Summer SAVY, Session 1 Day 5, Cryptology Sect.2 (3rd – 4th)
Just when they think they have solved the mystery, there is always more to see. Your child will be coming home with their own copy of The Eleventh Hour today, and I encourage you to talk deeply with them about how they solved the mystery, what clues led to the discovery, and what the “Congratulations” message revealed…another mystery to be solved (finding the mice)! Look through the reflection journals they have been keeping all week and discuss how their predictions changed and what red herrings threw them off the trail. They have a new task now, to locate 111 mice in the pages of the book. Don’t worry, the detective guide in the back of the book will help! This book was the highlight for many of them this week.
Our history minute moved from the past to the future today. After a brief look at the Enigma Machine of WWII, we looked at careers in Cryptology. What roles do codes and ciphers play not only in our past but in our future? How can we find careers in this unique field? Talk to your students about what they learned in class.
Our math time focused on bringing it all together by thinking about two number systems, base 20 and an imaginary system from “Trugo.” This required students to synthesize all we’ve learned about place value and bases this week. It was a great way to end our time together. We did a long math assessment on Egyptian numerals, Roman numerals, Base Two, and Base Five today. These were my main objectives in the course. I met one-on-one with each student to review what they had missed, and we discussed the correct way to solve them. Their mastery level will be reflected in what is written in their rubrics.
The culmination of our coding course today was a gallery walk where students were able to design and solve each other’s complex codes. We worked just after lunch on creating the codes, and at the end of the math lesson, we spent time gallery-walking those posters and trying to “escape” the course (like an escape room) by solving one or more of the codes in the room. Some students wrote simple, basic codes like the reverse alphabet, while others used multiple code systems they’ve learned this week, like a math base two binary code combined with a Caesar Cipher for a two or even three-step solution. It was incredible to see how they could apply all they’ve learned while having fun doing it! It was so fantastic! I applaud their great work and all they accomplished this week!
Thank you for sharing your scholars with us! It was a joy and a privilege to get to know these bright young learners!