Learning Activity

Digital Breakout Safari for Grades 3-5

Subject Area

Digital Literacy and Computer Science
English Language Arts
Mathematics

Grade(s)

3, 4, 5

Overview

This Digital Breakout is a perfect way to enhance a unit of study with animal standards for grades 3-5. It can be used before or after a unit of study or a field trip to the Birmingham Zoo. Students will work creatively and collaboratively to solve academic puzzles to unlock an answer. Academic puzzles are centered around a variety of Course of Study standards that engage students through the Breakout process. This activity can be done as a whole group for students that are not familiar with the Digital Breakout process. This activity can be done in small groups in grades 2-5 with students that are familiar with the Digital Breakout process.  

This Learning Activity was created in partnership with the Birmingham Zoo. 

Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 3

DLCS18.3.R5

Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Unpacked Content

UP:DLCS18.3.R5

Vocabulary

  • curate
  • keyword
  • search engine
  • database

Knowledge

Students know:
  • that information to research questions can be obtained from digital sources.
  • how to use resources to organize information.
  • how to use resources to present or share with others.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • create a list of keywords or phrases to enter into a search engine and/or database such as the Alabama Virtual Library.
  • use additional words or punctuation to narrow search such as AND (+), OR, NOT (
  • ), and quotation marks.
  • organize information.
  • share information by creating a digital resource.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • information can be located from a digital source to answer research questions.
  • information can be organzied and shared by creating a digital resource.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 4

DLCS18.4.R5

Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Unpacked Content

UP:DLCS18.4.R5

Vocabulary

  • curate
  • keyword
  • search engine
  • database

Knowledge

Students know:
  • information to research questions can be obtained from digital sources.
  • how to use resources to organize information.
  • how to find resources to present or share with others.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • create a list of keywords or phrases to enter into a search engine and/or database such as the Alabama Virtual Library.
  • use additional words or punctuation to narrow search such as AND (+), OR, NOT (
  • ), setting date boundaries, or quotation marks ("").
  • organize information.
  • share information by creating a digital resource.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • information can be located from a digital source to answer research questions.
  • information can be organzied and shared by creating a digital resource.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 5

DLCS18.5.R5

Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Unpacked Content

UP:DLCS18.5.R5

Vocabulary

  • curate
  • keyword
  • search engine
  • database

Knowledge

Students know:
  • information to research questions can be obtained from digital sources.
  • resources to organize information.
  • resources to present or share with others.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • create a list of keywords or phrases to enter into a search engine and/or database such as Alabama Virtual Library.
  • use advanced search techniques to search by file type, dates, and specific domains.
  • organize information.
  • share information by creating a digital resource.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • information can be located from a digital source to answer research questions.
  • information can be organzied and shared by creating a digital resource.
Mathematics (2019) Grade(s): 3

MA19.3.11

Use various strategies to add and subtract fluently within 1000.

Unpacked Content

UP:MA19.3.11

Vocabulary

  • Fluently
  • Sum
  • Difference
  • Place value
  • Strategy

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The relationship between addition and subtraction operations.
  • How conceptual models support and give understanding to procedures for addition and subtraction.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Use a variety of strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems within 1000.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Strategies for addition and subtraction will vary depending on the problem.
  • Strategies can include place value, properties of operations, and the relationship between addition and subtraction.
Mathematics (2019) Grade(s): 4

MA19.4.10

Use place value strategies to fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers and connect strategies to the standard algorithm.

Unpacked Content

UP:MA19.4.10

Vocabulary

  • Addition
  • Subtraction
  • Standard algorithm
  • Place value
  • Decompose
  • Compose
  • Fluently
  • Multi-digit
  • Strategy
  • Difference
  • Sum

Knowledge

Students know:
  • a variety of accurate and efficient strategies to find sums and differences and use them when appropriate.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Use place value strategies to add and subtract multi-digit numbers.
  • Use the standard algorithm for addition and subtraction and connect strategies to the standard algorithm.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There are a variety of strategies, models, and representations for solving mathematical problems with addition and subtraction.
  • Efficient application of computation strategies is based on the numbers and operations in the problems.
  • The steps used in the standard algorithm for addition and subtraction can be justified by using the relationship between addition and subtraction and the understanding of place value.
Mathematics (2019) Grade(s): 5

MA19.5.8

Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationships between addition/subtraction and multiplication/division; relate the strategy to a written method, and explain the reasoning used.

Unpacked Content

UP:MA19.5.8

Vocabulary

  • Decimal
  • Tenths
  • Hundredths
  • Place value

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Strategies based on place value understanding, properties, and relationship between operations to find the sum, difference, product, and quotient of whole numbers.
  • How to write decimal notation for fractions with denominators of 10 or 100.
  • Use estimation strategies to assess reasonableness of answers.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Use concrete models, drawings, and strategies to add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals.
  • Relate strategies for operations with decimals to a written method and explain reasoning used.
  • Solve real-world context problems involving decimals.

Understanding

Students understand that:
Problems involving operations with decimals
  • Can be solved using a variety of strategies based on place value, properties of operations, or the relationship between the operations.
  • Can be illustrated using concrete models or drawings.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.18

Demonstrate content knowledge built during independent reading of informational and literary texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through writing.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.3.18

Vocabulary

  • Demonstrate
  • Content knowledge
  • Independent reading
  • Informational text
  • Literary text
  • Content-specific discussions

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Content knowledge is information learned about a specific subject.
  • Content knowledge can be learned by independently reading text.
  • Informational text is nonfiction text, and literary text is fictional.
  • Active listening skills.
  • Writing skills.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Build content knowledge from independently reading informational or literary text.
  • Use content knowledge learned from independent reading in content-specific discussions with peers.
  • Use content knowledge learned from independent reading in writing.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Content-specific discussions with peers can demonstrate the content knowledge they learned through independent reading.
  • They can produce writings that demonstrate knowledge of content-specific information.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.14

Demonstrate comprehension of literary and informational text by utilizing its content when discussing or writing in response to the text.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.4.14

Vocabulary

  • Comprehension
  • Literary text
  • Informational text
  • Discussing
  • Writing
  • Response

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Comprehension of text can be demonstrated by referring to the text in discussions or written responses.
  • Informational text is nonfiction text, and literary text is fictional.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate understanding of literary and informational text by referring to the text in discussions.
  • Demonstrate understanding of literary and informational text by referring to the text in written responses.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They can show that they understood literary and informational text by discussing or writing about specific content from the text.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.16

Demonstrate comprehension of varied literary and informational texts by utilizing its content when discussing or writing in response to the text.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.16

Vocabulary

  • Comprehension
  • Literary text
  • Informational text
  • Discussing
  • Writing
  • Response

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Comprehension of text can be demonstrated by referring to the text in discussions or written responses.
  • Informational text is nonfiction text, and literary text is fictional.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate understanding of varied literary and informational text by referring to the text in discussions.
  • Demonstrate understanding of varied literary and informational text by referring to the text in written responses.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They can show that they understood a wide variety of literary and informational text by discussing or writing about specific content from the text.

Phase

After/Explain/Elaborate
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

The students will...

  • use information analyzed to problem solve in discovering codes to unlock locks throughout the entire Digital Breakout. 
  • compare and contrast ideas with other students to justify codes to unlock locks. 
  • observe and recall information from a nonfiction text by reading a nonfiction passage and completing a Google Form with multiple choice questions from the text to receive a puzzle to find the code to a lock.   
  • observe, analyze, and recall information from a nonfiction video to find the code to a lock. 
  • analyze patterns, inference, and apply observations while working collaboratively with peers to figure out codes to locks. 
  • enhance communication skills by working together in pairs, groups, or as a whole class to complete and solve the digital breakout. 
  • use higher-order thinking and perseverance to solve the mystery/problem posed in the digital breakout. 
  • add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers and decimals using the standard algorithm. 

Activity Details

***This activity is a great addition to an animal unit of study or as a culmination activity after the unit or a field trip to the Birmingham Zoo.

The goal of the breakout is to use the skills in the learning objectives to analyze and apply information on the digital breakout to discover codes to unlock locks. 

Teacher Directions for a class that has never done a digital breakout

1.  If students have not participated in a digital breakout, try this one called Catch The Bus. It is a great introduction to solving digital breakouts. 

2. Start the digital breakout by displaying the game on the board/screen and telling the students that they will be looking for clues to unlock the digital locks on a Google Form. The first place to look for clues will be in the story at the top of the webpage. Pay close attention to the hyperlinks in the story and pictures on the webpage.

3. Explore the website until all locks have been unlocked. The Google Form for the digital locks will tell you when the locks have been unlocked or if you still need to keep looking. 

4.  After completing Catch The Bus, discuss what strategies students needed to complete the breakout: cooperation, communication, perseverance, and problem-solving. 

5. In another class session, proceed to the Digital Breakout Safari.

Teacher Directions for Digital Breakout Safari

1.  The teacher will introduce the Digital Breakout Safari by displaying the webpage on the board/screen. This game can be completed in small groups sharing a Chromebook or in the computer lab using this shortened URL for the Digital Safari Breakout, https://goo.gl/c5HH45

2. The teacher will explain to the students that they will need to work together to solve the breakout of this digital game.

3.  The teacher will read the mystery/story at the top of the digital breakout. The teacher will ask: Do you notice anything that gives us a clue to solve the mystery? Students might point out the random capital letters in the story. The teacher can then help them make a connection to the word lock on the Google Form. 

4. Work through the digital breakout together or in small groups until the digital breakout has been completed. Click the Teacher Hints to find answers for hints that you can help groups that get stuck. 

5. After completing the digital breakout, discuss how the group improved from the first digital breakout and what strategies they used to complete the breakout. 

6.  Use exit tickets to evaluate the learning objectives from the digital breakout:

Emoji Exit Ticket

or 

Breakout Lock Exit Ticket

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

Use these exit tickets to evaluate learning objectives: 

Emoji Exit Ticket

or 

Breakout Lock Exit Ticket

Variation Tips

This Digital Breakout Safari can be done in a whole group, small groups, or individually.  Before assigning this Digital Breakout Safari in small groups or individually, I would highly recommend doing another breakout from the Digital Breakout site like Catch the Bus or Soar as a whole class, so students can understand the structure of a Digital Breakout. 

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Before playing Digital Breakout Safari with the class, please take the time to work through the Breakout yourself to have an understanding of how to play the Breakout. This is a teacher answer sheet with codes and where to find them in the Digital breakout. Do not share answers with students. Please allow them to use their clues to figure out the lock codes.

Digital Tools / Resources

Google Sites/Digital Breakout Edu
https://sites.google.com/hcs-students.net/digitalbreakoutsafari/home

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

mandawalker
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