Where Does My Food Come From: Virtual Escape Room
Published
1/4/2017
Target Grade Level / Age Range:
Grades K-2
Estimated Time:
35 minutes
Purpose:
To introduce or review with students where their food comes from and how farmers are involved with food production.
Materials:
- Virtual escape room
- Right This Very Minute: A Table-to-Farm Book About Food and Farming, by Lisl H. Detlefsen, illustrated by, Renee Kurilla
- iPads, laptops, or another device to access the virtual escape room
Essential Files (maps, charts, pictures, or documents)
Vocabulary
- Holstein – a breed of cow that originated in Europe and more specifically in the Netherlands. This breed of cow is black and white and is often the iconic dairy that is used for most imagery
- Jersey – An English breed of dairy cattle known for their good milk quality, they are a solid light brown color with darker markings near the eyes and ears
- Beef: the meat that comes from a cow.
- Orchard: a farmed piece of land that focuses on fruit tree or bush production.
Background – Agricultural Connections
Iowa is well-known for farming and agriculture. Everything we eat and nearly everything we use is made from something that came from a farm. Plants and animals raised on farms are use for food, fuel, and fiber. Iowa is known for corn, but Iowa is also number 1 in egg production. Depending on where you live in Iowa, there are different commodities grown and raised. However, overall, Iowa raises many crops such as corn, soybeans, beef, dairy, chicken, turkey, eggs, goats, and other specialty crops such as apples and pumpkins. These crops provide Iowa with a key role in agriculture.
Through this activity students explore where their food comes from by solving puzzles and using their prior knowledge. Virtual escape rooms are modeled after the breakout boxes that have been used in education over the past 5 years. They align with a topic, theme, story, and/or skill that is being learned in the classroom and gamify the process of learning through puzzle solving. With the recent push towards online learning and blended learning the move to virtual escape rooms has occurred. Virtual escape rooms utilize free programs such as Google Slides, Docs, and/or Forms to provide an open platform for all. The rooms can be created in a linear solving pattern or an open solving pattern. The linear solving pattern uses Google Forms only, where the open solving pattern uses a mixture of online tools. Through these programs a room is created with hidden items and puzzles for students to find and solve. Using a Google Form, students write in their answers to puzzles to unlock a surprise. When using the Google Form if they type in the incorrect answer a red text and clue will show up, if it is the correct answer, nothing will show. This specific escape room was created using the open solving pattern.
- To learn more about this escape room including how to solve it, how to move through it, and how to enter puzzle answers watch this video.
For more information on open virtual escape rooms watch these YouTube videos:
For more information on linear virtual escape rooms watch these YouTube videos:
- Create An Escape Room Challenge In Google Forms - YouTube
- How to Build a Digital Escape Room Using Google Forms — Bespoke ELA: Essay Writing Tips + Lesson Plans (bespokeclassroom.com)
Are you looking for materials to use in your virtual escape room, use these links:
- Free Accessories to Decorate Your Virtual Classroom — Kiddom Style!
- 11 Super Creative Bitmoji Classroom Ideas for Teachers (weareteachers.com)
- Virtual Classroom Items in One Place
Interest Approach – Engagement
- On the SMART board or in the front of the room, project the virtual escape room.
- If students have not completed a virtual escape room before walk students through the process by showing them how they can move through the room and certain parts of the room are clickable.
- Discuss with students places they may want to click on.
- Read this scenario to students:
- Alex is excited to come home today because their grandparent told them they had a surprise in the kitchen from a farmer. But, when Alex entered the kitchen, they couldn’t see the surprise. Suddenly, the radio starts to play, and Alex hears Evil Hench say, “I’ve hidden your surprise. If you can solve all my puzzles and riddles, then I’ll give it back.” Help Alex solve the puzzles in 30 minutes and get their surprise.
- Note: the timer for the escape room will start counting down once the room is entered. To stop the timer, you can place your cursor over the video and click pause.
- Alex is excited to come home today because their grandparent told them they had a surprise in the kitchen from a farmer. But, when Alex entered the kitchen, they couldn’t see the surprise. Suddenly, the radio starts to play, and Alex hears Evil Hench say, “I’ve hidden your surprise. If you can solve all my puzzles and riddles, then I’ll give it back.” Help Alex solve the puzzles in 30 minutes and get their surprise.
Procedures
- For this activity students work together as a class to help Alex escape by solving puzzles. Then, as a class, they enter the puzzles into the Google Form to see if their answers lead to the unlocking of the lock.
- As a class, work together to search the room, open puzzles, and solve puzzles.
- As an alternative, print off the puzzles and when they are found as a class, pass them out to students to let them work in groups or individually to solve the puzzles.
- After everyone has had a chance to solve a puzzle, enter the answer into the Google Form.
- Tell students that if the answer is not correct the form will show red text.
- As an alternative or if doing the activity in groups, consider having stations with the Google Form set up so students can type in their answers into the form.
- Continue searching the room until all 6 clues and the distraction cupboard have been found, and all locks are unlocked.
- After they have escaped, lead a class discussion over the different puzzles.
- Questions to ask students: How did you solve the shapes lock? What type of weather do farmers need? How do farmers grow colors? What was in distraction snack cupboard? What did you learn from the snack cupboard? Why do you think the items on the directional lock clue were there? How do those items relate to Iowa?
- Ask students where agriculture can be found in their everyday life. Use the coloring sheet prize from the escape room to help lead this discussion.
- Then read the book, Right This Very Minute: A Table-to-Farm Book About Food and Farming, by Lisl H. Detlefsen, illustrated by, Renee Kurilla.
- Ask students how the book relates to the escape room.
Did you know? (Ag facts)
- Iowa is the number 1 pork producer in the United States.
- Iowa is the number 1 egg producer in the United States.
- Many small Iowa farmers extend their growing seasons by planting in green houses.
Extension Activities
- If students didn’t spend time in the distraction snack cupboard pull that up and watch the different videos when the foods are mentioned in the book, Right This Very Minute.
- Set up a FarmChat with IALF or your local AITC coordinator so students can virtually visit a farm.
Suggested Companion Resources
- The Very Hungry Iowa Caterpillar (iowaagliteracy.org)
- Turkeys: Farm to Fork (iowaagliteracy.org)
- The Adventures of Flat Aggie (iowaagliteracy.org)
- From Plants and Animals (iowaagliteracy.org)
Author(s)
Cathryn Carney
Organization Affiliation
Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation
Agriculture Literacy Outcomes
- T2.K-2.b. Identify animals involved in agricultural production and their uses (i.e., work, meat, dairy, eggs)
- T3.K-2.b. Recognize that agriculture provides our most basic necessities: food, fiber (fabric or clothing), energy, and shelter
- T5.K-2.d. Identify plants and animals grown or raised locally that are used for food, clothing, shelter, and landscapes
- T5.K-2.f. Trace the sources of agricultural products (plant or animal) used daily
Iowa Core Standards
- English Language Arts
- Kindergarten
- With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. (RI.K.3) (DOK 2)
- Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text. (RI.K.6) (DOK 1)
- Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. (RI.K.10) (DOK 1,2)
- 1st Grade
- Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. (RI.1.3) (DOK 2)
- 2nd Grade
- Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text. (RI.2.3) (DOK 2)
- Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently. (RI.2.5) (DOK 1)
- Kindergarten