Lesson 1
Cracking the code
In this lesson, students explore the need to protect information throughout history, and learn how encryption is used to transform messages. First, students examine historical examples of secret communication and the ways algorithms can be used to hide and reveal information. Then, students apply their understanding by creating their own substitution ciphers to exchange and decode with a partner. Finally, students play the role of World War II codebreakers as they debug a faulty decoding algorithm and correct its errors to help them accurately reveal a hidden message.
school
Grade
7
local_library
Subject
Technology, Social studies
schedule
Length of lesson
50 minutes
Learning objective
Students will identify how substitution ciphers transform text to protect secure information.
Standards
🌐 CSTA Standards
- 1B-AP-17: Describe choices made during program development using code comments, presentations, and demonstrations
- 2-IC-23: Describe tradeoffs between allowing information to be public and keeping information private and secure.
- 2-NI-06: Apply multiple methods of encryption to model the secure transmission of information.
🇺🇸 College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework
- D2.Civ.10.6-8: Explain the relevance of personal interests and perspectives, civic virtues, and democratic principles when people address issues and problems in government and civil society.
- D2.His.1.6-8: Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts
Lesson contents
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