Teacher's Guide for ODYSSEY^TM ODYSSEY's Codebreakers

Format:
      Article/Page
      Summary
      Skills

Can You Keep a Secret? pg. 6
From Greek scytales to Jefferson's cipher wheel, making and breaking codes have changed history. Activities tell how to make three ciphering devices. A sidebar explains the difference between ciphers and codes.
Vocabulary, Deductive Reasoning

Unraveling the Enigma pg. 12
Early in World War II, Germany's Enigma sent messages that seemed impossible to decipher. By 1940, however, the British were intercepting and reading German ciphertext, helping to turn the tide of the war. A sidebar describes how a random, never-repeating key creates unbreakable messages.
Vocabulary, Mathematical applications

Human Code Machines pg. 16
From 1942 to 1945, more than 400 Navajo Code Talkers served in the U.S. Marines in the Pacific theater, instantly encoding and decoding classified dispatches. A sidebar describes how their contributions to the war effort have been recognized.
Deductive reasoning, Historical context

Bit by Bit: Computer Encryption pg. 20
Encryption protects computer communications from vandals and thieves. ODYSSEY^TM wants to know what readers think about exporting computer encryptions.
Vocabulary, Technical applications

What's Behind the "Bible Code"? pg. 27
Some analysts claim the Bible reveals predictions hidden in ciphers, but expert mathematicians challenge their techniques and conclusions. Web sites provide a closer look at this controversy.
Mathematical applications, Scientific methodology

Your Secret Stuff (Activity) pg. 32
If you want to keep your personal thoughts a secret, try one or more of these six methods.
Following directions, Basic mathematics

Messages From the Stars pg. 40
Astronomers listen for radio signals from extraterrestrial societies. Civilizations many light-years away might send messages as pictures or mathematical formulas.
Inductive reasoning, Extrapolation

The Puzzle Palace Wants You! pg. 44
The National Security Agency creates and supervises the cryptology used by the United States government. Learn more about job opportunities for local high school students on the NSA Web site.
Vocabulary, Career guidance

Think Tank
(Discussion Starters for Use Before Reading the Magazine)

1. Codes are neither exotic nor unusual. Slang, acronyms, and combination locks are examples of coded messages used every day. List other examples of commonplace codes on the chalkboard. Agree on a working definition of "code." Compare with the definition on page 9.
2. Why do armies, diplomats, and governments use codes? How might they transmit their messages? Is any delivery system foolproof?

Talk It Over:

1. How has cryptography changed over the last 4,000 years? What are some advantages and disadvantages of scytales, grilles, and cipher wheels?
2. Classify each of the entries on your list of commonplace codes according to the definitions given in the article. For example, is a word-search puzzle a cryptograph or a steganograph?

Connections for the Student:

• Art - Hide a message or image in a drawing of an everyday object. Challenge others to uncover your secret. Explain how art codes and ciphers compare to alphabetical and mathematical methods.
• Language Arts - Write your first and last name, one letter per line, down the left side of a piece of lined paper. Using consecutive letters to begin the first word of each line, write a poem about yourself. Then change a few words to hide a second cipher within the poem (perhaps the name of your teacher or best friend).
• History - Conduct library and Web research to locate examples of codes and ciphers used before the year A.D. 1. Present the results of your research. Explain the methods that were used and their impact on their time.

Student Assessment:

1. List the italicized words in the article. In a brief composition about secret messages, use each word correctly.
2. "The world would be a better place without secret messages." Do you agree or disagree? In a letter or a debate, explain your thinking. Use examples from history in support of your argument.

Talk It Over:

1. What problems might earthlings face in trying to understand a message from an extraterrestrial civilization? How might anti-cryptography make the job easier?
2. How might a message from an alien civilization change life here on Earth? How would you react? How do you think most people would react?

Connections for the Student:

• History - Do you think intelligent life ever existed on Mars? Study science-fiction books and movies that assume life on Mars. Listen to Orson Welles' famous radio broadcast, "The War of the Worlds." How is Martian life portrayed in fiction? What do scientists say about factual evidence of life on Mars? Present your findings to the class for discussion.
• Math - If (a) our galaxy contains 400 billion stars; (b) one in every ten stars has a solar system; (c) each solar system has two planets capable of life; (d) the chance of life on a suitable planet is 50/50; (e) life develops intelligence once in 10 chances; and (f) intelligent life develops technology once in 10 chances, then how many technological civilizations must exist in this galaxy? (Answer: 400 million.)
• Art - Draw a picture to send to an extraterrestrial civilization as an introduction to Earth. Explain why you drew what you did.

Student Assessment:

1. Address the Congressional committee responsible for funding your hunt for transmissions from space. To persuade them to continue funding, detail how you will decipher alien messages.
2. You have just received the first verified alien message. Write a letter to a friend explaining how you deciphered the message and what you learned from it.

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Updated: 3/17/10 08:26 pm
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