Unlock the Box, a 6th Grade Statistics Breakout Activity for Math Center or Review

My students absolutely love breakout activities!! I purchased a few from here and there and used some ideas I found online but none quite worked for my classroom.

This product is the first I created for my students that fit our needs perfectly!! The problems included are aligned to the 6th grade common core statistics standards and are great for a review or centers to check for understanding. This is how I made it work for my classroom, feel free to modify to meet your needs and let me know how you did! :) I will be making and posting many more aligned to all the 6th grade standards. :)

Setting Up

I purchased these 4 digit combination locks from amazon (all of the products posted below do have affiliate links. Any earnings are intended to be used in purchasing materials for my students.) They come in packs of 2 and were pretty inexpensive and work well enough. Just be careful when setting them, if you lift up during the combination setting process they are pretty much ruined! I also recommend taking them from students after they are unlocked so they don't change the combination while twirling or otherwise playing around with them. 

I also bought several tool boxes and bins including the ones linked below for under $10. 






  I then tried making some "lockable" envelopes using a whole punch and duct tape as recommended in a blog I read somewhere. That was a mess! And then I found these. THESE ARE AWESOME!! I have bought several in different patterns and they are incredibly easy to set and reset the combinations and have been very durable so far. :) These are 3 digit combinations.

That's it. It was a small investment but one that I can use over and over again. I'm excited and my kids are excited to do math, that is priceless! Don't have the funds? You can try donorschoose.org or other sites that help with getting classroom materials into classrooms. Amazon has a school wishlist tool you can use to share with parents as well. 

Unlock the Box Clues

Provide Clue #1 to students individually or in small groups. You could print the clue or post it in your favorite lms. I LOVE blended learning and use Canvas in my classroom. I posted this problem as a page at the end of my statistics module and set a requirement that they must complete all assignments in the module before accessing the page. This forced students to finish all their work first. I've never seen some so motivated to do their work! :) If they solve the problem and follow the directions correctly to create the combination it will unlock the next problem. 

There you have it. You may wish to add twists to your game play such as road blocks, timers and hint cards. My final "prize" was the bags to play corn hole and the balls to play ladder ball that I obtained for my classroom through donors choose last year. They then got to calculate more statistics for their end of year project while they played. I set it up right in the hallway, they LOVED that! Explaining how they earned their play time to other 6th graders as they passed in the hall was a lot of fun for them. :) You could also put things like candy or treats, or special passes that allow them to go to the gym to play basketball (if you have other adults available to supervise) or free replace a quiz grade pass or something like that. The possibilities are endless. Hope you find this helpful and be on the lookout for new Unlock the Box activities coming soon to Bailey's Corner! :) 

Download for Free at my TpT store or Teacher's Notebook. If you do, please take the time to follow my shop and rate my product. You earn credits toward future purchases and you help me by letting others know the quality of my work. :) Most of the earnings I make in my stores goes back directly into my classroom to help my students. :)

Email me at baileysmathnotebooks@gmail.com with any questions or comments! Thanks, Crystal