Writing Workshop Escape Room Activity

The purpose of this Writing Workshop is to engage your students in an Escape Room activity to learn more about the important components for being an effective writer. Watch your students get excited as they try to get accepted into The School of Writing Wizardry. In order to get accepted, students will cooperatively work through six tasks that relate to writing (parts of speech, the writing process, punctuation, figurative language, topic sentences, and paragraph structure). Students must earn a minimum of 12 “Admission Points” in order to earn the chance to try to “crack the code” and be admitted.

Included in this 30+ page resource:

• Teacher Tips (4-pages)
• Admission Guidelines (1-page; 2 per page)
• Task #1: Parts of Speech (1-page)
• Noun Flip Cards (3-pages; 25 cards)
• Noun Flip Cards Answer Key (1-page)
• Adjective Flip Cards (3-pages; 25 cards)
• Adjective Flip Cards Answer Key (1-page)
• Action Verb Flip Cards (3-pages; 25 cards)
• Action Verb Flip Cards Answer Key (1-page)
• Task #2: Writing Process (1-page)
• Task #2: Writing Process Answer Key (1-page)
• Task #3: Punctuation Problems (2-pages)
• Task #3: Punctuation Problems Answer Key (2-pages)
• Task #4: Figurative Language (2-pages)
• Task #4: Figurative Language Answer Key (2-pages)
• Task #5: Topic Sentences (1-page)
• Topic Sentence Task Cards (10-pages; 20 cards)
• Topic Sentence Task Cards Answer Key (10-pages)
• Task #6: Paragraph Structure (1-page)
• Paragraph Task Cards (10-pages; 20 cards)
• Paragraph Task Cards Answer Key (10-pages)
• Final Task: Wizardry Code (1-page)
• Final Task: Wizardry Code Answer Key (1-page)
• Admission Point Sheet (1-page; 4 per page)
• Wizard Code Cards (2-pages; 12 per page)
• Student Reflection Handout (1-page)
• Grading Rubric (1-page; 2 per page)
• Extension Activities (1-page)
• Claim, Evidence, Reasoning Extension (1-page)
• Claim, Evidence, Reasoning Activity (1-page)
• Admission Certificate (1-page; 2 per page)
• Teacher Point Tracking Handout (1-page)

Download the preview for all of the details!!

How the Activity works:

How to Use: This is an activity about understanding what it takes to be a good writer. It could be a stand-alone activity or as an effective introduction, extension of learning, or conclusion to a beginning writing unit. Some activities/resources included are optional.

Classroom Time: The activities will most likely take longer than one 45-minute class period, but this all depends on your students and how much class time you actually have. If you feel that your students will need more time, you may want to have each group/team stop once they complete a certain task. This will ensure that all students are starting on the same task the next time you meet. If you choose to go this route, groups who finish early could work on one of the extension activities.

Admissions Guidelines: Pass out the “Admissions Guidelines” handout to each team (or display it on a screen). Read thru the scenario and answer any questions your students may have. NOTE: You are the Admission Wizard for The School of Writing Wizardry.

Technological Device: You may find it necessary that each team have at least one type of technology device handy so they can have access to the internet if they need help.

Tasks: There are six tasks that each team will work through:

• Task # 1: Parts of Speech- You, the Admission Wizard, will provide each team/group with five noun, adjective, and action verb cards. The task for the students will be to read the sentences on each of the 15 cards and record the nouns, adjectives, and action verbs in the chart provided. When they are finished, they will give it to you to look over. Determine the number of “Admission Points” and have them choose a “Wizard Code Card” if they earned it.
• Task #2: Writing Process- For this task, students are asked to match each description to the appropriate step of the writing process. To do this, students will carefully cut out the descriptions of each of the steps and glue or tape them next to the appropriate steps of the writing process. When they are finished, they will give it to you to look over. Determine the number of “Admission Points” and have them choose a “Wizard Code Card” if they earned it.
• Task #3: Punctuation Problems- For this task, students will choose the sentence that fixes all of the errors in each of the incorrect sentences. They will place a check mark (√) to the right of the sentence they think is the correct way the sentence should be written. After they have finished with all of the sentences, they can unscramble the letters to the right of each check mark to help them answer “The School of Writing Wizardry Challenge”. When they are finished, they will give it to you to look over. Determine the number of “Admission Points” and have them choose a “Wizard Code Card” if they earned it.
• Task #4: Figurative Language- Students will choose the correct figurative language and match it to its description for this task. They will write answers in the boxes below each sentence. After answering all of the questions, students can unscramble the letters in the shaded boxes to answer the “The School of Writing Wizardry Challenge”. When they are finished, they will give it to you to look over. Determine the number of “Admission Points” and have them choose a “Wizard Code Card” if they earned it.
• Task #5: Topic Sentences- For this task, you will give each team/group four task cards. Students will read the paragraph on each task card and try to figure out the topic sentence that fits the paragraph. When they are finished, they will give it to you to look over. Determine the number of “Admission Points” and have them choose a “Wizard Code Card” if they earned it.
• Task #6: Paragraph Structure- You will give each team/group a task card. Students will read the sentences on the task card, and then try to figure out the order of the sentences that would make the paragraph make the most sense. Students will need to cut and paste the order of the sentences. When they are finished, they will give it to you to look over. Determine the number of “Admission Points” and have them choose a “Wizard Code Card” if they earned it. Note: The Topic Sentence and Paragraph Task Cards relate to one another. Be sure that teams don’t get the same topics.
• Final Task: Wizardry Code- Teams/groups will need to have earned at least 12 “Admission Points” to continue with this task. For this task, students will use their “Wizardry Code Cards” to decipher (crack) the code. If successful, they are officially admitted into The School of Writing Wizardry.
• Other Extensions and Resources- There are several other documents that you may find useful to help extend the learning related to writing. Feel free to use what you feel is necessary for your students.

Engagement & Classroom Management Tips:

• You could play some music in the background as students work.
• Pretend you are a “wizard” and dress up as one.
• Teams/groups need to earn at least 12 “Admission Points” to be able to try to “crack” the Wizardry Code (Final Task). It is up to you how you want this activity to run in your classroom. In other words, you can have teams move on after each task no matter how they do, or you can have teams fix any errors until they earn at least 2 “Admission Points” for each task. Doing the latter will ensure that they will move on to the Final Task.
• Be sure that you have all of the needed materials printed off and ready to go.
• When finished, celebrate the success of your students!

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