Elementary and middle schoolers explore the world of secret writing, otherwise known as cryptography. After an interesting introduction to the activity, learners utilize a decoder badge which uses the St. Cyr cipher - which is a cipher...

Students research Egyptian hieroglyphics and how the Rosetta Stone makes it possible to decode ancient writings. They then develop their own picture symbol codes and write messages using picture symbols instead of letters. They then use...

A lesson all about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad introduces scholars to African American spirituals. By way of reading, speaking, and listening, learners discover, analyze, and decode African American spirituals. They...

Students use matrices and linear equations to decrypt a secret message. They receive a part of the encoded message to decode by means of inverse matrices. Pupils write critiques about the activity.

Young scholars investigate how to create secrete messages through filters. They view pictures with red and green filters and discuss what they observe. They select the color filter that works best to read secret messages. They view...

Students explore codes, decode secret messages, and create codes of their own to use with their friends. They examine the use of gestures, letters, symbols and numbers in codes.

Scholars investigate the need for encryption as they read a portion of the book Blown to Bits and discuss encryption techniques. They finish by attempting to decode a message written using a Caesar cipher.

Students practice decoding messages given the key. They continue to practice solving messages without a key. They must determine the best way to view the message. They examine secret messages during World War II.

Students examine Morse code and how it is used.  In this secret codes lesson students decode messages, make their own codes and have other students crack the code.    

Students practice writing and decoding secret messages before discussing DNA and its role as a code for making proteins. They translate DNA into RNA and identify the sequence of amino acids to find a secret message. An interactive...

Bilateral suborbital hematoma? Call an audible? 404? Have fun with “the twittering or warbling of birds,” or as 14th century French speakers would say, have fun with “jargon.” Groups match specialized jargon with plain speech, decode...

Young scholars discover coding in medieval cartoons. In this medieval mystery instructional activity, students view cartoons from history to see if they can identify the clues or solve the mystery. 

In this addition and subtraction worksheet, students solve for problems to complete the riddle about George Washington.  Students solve 20 two digit problems of addition and subtraction with some regrouping necessary.

Third graders solve a cryptogram by decoding a message written with wingdings.  In this decoding lesson, 3rd graders solve a message related to magnetism.  Students have notes about magnets once they've finished.

Students rewrite word problems using expressions and equations. In this algebra lesson, students use the correct variable to solve and write equations. They use the TI to graph their solution.

In this dental care secret message worksheet, students decode the message hidden in the tooth by following the arrows and recording the letters in the order they find them.

Slaves laboring in the cotton fields of the old South singing joyously may have convinced overseers that their workforce was happy and content, but in truth, these spirituals contained secret codes. After viewing a short video about...

Examine a coordinated geometry grid to decode the hidden message. Pupils write a coded message to their parents using letter coordinates from the grid.

Young scholars identify different uses and forms of coding information, such as memory chips, discuss and create list of everyday items in which memory devices are used, watch video, play Bits and Bytes Game, and use binary code to...

Students exercise the skill of phoneme awareness with vocal gestures to create the sound of /v/. They review the way to print the letter "V," how to form the /v/ sound and create a hand gesture to help them recall the vocal gesture of...

Did you know you can send a message using only zeroes and ones? This interactive resource presents an introduction to binary numbers. Through code cards, pupils learn to convert binary numbers to decimal numbers.

Third graders complete their KWL charts from the first lesson of the unit as a review for the summative. Then they decode a secret message using the four basic components of DNA, adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine.

Seventh graders, in an introductory algebra class, code and decode messages using substitution ciphers. Role-playing as mathematicians, they work in groups to decipher several messages, one of which translates to "math is awesome."

Students explore cryptology. They write a research paper on cryptography. Using linear equations, students invent a code and write a secret message. Students complete cryptography puzzles.