Description
Pack your bags and hit the road with this end-of-year Reading Road Trip—a differentiated, escape room-style adventure designed to make reading review exciting and unforgettable! This activity combines team-based challenges with a road trip theme to keep students engaged and motivated as they “travel” across the country completing reading comprehension tasks. From a kick-off letter inviting students to join the adventure, to a final destination certificate celebrating their journey, every detail has been thoughtfully created to make this experience immersive, collaborative, and fun.
The trip begins when students are placed into differentiated teams and assigned one of five color-coded road trip routes, each spanning multiple U.S. states. Along the way, teams stop at themed destinations—like State Snapshot, Lost in Translation, Playlist Poetry, and Campground Clues—where they complete tasks that include reading nonfiction brochures, decoding wacky vocabulary, analyzing figurative language in song lyrics, and inferring from fictional camping stories. Every stop includes both an engaging text and a corresponding recording page, allowing teachers to prep materials easily and even reuse key pieces year after year.
Each group utilizes materials that are all designed at their reading level:
- Prairie Pages Group: 2nd/3rd grade reading level
- Great Lakes Lit Loop Group: 2nd/3rd grade reading level
- Once Upon a Canyon Group: 4th grade reading level
- Bookmarked Borders Group: 4th grade reading level
- Southern Storyline Group: 5th/6th grade reading level
More than just fun, this road trip reinforces essential reading skills in a meaningful way. Students will review and apply skills like main idea and details, context clues, figurative language, theme, comparing and contrasting, and inference—all through hands-on, collaborative tasks that meet them at their level. With a fully organized teacher guide, answer keys for every task, and built-in opportunities for performance, creativity, and movement, this resource is perfect for your end-of-year toolkit. Get ready to make your final reading review the highlight of the school year!
Here is a more detailed breakdown of the activities:
*Task 1: State Snapshot
Students read a nonfiction brochure about the states on their road trip route. As they read, they solve riddle-style questions using text clues to unlock letters that form a mystery word. This engaging challenge encourages close reading and detail tracking.
*Task 2: Lost in Translation
Each team receives a silly, themed text (like a goofy travel blog or diner menu) filled with nonsense or unfamiliar words. Students use context clues to define the words and make sense of the quirky message. Tasks are differentiated by reading level.
*Task 3: Playlist Poetry
Using classic travel-themed songs or poems, students identify figurative language and determine the overall theme. Lyrics are paired with a QR code so teams can listen as they analyze. Teams can earn a bonus stop by performing their song!
*Bonus: Snack Shop Showdown
Teams who complete the performance challenge earn a bonus snack-themed task. Students compare two fictional snack ads using a T-chart, then justify their snack choice with evidence. Fun, ad-style pages make this a hit!
*Task 4: Campground Clues
Students read a fictional camping mishap story and infer what really happened. Then they write a “Camper’s Report” using evidence from the text. Tasks are leveled for different reading groups.
*Task 5: Tourist Trap
Teams explore a silly, real-life tourist attraction through a short article and summarize it. At each reading level, teams receive scaffolding to support concise writing.
Skills Covered:
- Main Idea & Details
- Context Clues
- Making Inferences
- Summarizing
- Theme/Author’s Message
- Figurative Language
Be sure to check out the preview for some up-close looks at the materials!
