Description
The Famous Failures (Growth Mindset) Escape Room will take students on a secret mission around the classroom, reading comprehension passages, and answering questions! This escape room has students decode interesting facts about the success and failures of Katy Perry, George Lucas, Mark Cuban and Bill Gates.
Perfect Back to School activity to promote a positive mindset, talk about failures, determination and success, and start the year off on a good note.
The Famous Failures Escape Room is a great reading comprehension activity with a twist of fun that has students deciphering codes. The codes include ciphers, morse code, cryptograms, Polybius squares, and a final 4 digit code based on the decoders/clues.
What’s Included?
- 4 Reading Passages
- 4 Puzzle Phrases to Decode
- 4 Decoders
- 4 Differentiated Decoders
- 10 Multiple Choice Questions
- Teacher Instructions
- Answer Key
- Hint Guides – How To Decode
- Completion Signs
Watch the video or click on the preview button to take a closer look at everything included!
Skills Used:
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Peer Collaboration
- Problem Solving
To prevent students from simply decoding the puzzles, ALL questions need to be answered correctly in order to solve the final code. This ensures understanding!
Benefits of Use:
- No Prep
- Print and Go
- Cross-Curricular
- Highly Engaging
- No Locks Needed
- No silly envelopes to stuff
- No fancy shapes to cut out
Give students a chance to decode puzzles, move around the room, and read passages, all while actively learning! Students will work in pairs (or individually) and race against the clock. A friendly competition always increases engagement. No prior knowledge is needed. Each code will reveal interesting facts about the topic.
Puzzle Types:
- Cryptogram
- Morse Code
- PigPen Cipher
- Polybius Square
Options for Use:
- Anticipatory Sets
- Unit Review
- Early Finishers
- Gallery Walk
- Stations
- Sub Plans
- Rewards
Click HERE to grab a F-R-E-E Color by Number Activity!
»»» Thinktivity™ Reading Passages : Click HERE
»»» Comprehension Challenge and CSI Spy Mystery: Click HERE
»»» Printable ESCAPE ROOMS: Click HERE
»»» Text Marking Detective: Click HERE
»»» Scavenger Hunts: Click HERE
»»» Digital Secret Message Activities: Click HERE
»»» Puzzle Breakouts: Click HERE
»»» Interactive Google Slides™: Click HERE
»»» Digital ESCAPE ROOMS: Click HERE
»»» Color by Number – Text Marking: Click HERE
»»» Digital Reading Passages: Click HERE
»»» Task Card Review Games: Click HERE
»»» Interactive Game Boards: Click HERE
»»» Reading Passages and Text Marking: Click HERE
»»» Back to School: Click HERE
»»» Collaborative Posters: Click HERE
»»» Digital Interactive Notebooks: Click HERE
»»» Grades 3 and 4 Escape Rooms: Click HERE
Copyright Information : © Think Tank Teacher LLC. Please note – all material included in this resource belongs to Think Tank Teacher LLC. By purchasing, you have a license to use the material but you do not own the material. You may not upload any portion of this resource to the internet in any format, including school/personal websites or network drives unless the site is password protected and can only be accessed by students, not other teachers or anyone else on the internet.
Amber I. –
This was a very fun and engaging activity. The students enjoyed the reading passages and I used it as a get to know you activity!
Nicole L. –
Fun and engaging famous failures activity for back to school
Sarah R. –
I used this at the beginning of school for a fun activity for the students.
Planning and Mates –
I used it during my first week to try to create a positive learning environment where mistakes were welcome. My students loved it!
The Dog Loving Teacher –
This was a fun activity to use for the beginning of the years.
Crystal G. –
My students loved doing escape rooms! It was tricky at first because of how it goes but the students were able to figure it out!
Amanda S. –
Engagimg activity to do on a fun Friday and still have rigor!
Mrs K saves the Day –
My student LOVE doing these activities! They get excited whenever I tell them we are doing an escape room!
Carolyn M. –
This was a simple activity to administer with high student engagement. A great way to start the year and start talking about growth mindset.
Jodi Z –
This was a wonderful resource for me to use in my classroom. Thank you!
Carrie W. –
I use this every year the first week of school. It allows the students to get up and move around the room and it allows me to see how each of my new classes work at solving problems.
Just Write with Ms Rogers –
My students loved using this fun and engaging resource!
Karen M. –
I had students work in small groups. Some of the puzzles proved to be tricky and I needed to give a few hints but I liked that the theme was famous failures which nicely into our Growth Mindset teaching.
Coffee Obsessed Teaching –
Loved this! Such a fun escape room to use with my students.
Jody T. –
My students love escape rooms and I loved this topic – everyone was happy!
Emily H. –
My students loved this! Definitely worth the investment.
Jessica B. –
My students enjoyed working through this activity after winter break. It was a wonderful first-day back activity.
Whitney L. –
Consider me a fan of Think Tank! I love all the escape rooms so far and will be getting more in the future. They are easy and my students actually enjoy them~
Amanda M. –
I used this escape room as a way to help introduce the idea of Famous Failures to my gifted students. It was very engaging, and they loved the challenges.
Darcie H. –
This was a great addition to our afterschool enrichment class. I did enlarge the reading passages to a legal size (slightly larger I think, actually) so students could read the stories better.