Make learning about Mardi Gras interesting with this no-prep Mardi Gras digital escape game. The game includes access to a website where your students will hunt for the keys to unlock a set of locks. Students will need to read the clues very carefully and watch videos, visit websites, and read texts to find the information they need to win the game. Very easy to use – just send your students to the website and let them work! Students can play individually or in teams.
Be sure to download a fresh copy each year as the date (and one of the codes) changes yearly. I have updated the game for 2024.
Mardi Gras is here! Your friend has sent you some beads, but you can’t open the box they’re in without figuring out the codes to the locks. Learn about Mardi Gras and open the box to get your prize in this Mardi Gras digital escape game. This is a challenging activity that students will need to work together and think critically in order to complete. All readings are in English
Digital escape games are a fun way to start a unit, or to review at the end of a unit. They can also be used to learn about a cultural or historical event. This game will have your students reading carefully and paying attention to the smallest details in order to complete the challenge and unlock the locks.
This item includes:
- Access to a website where your students can play the game
- Complete teacher’s guide to playing the game
- Answer key so you can help students if they get stuck!
Your students will enjoy learning without even realizing that they are learning! The challenging game format will get them excited about finding the code to unlock each lock – and the format of the clues for each lock will have them paying close attention – there’s no way to solve the puzzles without being 100% focused!
Topics in this game include:
- Krewes
- Throws
- The Cajuns
- King’s Cake
- Calculating the Date of Mardi Gras (note that the game is updated each year, so be sure to download the updated teacher guide so you’ll have the correct answer key!)
Prep is very easy – you just need to share the website URL with your students. You may want to test the site before you use it, just to make sure nothing is blocked by your district. As some of the clues can be challenging to unlock, you may choose to help your students with the trickier ones. With the teacher guide, you will have the answer key – so you can help guide students towards the correct answer by giving them hints, or if you have limited time, you can adjust the game by reducing the number of locks they need to unlock – just give them the answer(s) to help the activity fit your time constraints.
frenchified –
My students used this after a brain blast of what they already knew about Mardi Gras and a short lesson on top 10 things you should know about Mardi Gras last year. I plan to do the same thing this year with a Yardigras addition due to Covid. When I tried the links this year, one was not working. It’s the one that goes with the Cajuns, when you make a copy of the spreadsheet, first answer is Longfellow, which then gives you a website, but the website doesn’t load. So then you can’t get any of the other answers. When I message about links that aren’t working Frenchified is very prompt in updating and responding. If you are pressed for time I recommend setting a timer and sharing a hint every so many minutes so the students don’t get too frustrated as these are challenging for Middle School students. – Robyn D.
frenchified –
This was the first digital escape game my students had ever completed and THEY LOVED IT! Most found it very challenging and were so proud when they unlocked it at the end. I am totally sold on this as an activity and will now go and get all of your other games! Thank you for sharing your creativity with everyone! – Melissa Foster
frenchified –
Fun, interactive, but challenging! I liked that they had to really think through and read everything. – Melissa K.
frenchified –
My students loved this activity so much. This was our first digital Escape Room. Excellent resource. Merci mille fois. – Ada M.
frenchified –
My students absolutely loved this! It was the right amount of challenging, too! – Laura S.
frenchified –
This is such a cool concept! I’ve heard of digital escape rooms but had never done one before this. It took me a few reads through the instructions and clicking around on the site just to familiarize myself with how it works. If you’ve never done this before it’s a little confusing to figure out so I would definitely suggest more details in the instructions to the teachers on what exactly the students are supposed to be doing to make it easier for first timers to understand.
I did this activity with some of my 8th grade students and they LOVED this challenge. They had a lot of fun working in groups, trying and failing and succeeding. It was a good team building activity and they learned a lot about the topic. I love that it made them think outside the box. Only one out of the 10 teams I did this with was able to solve the whole challenge, but most were very close. If we had more – Mme Noel
frenchified –
I love your digital escape activities. They are filled with good hints that require the students to think critically and not just regurgitate information. I also love that they have the students explore authentic French and francophone websites, but are still accessible to lower-level French learners. Wonderful! – Sarah N.