "key" select "contains". This will require an exact match to "unlock" this question lock.

9. The word of phrase key should be written in the space third from the left with the light grey word "Text". The question will only unlock with an EXACT match so be careful with capitalization and spelling. As an example this key is "lock combination".

10. Place a clue or special message in the space furthest to the right marked "custom error text". This example has "write hint here" but at times I will give an extra clue or remind them to capitalize or not capitalize the key.

11. Once the hint is added the lock is set and either another digital lock can be added or the Google Form can be shared. The next picture is from the Google Form as the student would see it. The red star shows it is required and the key should be written in the "Your Answer" section.

12. If the lock is started and then cleared a message will appear to remind the person filling out the form that the key is required.

13. Just a heads up - as the key is entered the hint or error message will automatically appear below the answer.

14. Once the key is correctly input the lock is automatically "opened". This will be indicated by the light red box disappearing and the error message / hint going away. If there are multiple digital locks all of the locks must be opened before the "submit" button will take them to the next screen.

15. Once the submit button is accepted then the Confirmation message will appear. I like to use this to add to the challenge, tie into the theme, or both. For example, in this Launch Code puzzle breaking the locks leads to a bigger challenge! This is what my confirmation screen looks like.

16. To change the confirmation message go back to the Google Form creator and click on the settings button (looks like a gear shape in the upper right hand corner near the Send button. The message can be changed in the text box under the "Presentation" tab. Hit save and you have your new message.

17. Depending on what you want to do with the Google Form Lock there are a few other tools. Since this is a Google Form you can collect some data and pull it out into a Google Sheets. In the Google Form creator page you can click on the Response button and see the responses. Since these are all locks the responses will all be the same; however if you turn this into a Google Sheet by clicking on the little green button in the upper right hand corner you can get some interesting data.

18. Back on the Settings page in the Google Form creator you could have clicked on the "collect email" button. This would have let you automatically collect the email address of anyone that hit the submit button. Convenient if you want to send a return email address (maybe with a secret message?). It also creates a time stamp if you want to add a timer element to the game. In the questions setting you can also create a "Name" question which would make students add their name. Combine that with the time stamp and there is a layer of accountability. Here is what the Google Sheets looks like for my St 7 Launch Code puzzle with the example "Lock Clue" question.

In the end, this Classroom PowerUp will add a layer of novelty while also providing an easily embedded activity that touches on all of the major player type motives. When this is a tool combined with required content students have a more interactive and engaging way to learn that material!

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EDTECH POWER-UP: Create Google Forms Digital Locks

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Breakout Games are all the rage and with good reason. This puzzle format encourages engagement by providing something for all of the Player Types. Free Spirits are encouraged to explore the area and find unlockable content. Achievers get some hard fun and challenges to overcome. Players might get some points or rewards (candy?!)

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40+ FREE digital escape rooms (plus a step by step guide for creating your own)

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Digital escape rooms bring the excitement of hunting for clues and the joy of solving puzzles right to your student’s devices. Here are over 40 digital

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Digital escape room clue creating resources - Wakelet

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We built Wakelet using the latest technologies to make it faster and easier to use. Unfortunately, your browser doesn't support those technologies.

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Google Forms Data Validation with Breakout EDU

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Make Any Worksheet Into an Escape Room in the Classroom -

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An escape room in the classroom is a super fun way to engage your students in any topic. Make one easily with the worksheet you already have!

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Time management was one of the most difficult aspects of classroom management for me. I loved having my students actively engaged in a hands-on lesson, but those types of lessons are very time-consuming. A quick 30-minute activity would often evolve into an hour-long lesson! A big part of the problem was my lack of time management skills. I would give my students a simple task, intending to allow 5 minutes before moving on to the next step, and the next thing I knew, 20 minutes had passed.

Luckily, my time management skills improved after I had an interactive whiteboard installed in my classroom. I discovered that the built-in Smartboard timer app was a great help, and before long I also discovered a wonderful FREE website with a variety of creative and fun timers. Online Stopwatch has over a dozen timers for counting up and counting down, including the countdown timers shown here. I would assign a task, set the timer to count down, and turn my attention back to my students. Even if I was caught up in an activity and didn't notice the time passing, the online timer would let us know when time was up.

I love these timers because they're fun as well as effective for classroom management, no matter the age of your students. After you set the total time and click the start button, an action occurs on each timer to show the passing time. For example, in the clock timer at the top, the hand on the clock moves and the clock changes from yellow to black. In the bomb timer, the fuse becomes shorter and shorter as it slowly burns towards the bomb. The candle slowly melts as the wick burns, the fuse burns to the bottle rocket, and the sand trickles down through the egg timer. In each case, when the time's up, the timer sounds off dramatically.

The only problem with these timers is that they are so exciting that they might actually be distracting! Fortunately, Online Stopwatch does have a few plain timers, too. You can even create your own custom countdown timer by choosing a timer, the ending sound, and other features.

Which online timer is your favorite? How do you use timers in your classroom?

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Time management was one of the most difficult aspects of classroom management for me. I loved having my students actively engaged in a hands-on lesson, but those types of lessons are very time-consuming. A quick 30-minute activity would often evolve into an hour-long lesson!

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Have them upload a picture of themselves doing something silly with their team members.

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This is a way for you to get data about how they are doing on questions that will not verify if they are correct or not! Great for inputting error analysis over common misconceptions!

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You can have kids upload Google Docs, Google Slides, A video or audio recording