Brain Chase X MESA Math Escape Room

Competition logistics

What is the Math Escape Challenge?

• Online Escape Room Platform - BrainChase
• Teams will solve three math problems
• Math is based heavily on critical thinking and problem solving and could use several math concepts - not purely computation
• After solving the math problems, they will play an online escape room
• The team who escapes the room the fastest is the winner
• Only if no team escapes: teams will be judged on who answered the most amount of questions in the least amount of time
• Each region will determine whether 1st place only, or 1st and 2nd place will advance to Regionals - Check with your center director

DashBoard Components

1st Watch Icon - Escape Room

Question (Challenge) Icons - Math Questions

2nd Watch Icon - Completion Message

Proctors will let students know how much time is left. If possible, they will also display the timer on a projector screen.

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Perform the icons in the order shown below

You cannot complete this icon until you have completed the math questions and Escape Room.

Challenge iCONS

• Challenge Icons = Math Questions
• If you click the escape icon, you will see a message telling you to complete the escape room to get the code word to escape.
• You MUST complete the math questions BEFORE doing the escape room.
• If your escape timestamp is before your challenge question timestamps, you will not be able to place

Challenge icons - math questions

Math Questions

• The question will tell you how to enter your answer (i/e: round to the nearest hundredth)
• If you answer the question correctly, they will receive a completion message.
• The time the answer is submitted will be recorded on the timestamp.
• Sometimes an additional clue will be given when answering correctly.
• You may answer questions out-of-order as long as you save the Escape Room for last

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Note: This is not the escape room question that will be used for competition. You will not know the escape room until the day of the competition

Navigating the escape room

• START by finding the MAGNIFYING GLASS

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• Provides directions and clues on what to look for to start their game
• i/e: find a video about Shackelton’s journey

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• It might be helpful to write the magnifying glass instructions down

Navigating the escape room

LINKS

You should also look for a link found by clicking around the room. These links and their content are important for finding the codes in the escape room.

• Escape room is point and click
• Elements of the room that have clickable features (links, boxes to enter codes, etc) will be noticeable – the cursor will change to a hand
• It is important to read the magnifying glass instructions to help you figure out what to do with the codes on the clickable items.
• i/e: the pack of banjo strings go to the broken banjo

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• Key links will assist with navigating the escape room
• Make sure to have someone in your group write down all the clues you find!

Hints of the room

Click FIRST WATCH ICON to unlock Challenge Icons.

This is also the Escape Room! Do not start solving the room until Math Questions are completed. Click back out to the dashboard.

Click on any of the question marks (CHALLENGE ICONS) to solve math questions.

Can be done in any order.

Once ALL math questions are solved, click the FIRST WATCH ICON (ESCAPE ROOM) to start working through the Escape Room.

After solving the escape room and getting the escape code word, click the LOCK ICON and enter and submit the code word.

Go back to the Dashboard.

Click the SECOND WATCH ICON for the completion message. This will record your completion time.

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REMEMBER TO GO IN THIS ORDER!

MESA EsCAPE rOOM Competition Logistics

• Grade Levels: All Middle School / All High School (No Divisions)
• Teams of 2-3
• Each team should choose a Team Leader who must:
• Log-in to the Brain Chase platform
• Input codes and information (navigating and actually completing room)
• Have ability to enable Flash on their computer
• Note: some school-issued Chromebooks block outside websites. Be sure your team leader has a backup computer that can access Brainchase
• Only the team leader should log in to BrainChase!
• If more than one member is logged in, it could cause issues with the timestamps which would lessen your chance of winning
• Students on the same team should only be working on one computer

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MESA VIRTUAL EsCAPE rOOM Competition Logistics

• Centers can host the challenge in-person on their campus
• Teachers can host the challenge in their classrooms if the center is hosting the competition virtually
• Teams given 1 ½ hours to complete the challenge.
• Calculators and scratch paper ARE allowed.
• Students should show their work on their scratch paper in case they are required to submit it at the end of the competition.
• Full name, grade, school, and MESA center should be on the scratch paper if so
• Students should NOT use their phones for calculators

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MESA EsCAPE rOOM Competition Logistics

• Judging
• Winners are determined by who completes the challenge questions and escape room the fastest
• Judges will review the timestamps for questions as well and can make decisions on eligibility
• For example: judges can see the timestamps for questions and escape room and can tell if students did the escape room before the questions or if it appears that students were doing the questions at the same time as the escape room
• If no one escapes the room, winners are determined by who answers the most math questions in the least amount of time
• Scratch Paper
• For preliminary MESA Day, check with your center on whether or not they require scratch paper to be turned in
• For regionals, turning in scratch paper is mandatory
• Each center may have a different way of submitting scratch paper, so confirm with your center how to submit
• Scratch paper should show proof that students were working on the questions

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MESA VIRTUAL EsCAPE rOOM Competition Logistics

• Login: play.brainchase.com
• Logins are case-sensitive!
• Teams will be working together on one log-in. Members within the same team should be working on the Team Leader’s computer
• Team Leader: Make sure computer can go to the Brain Chase website above. If the site is blocked by their computer, they will need to use a different computer or choose a team leader whose computer can visit the site.
• Proctors will be monitoring teams and checking if help is needed
• Do not cheat! Do not simply guess random values for the answers!
• Do not begin before instructed to do so! If caught, team will be disqualified.
• The game does have music, but it can be muted from the webpage itself if it becomes distracting or prevents team from communicating with each other

Good Luck!!