Introducing Global Goals

How Can I Facilitate Group Learning about the Global Goals?

Escape Rooms

Classroom escape rooms allow students to engage directly with content rather than learning through traditional teaching. While these activities can be used to review content at the end of the unit, using them as an introduction to a unit of study helps students create their own questions about the topic and leads to a higher level of interest than if the topic is first "taught" by the teacher.

Planning Considerations for Classroom Escape Rooms

• The Global Games escape room can be used with students in elementary and middle school classrooms.

• Teams of 4-5 students work best for these activities.

• Allow 45 minutes for the Global Games escape room. Most classroom escape rooms are designed to be completed in 45 minutes but can be extended over multiple days if less class time is available. In a scenario with less time, students can solve one or two clues a day over multiple days.

• Prepare one copy of the clues for each team as described. Print a copy of the wrap-up activity for each student. Color copies aren't necessary in most cases. Alternatively, clues can be displayed around the classroom.

• Use this video for complete set-up instructions. All locks can also be put on one box instead of two to simplify for younger students. Instead of a UV pen and light, the cards for the direction lock can be numbered on the back with ink.

• As an alternative to locks and boxes, students can record their solutions to the clues on a lock recording sheet to show they successfully solved each one. Escape room sets are available at Breakoutedu along with access to thousands of standards-aligned games.

Preparing the Teams

• Planning team groupings in advance contributes greatly to students' learning. For all team members to participate in learning, students should be grouped with academically similar peers. Two sets of clues are available to allow all teams to be successful and clues can be mixed and matched to best fit students' needs.

• Divide students into teams and give each team a folder with a copy of the clues.

• Each escape room has an accompanying story or situation the students are working to solve before the time limit. Read the story to the students to begin the activity our use this Global Games video.

• Show the contents of the folder to students without leading them to how each clue should be used.

• Describe the use of Hint cards. Each team gets two Hint cards (or save paper and give them one that can be torn in half). Rules for Hint cards are 1) Your team must agree they are stuck and need help, and 2) Your team needs to ask a good question that will help them get unstuck. Good questions typically aren't ones that have a yes or no answer. Hint cards serve two purposes, they keep teachers from jumping in too early to help before students have had the chance to struggle and learn on their own or too late after students are frustrated and discouraged. Hint cards also encourage students to think about their work and develop better questions.

• Remind each team to read and look closely at each clue. Reading them aloud to their teammates can help them catch things they might otherwise miss.

• Before starting, define the difference between a group and a team. A group is just a bunch of people sitting around together; a team works together for a common goal, listens to each other's ideas, and is respectful of each other.

• Set a timer for 45 minutes and then step back and let them work. A good rule for teachers to follow is not to answer questions for at least the first ten minutes so students truly have had the opportunity to work with the clues and with their teammates.

Trying to Solve the Challenges and Escape

Students can work through the clues in any order. They can divide them up among team members or work on them one by one. When they think they have solved a clue, they can try to unlock that combination. If it works they can move on to another clue, if not, they can look/read it again to try another approach.

In the first ten minutes, a couple of different things typically happen.

• Students will think of things to try and see things in the clues that you never would have considered. This is part of the learning process. Just step back and let them work through it.

• Students will sometimes want to try to just guess combinations. Remind them that they need to use the clues in their folders. That is a much better use of their time than trying to guess all the possible combinations. If they continue to just guess instead of using the clues, make a rule that they need to show you how they solved a clue before they can try to unlock a lock.

• Remind students when they are about halfway through their time. If they haven't used a Hint yet, this is a good time for them to re-group, consider where they are at in solving the clues and decide if they would like to use one.

• Often when students are ready to use a Hint, responding to them with a question to help them sort out their thinking is better than directly answering their question. When they talk through their thinking aloud it helps them think more logically and they often catch something they've missed.

Concluding the Escape Room

• Some teams may successfully solve all the clues and some may not, or possibly none will finish. The journey is more important in escape rooms than the destination. Reiterate to students that the struggle is part of the learning and is how we grow.

• If a team successfully solves all of the clues before the time limit, the remaining teams should continue to work to escape. Teams who finish early can complete the wrap-up activity and reflection while the rest continue.

• All students, whether they successfully complete the challenge or not, should complete the wrap-up activity and Global Goals reflection questions. These can be used for students to reflect individually, as a team, or as a whole class.

Extending the activity to real life

Reflection questions 4-6 can serve as an engagement point for students in the rest of a unit about global goals and taking global actions towards reaching those goals. Students can research the goal of their choice further and design projects and service towards that goal.

Extending the learning with more experiential learning

The Tragedy of the Commons is an experiential learning activity used to teach economic concepts but also applies to the scarcity of resources requiring the wise stewardship of those resources to reach the Global Goals, especially goals 6, 13, 14, and 15. Another variation of this activity can be found here. Common Ground is a book for elementary students that could also accompany this activity and has several materials for language arts connections.