Crack the Code!

1. You will be assigned to a group of three students.

2. Visit http://www.nsa.gov/kids/home.cfm

Click the link for "Codes and Cyphers" down at the bottom right. Spend time as a group familiarizing yourself with the six tabs to the left in this section:

• What are Codes?
• What is a Cipher?
• Make a Cipher
• Breaking Ciphers
  
• Cypher History
• Glossary
  

3. Within your group, each member make a different Cipher. Trade them with another member in the group and see if you can solve them! Also, visit

4. On the Cipher History page, each group member should choose two historic Ciphers to become an 'expert' on. Then, once you are knowledgeable on your two, teach the group about them. Choose from:

• Cipher Disk
• Cipher Wheel
• Signal Corps
• Slave Quilts
• German Enigma
• U.S. Navy Bombe
  
  

Once you have chosen and read about them on the NSA Kids website, click the link of your choices on the NSA Kids website and above and research a little more on yours. Open Microsoft Word and write about your selection in one of the following manners (making sure to include an illustration):

• Advertisement
• Brochure
• Diary Entry
• Encyclopedia Entry
• Journal Entry
• Letter
• Newspaper Article
• Poem
• Postcard
• Rap
• Short Story
• Song (original or to the tune of something else)
• Want Ad
• Wanted Poster

5. Go to the Glossary link and read all of the words and definitions. Go to

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/

and make a puzzle of your choice using the glossary words and definitions. You may choose from:

• Word Search- This one is tricky! Follow the steps until you get to STEP 4. Select TEXT. Continue on, following the next steps. Check your puzzle carefully before creating it. Now, open Microsoft Word on your computer in another window while leaving your internet browser open. Highlight your entire puzzle, right click and copy it. Go into Word and right click to paste it in Word. At the bottom where the vocabulary words are listed, REPLACE the words with their definitions. (This means the clues should be the definitions for the words and the words should be deleted.) When doing your puzzle, the the students will not know what word they are looking for unless they know the definition. This will make it more challenging!
  
  
• Criss-Cross- Just follow the steps.
  
  

If you do not find a puzzle you like and you have a better idea, you may create your own puzzle using the words and definitions.


6. Click the "Games and Activities" link at the bottom right of the NSA Kids website. Click the "Brainteasers" link. Read the strategies listed for solving the problem if you get stuck, and get started! Over to the right, there is a list of brainteasers organized in levels of beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Try some! Choose your favorite, solve it, and teach it to your group. In Microsoft Word, type out your brainteaser on one page, and solve it on another page. Print both pages out.


7. Now go to the "Cryptogram" link. Read the introduction. Now, click on "Beginner" and read the ciphers. Also, don't forget to click on "Did You Know" at the bottom right. It may give you some helpful hints! The triangle under the boxed letter B, I, and A gives the solutions, but be sure to try them yourself first! Next, go to the Intermediate level and do the same. Finally, go to the Advanced level. Click on "Did You Know" again.


8. Make your own Cryptogram! Visit the American Cryptogram Association website below to learn about all kinds of cipher types.

http://www.cryptogram.org/cipher_types.html

Choose one type and create your own cryptogram in a Word Document. Print out your cipher type. BE SURE to type the page number in the print box. For example, if your type is on page 9, click FILE, then PRINT. Under the PRINT RANGE, there is an option that says "PAGES FROM" and it has two boxes. You enter your page number in BOXES and your printer will just print your page instead of all 57 pages.


9. Now, click on the "Make It@Home!" link. Each member should choose one of the following:

• Cipher Disk
• Cipher Wheel
• Scytale

Read about the one you choose and click on "Try It!" Under "Download Now!" Click on the instructions in PDF format and print out all of the sets of instructions. Now, make it!


10. Click on "Online Games" and play some of the games available.


11. Click on "Yardleygrams." Click on "Did You Know" at the bottom. Read all of them and attempt them. The answers once again are available by clicking the triangle at the top right.

12. Now, you should be an EXPERT on Cryptography! You have one final challenge: create a poster of your findings. You should display your:

• Ciphers- Created in #3.
• Cipher Histories- Created in #4.
  
• Puzzles- Created in #5.
• Brainteasers- Created in #6.
• Cryptogram- Created in #8. Include your printed Cipher Type and your cryptogram that you created.
• Make It@Home Projects- Created in #9.