Physics Energy Escape Room: The Energy Heist
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- What you get: Printable PDF escape room — five evidence stations, student materials, a teacher guide and answer keys. Google Slides and editable files are not included.
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NGSS aligned for Grades 9-12. Answer keys included. No prep beyond printing.
THE ENERGY HEIST — Case 6 of 8. The experimental Perpetual Core has been stolen from the Advanced Thermodynamics Lab. Five evidence stations. Three suspects. One thief. Students analyze energy evidence to name the culprit.
Wrong physics means accusing the wrong suspect.
Physics Topics Covered
- Work and power
- Kinetic energy
- Gravitational potential energy
- Conservation of energy
- Energy transfer and transformation
What's Included
- 5 printable evidence station cards (6-page file)
- 4-page student briefing with case file, suspect board, and equation reference
- 7 worksheet pages with per-station responses, evidence summary, and a Final Accusation
- 21-page teacher guide — setup, three timing formats, read-aloud scripts, tiered hints, rubric, worked answers, quick reference, and debrief prompts
- 2-page Read Me + print map and a 2-page teacher-only reveal
Format
6 print-ready PDF files — 42 total pages. One print-smart edition: premium in full color, photocopies cleanly in grayscale. US Letter, print at 100% / Actual Size. No Google Slides, editable files, or digital version included.
How Teachers Use This Energy Escape Room
- Post five station cards; give each team of 2–4 students one briefing and one worksheet set
- Choose a 35-, 45-, or 55-minute format
- Use it for energy unit review, work and power practice, or exam preparation
- Substitute-friendly — word-for-word scripts and a complete answer key mean anyone can run it
NGSS Connections
Supports HS-PS3-1 and HS-PS3-2. Science and Engineering Practices: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking; Developing and Using Models. Crosscutting Concepts: Energy and Matter · Systems and System Models.
This is Case 6 of 8. Get the whole series.
All eight cases share one storyline — The Nullifier Conspiracy — one escape room per physics unit, with a finale that unmasks the mastermind. $58.80 for all eight (reg. $84.00).
Physics Energy Escape Room: The Energy Heist
A ready-to-use printable physics escape room that turns energy review into a classroom investigation while keeping students focused on work, power, and conservation of energy.
Energy Review That Feels Like An Investigation
Worksheets don't create urgency and practice problems don't create stakes. This gives students a reason to care about kinetic and potential energy while still practicing the reasoning they need.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly do I get?
Six print-ready PDFs totaling 42 pages: station cards, student briefing, worksheets, a 21-page teacher guide, a print map, and a teacher-only reveal.
What do I need to run it?
A printer, about 15 minutes to print and post the station cards, and student teams with calculators and pencils. No tech, no logins, no locks to buy.
How long does it take?
Choose a 35-, 45-, or 55-minute format. The teacher guide includes timing for all three.
Does this replace a full lesson?
It works best as review, application, or reinforcement rather than the first introduction to energy.
Related Physics Resources
How our resources align to NGSS. Every Phantastic Physics resource is built for the NGSS high school physical science performance expectations. The specific standard each resource targets is listed in its product description. The reference below shows how our eight units map to the standards.
Unit 1 — Motion
The NGSS high school standards contain no stand-alone kinematics performance expectation. Our Motion unit builds the graphing, data-analysis, and mathematical-representation skills students need for HS-PS2-1 and the other force and motion standards.
Unit 2 — Forces
HS-PS2-1 — Analyze data to support the claim that Newton's second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
Unit 3 — Momentum
HS-PS2-2 — Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system.
HS-PS2-3 — Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.
Unit 4 — Gravity
HS-PS2-4 — Use mathematical representations of Newton's Law of Gravitation and Coulomb's Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.
HS-ESS1-4 — Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system.
Unit 5 — Static Electricity
HS-PS2-4 — Use mathematical representations of Newton's Law of Gravitation and Coulomb's Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.
HS-PS3-5 — Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.
Unit 6 — Energy
HS-PS3-1 — Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
HS-PS3-2 — Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motion of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative position of particles (objects).
HS-PS3-3 — Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
Unit 7 — Electric Circuits
HS-PS3-1 — Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
HS-PS3-3 — Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
Unit 8 — Waves
HS-PS4-1 — Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.
HS-PS4-3 — Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be described either by a wave model or a particle model, and that for some situations one model is more useful than the other.
HS-PS4-5 — Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.
Questions about alignment for your district? Contact us — we are happy to help you map resources to your pacing guide.
Physics Energy Escape Room: The Energy Heist
NGSS aligned for Grades 9-12. Answer keys included. No prep beyond printing.
THE ENERGY HEIST — Case 6 of 8. The experimental Perpetual Core has been stolen from the Advanced Thermodynamics Lab. Five evidence stations. Three suspects. One thief. Students analyze energy evidence to name the culprit.
Wrong physics means accusing the wrong suspect.
Physics Topics Covered
- Work and power
- Kinetic energy
- Gravitational potential energy
- Conservation of energy
- Energy transfer and transformation
What's Included
- 5 printable evidence station cards (6-page file)
- 4-page student briefing with case file, suspect board, and equation reference
- 7 worksheet pages with per-station responses, evidence summary, and a Final Accusation
- 21-page teacher guide — setup, three timing formats, read-aloud scripts, tiered hints, rubric, worked answers, quick reference, and debrief prompts
- 2-page Read Me + print map and a 2-page teacher-only reveal
Format
6 print-ready PDF files — 42 total pages. One print-smart edition: premium in full color, photocopies cleanly in grayscale. US Letter, print at 100% / Actual Size. No Google Slides, editable files, or digital version included.
How Teachers Use This Energy Escape Room
- Post five station cards; give each team of 2–4 students one briefing and one worksheet set
- Choose a 35-, 45-, or 55-minute format
- Use it for energy unit review, work and power practice, or exam preparation
- Substitute-friendly — word-for-word scripts and a complete answer key mean anyone can run it
NGSS Connections
Supports HS-PS3-1 and HS-PS3-2. Science and Engineering Practices: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking; Developing and Using Models. Crosscutting Concepts: Energy and Matter · Systems and System Models.
This is Case 6 of 8. Get the whole series.
All eight cases share one storyline — The Nullifier Conspiracy — one escape room per physics unit, with a finale that unmasks the mastermind. $58.80 for all eight (reg. $84.00).
Physics Energy Escape Room: The Energy Heist
A ready-to-use printable physics escape room that turns energy review into a classroom investigation while keeping students focused on work, power, and conservation of energy.
Energy Review That Feels Like An Investigation
Worksheets don't create urgency and practice problems don't create stakes. This gives students a reason to care about kinetic and potential energy while still practicing the reasoning they need.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly do I get?
Six print-ready PDFs totaling 42 pages: station cards, student briefing, worksheets, a 21-page teacher guide, a print map, and a teacher-only reveal.
What do I need to run it?
A printer, about 15 minutes to print and post the station cards, and student teams with calculators and pencils. No tech, no logins, no locks to buy.
How long does it take?
Choose a 35-, 45-, or 55-minute format. The teacher guide includes timing for all three.
Does this replace a full lesson?
It works best as review, application, or reinforcement rather than the first introduction to energy.
Related Physics Resources
How our resources align to NGSS. Every Phantastic Physics resource is built for the NGSS high school physical science performance expectations. The specific standard each resource targets is listed in its product description. The reference below shows how our eight units map to the standards.
Unit 1 — Motion
The NGSS high school standards contain no stand-alone kinematics performance expectation. Our Motion unit builds the graphing, data-analysis, and mathematical-representation skills students need for HS-PS2-1 and the other force and motion standards.
Unit 2 — Forces
HS-PS2-1 — Analyze data to support the claim that Newton's second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
Unit 3 — Momentum
HS-PS2-2 — Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system.
HS-PS2-3 — Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.
Unit 4 — Gravity
HS-PS2-4 — Use mathematical representations of Newton's Law of Gravitation and Coulomb's Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.
HS-ESS1-4 — Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system.
Unit 5 — Static Electricity
HS-PS2-4 — Use mathematical representations of Newton's Law of Gravitation and Coulomb's Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.
HS-PS3-5 — Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.
Unit 6 — Energy
HS-PS3-1 — Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
HS-PS3-2 — Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motion of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative position of particles (objects).
HS-PS3-3 — Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
Unit 7 — Electric Circuits
HS-PS3-1 — Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
HS-PS3-3 — Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
Unit 8 — Waves
HS-PS4-1 — Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.
HS-PS4-3 — Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be described either by a wave model or a particle model, and that for some situations one model is more useful than the other.
HS-PS4-5 — Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.
Questions about alignment for your district? Contact us — we are happy to help you map resources to your pacing guide.
Not sure yet? Try one free.
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