Sixty Minutes to Get Out

5th Grade Common Core RL.5.1 Personal story and advertisement 363 words ⏱ 40 minESL B1

A story about a birthday celebration in an escape room, and an advertisement for an escape room center.

Name: ______________________ Date: ____________

Text 1: The Lost Laboratory

For my birthday this year, I didn't want a party. Instead, I invited five friends to an escape room in Pasadena. The idea is simple: your group is locked in a room, and you have sixty minutes to solve puzzles and find the key that opens the door.

Our room was called "The Lost Laboratory." The story was that a scientist had disappeared, and we had to find her secret formula before the lab exploded. At first, everybody ran around and touched everything. Nobody listened to anybody. After fifteen minutes, we had found nothing.

Then my friend Logan, who is usually very quiet, said, "Stop. Let's each take one part of the room." It worked. Maya found a code under a microscope. Daniel noticed that the numbers on the clock were wrong. I solved a puzzle with colored test tubes.

We got out with four minutes left. The worker at the desk told us that only one group in three manages to get out in time.

The best part was not the escape. It was discovering that quiet Logan is a natural leader. We now call her "The Captain."

Text 2: Escape Zone: Can You Get Out in Time?

Looking for a different activity for a birthday, a class party or a team day at work? Try one of our four exciting escape rooms!

Our rooms: The Lost Laboratory (hard), Pirate Island (medium), The Haunted Hotel (hard, not for children under 12) and The Toy Shop (easy, great for families with young children).

Group size: 2 to 6 players. Children under 10 must play with an adult.

Price: 300 dollars for a group of up to four players, plus 60 dollars for each extra player.

Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 to 23:00. Friday, 9:00 to 15:00. Saturday, from 6:00 p.m. until midnight.

Important: Please arrive 15 minutes before your game to hear the rules. Phones are not allowed in the rooms, so you will leave them in a locker. If there is a problem, you can call our staff at any time with the walkie-talkie in the room.

Book online or call us at least two days before your visit. Birthday groups get a free cake!

📘 Word bank

locked: closed with a key so it cannot be opened
solve: to find the answer to a problem
formula: a set of exact instructions or ingredients for a scientific mix
exploded: burst with a loud bang
microscope: a tool that makes tiny things look bigger
leader: a person who guides a group
haunted: said to be visited by ghosts
extra: more than usual; additional
locker: a small locked box for keeping your things

✏️ Questions

Text 1
Key details
Why did the writer go to an escape room for her birthday?
Key details
How much time does a group have to get out of the room?
Key details
What did the group have to do in "The Lost Laboratory"?
Inference
Why did the group find nothing in the first fifteen minutes?
Reference words
In paragraph 3, "It worked." What worked?
Key details
Give TWO things that the friends found or solved.
Inference
What do the worker's words in paragraph 4 show?
Main idea
According to the writer, what was the best part of the day?
Text 2
Author’s purpose & structure
The main purpose of Text B is to…
Key details
Which room is best for a family with young children?
Key details
Why should players arrive 15 minutes before the game?
Key details
What must players do with their phones?
Comparing texts
The writer of Text A played with five friends. According to Text B, how much did her group pay? Show how you got the answer.
Comparing texts
According to Text B, how difficult was the room that the writer of Text A played in?

Questions

Why did the writer go to an escape room for her birthday?
1. Her parents chose it.
2. She didn't want a party.
3. It was free on birthdays.
4. Her friends had never been to one.
How much time does a group have to get out of the room?
______________________________________________________________
What did the group have to do in "The Lost Laboratory"?
1. Find a lost scientist's secret formula.
2. Build a laboratory.
3. Find a lost cat.
4. Repair a clock.
Why did the group find nothing in the first fifteen minutes?
1. The room was too dark.
2. The puzzles were broken.
3. They didn't work together in an organized way.
4. Logan was not there yet.
In paragraph 3, "It worked." What worked?
1. The clock.
2. Logan's idea that each person takes one part of the room.
3. The microscope.
4. The key to the door.
Give TWO things that the friends found or solved.
______________________________________________________________
What do the worker's words in paragraph 4 show?
1. The room was easy.
2. The group was late.
3. Most groups get out easily.
4. The group did better than most groups.
According to the writer, what was the best part of the day?
1. Getting out of the room in time.
2. The free cake.
3. Discovering that Logan is a natural leader.
4. Solving the test tube puzzle.
The main purpose of Text B is to…
1. get people to come and play at Escape Zone.
2. tell a story about a birthday.
3. explain how to build an escape room.
4. warn people about dangerous games.
Which room is best for a family with young children?
1. The Haunted Hotel.
2. Pirate Island.
3. The Lost Laboratory.
4. The Toy Shop.
Why should players arrive 15 minutes before the game?
1. To pay for the game.
2. To hear the rules.
3. To eat cake.
4. To choose a room.
What must players do with their phones?
______________________________________________________________
The writer of Text A played with five friends. According to Text B, how much did her group pay? Show how you got the answer.
______________________________________________________________
According to Text B, how difficult was the room that the writer of Text A played in?
1. Easy.
2. Medium.
3. Hard.
4. Only for adults.

Answer key

b) She didn't want a party.
Sixty minutes.
a) Find a lost scientist's secret formula.
c) They didn't work together in an organized way.
b) Logan's idea that each person takes one part of the room.
Any two of: Maya found a code under a microscope; Daniel noticed that the numbers on the clock were wrong; the writer solved a puzzle with colored test tubes.
d) The group did better than most groups.
c) Discovering that Logan is a natural leader.
a) get people to come and play at Escape Zone.
d) The Toy Shop.
b) To hear the rules.
Leave them in a locker (phones are not allowed in the rooms).
420 dollars: 300 dollars for four players + 60 dollars for each of the two extra players (6 players in all).
c) Hard.