Breaking the Code

In a document, type at least two lines of nonsense words for students to practice erasing letters to the left of the cursor using the Backspace key and to the right of the cursor using the Delete key.

Then type a one- or two-sentence message or an excerpt from a story that appears in book that they are using or are going to use. Go back and add in extra letters on each side of each word to hide what you wrote. You may want to make the first one with bolded words.

For example, 'We are going to have a quiz today.' becomes:

We ieuer u9q-hreareo[9urtq9u9uhr eq-iureh i-goingpoire pieh to-0ie-95 have909eu a reu uquiz e8ueutoday.

or

iuyybrghg 8ybapplesoihowihowiorangeswiuuw

Place this document on students' computers. For instructions on how to do this, click here.

If students don't know how to open a document, you may want to do that for them in advance on their computers.

Activity

• Review the movement of the cursor using the mouse and/or arrow keys. Then familiarize students with the use of Backspace and Delete keys.
• Let students experiment with deleting the nonsense words in the first two lines.
• Then have them look try to find the message you typed and break the code by eliminating letters to the sides of each word, being careful not to erase any of the words.
• Tell the students that they should try to uncover as many words as possible.
• Students read the uncovered sentences or words.
  

• Depending on the level and experience with typing, make the challenge be to uncover a longer message or story.
• Students can type their own message to be decoded by other students.
• Students can read a mystery story, except for the solution or ending. The teacher can type the solution or ending as a code, as above.
• Students can write a mystery story, and then write the solution or ending as a code. Other students read the story and break the code.
• Literacy students can write their names, countries or towns where they currently live and encode them. Other students break the code.
  

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