COVID-19 Guidelines in Alberta Schools:

Schools in Alberta are currently operating in Scenario 1, and were so at the time of both the planning and implementation of my Digital Escape Room. Under Scenario 1, classes resume in-person with enhanced health measures.

Instruction and Integration:

• Students and staff wearing masks at all times. While Alberta Education states that "[s]taff, teachers, and students do not have to wear masks while seated in the classroom during instruction where there is appropriate distance between the staff and the students" ("2020-21 School Re-Entry," 2020, p. 7), there is no physical space in my classroom to allow for 2 meters of space between my students. Concurrently, Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI) recognizes that "[p]hysical distancing in many of our classrooms will be challenging, therefore, masks are mandatory as an additionl means of protection for staff and students" ("Return to School Plan 2020," 2020, p. 1).

• The attempt to physical distance where possible and the implementation of seating arrangements. In my classrooms of 28 and 32 students, I am unable to allow for proper physical distancing. The implementation of this guideline, in my classroom, takes the form of limiting (physical) group/partner activities and relying on whole-class conversations, digital activities, and individual work.

• The limiting of sharing materials between students: "[t]eachers will plan learning activities to reduce or minimize the need to share equipment, textbooks or materials" (Lethbridge Collegiate Institute). Like the physical distancing guideline, this rule means that typical group/partner work is limited. Instead, my planning and instruction has placed a focus on individual work that uses supplemental partner discussion (with peers beside them, as per seating plan) and favours technological integration. Because students must share computers in a school setting, I encourage students to bring their own laptop/tablet/phone to work on where possible. If not possible, their work area is sanitized after every use. This also increases students' capacity of technology navigation, and therefore helps prepare them if they must isolate and complete schoolwork at home: "[c]hildren and students will be supported by their school authority to learn at home if they are required to isolate due to illness or because they are a close contact of a case of COVID-19" (Alberta Education, 2020).

• Lastly, students must report if they are feeling unwell and are required to stay home if sick. This means creating a safe and non-judgemental environment for students to speak up if they are feeling unwell, and know that their academic standing will not be affected. I achieve this through the use of Teams for assignments and communication with students.

Digital Escape Rooms as a Covid-Safe Way of Creating Engaging Reading Comprehension Preparation:

Individual work:

When completing the Escape Rooms, students work individually to complete the steps to "escape." During the first Escape Room, I did have a problem with students sharing clues with one another. In the second one, I framed it as a replacement activity, taking the place of a quiz. This motivated students to complete their work individually, and therefore serving as effective reading comprehension test preparation. Students did have to use school computers, as the PowerPoint format does not work on smartphones and tablets. If students had their own laptops, they could use those in place of a school computer. However, students were put into a seating arrangement in the computer lab that correlated with the one in my classroom and their workspace was sanitized by myself afterwards, and therefore maintained COVID-19 protocols.