Year 9 Elective History – escape room boxes

During Term 4 the Elective History class has been focused on matching two of their loves – that of History and puzzles. In groups of 5-6, the students developed historically-themed escape room boxes. Each escape box is locked with a number of locks, which the students can unlock by solving a range of puzzles.

Each group decided on a historical topic on which to base their box, as an interesting historical scenario is key to making an engaging escape room box. After learning more about their topic through reading and research, each group of students began brainstorming ways to put this information into a puzzle, riddle or code. Once the puzzles were solved and the box was opened the players were able to solve a mystery related to their scenario, such as the identity of President Kennedy’s assassin.

The groups made challenging and creative puzzles, that could be completed within an hour.

The scenarios included working as a FBI agent trying to track down Present John F. Kennedy’s assassin. Another group attempted to identify the infamous English serial killer, Jack the Ripper. One group focused on assisting whistle-blower Edward Snowden in uploading secret documents and files. The last group involved Allied soldiers deciphering German codes during WWI to ensure victory in the Battle of Amiens.

In the final lessons of the term, once their escape room boxes were complete, the groups swapped boxes and attempted to solve their peers’ puzzles in under an hour. All the group members worked in a collaborative manner, with lots of energy and enthusiasm invested in solving each of the puzzles.  

The overall experience of making and then solving escape boxes was fun and creative, yet also a challenging learning experience. Each group learnt about another interesting historical period and deepened their knowledge and understanding of these diverse periods in History.

The students of Year 9 Elective History thoroughly enjoyed creating these boxes and are excited about what is in store for them next year.

By Jacob Rose and Arin Miller