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Calculus
AP Annual Conference Submission
Paul Battaglia
Teacher
Brentwood Academy
Team-based escape room games have gained in popularity over the past few years. In an escape room, players are “locked” in the room and typically given an hour to escape by solving a sequence of challenges. In this spirit, I have designed multiple games that are a blend of basic scavenger hunts and deeply intricate challenges that require students to apply their knowledge of calculus concepts in the multiple representations tested on the AP Exam. Typically, the students are in teams navigating various challenges to find a key that unlocks a cabinet with a prize. These games have given me a fantastic formative assessment device wherein I can assess my students’ understanding of a specific calculus unit. When participants leave my session, I want them to feel confident that they can plan an effective, intricate game, designed to assess each students’ mastery of their chosen unit. If this happens, I truly believe that the biggest benefactor will be the students.