Activity
PBS

Pbs Nova: Decipher a Coded Message

For Students 9th - 10th
The basic difference between a code and cipher is explained briefly. You can try to crack a simple cipher at this location.
Activity
University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge: Nrich: Code Breaker

For Students 3rd - 8th
Do your logic skills need sharpening? Use the interactive code breaker to at this one page website to do just that! The solution is available to double check your solution.
Handout
National Institutes of Health

Nih: Deciphering the Genetic Code: Michael Nirenberg

For Students 9th - 10th
Story of Michael Nirenberg and his colleagues deciphering of DNA.
Activity
PBS

Nova: Secrets, Lies, and Atomic Spies

For Students 9th - 10th
The companion site to the show by the same title. Interesting site allows the reader to decipher a coded message. Information on Venona Intercepts and interviews with children of famous spies.
Website
Education Development Center

Education Development Center: How Does Dna Work?

For Students 9th - 10th
Learning about transcription and translation can be difficult but this animation helps make the processes less confusing. The animation is interactive and it also covers the overall importance of proteins.
Activity
Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments: Numb3 Rs: Message of the Bottle

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Based off of the hit television show NUMB3RS, this lesson is best used to serve as a preliminary introduction to coding and encryption. Messages are ciphered by single-letter substitution, and the lesson guides students into deciphering...
Activity
PBS

Pbs Nova: A Simple Cipher

For Students 9th - 10th
The difference between a code and cipher is explained. See if you can solve a simple cipher challenge at the bottom of the page.
Lesson Plan
Other

Curiosity in the Classroom: Principles of Encryption [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In a world where people are sharing information every second online, securing that information is paramount. In this lesson students will understand the principle of encryption, how to decode encryption, and how to construct ciphers. The...
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Encryption, Decryption, and Cracking

For Students 9th - 10th
Julius Caesar encrypted messages two thousand years ago. By knowing the techniques of deciphering a code--frequency analysis, known text, and brute force--one can begin to understand the three key aspects of data encryption, decryption,...
Activity
Instituto Latinoamericano de la Comunicacion Educativa

Red Escolar: El Codigo De Galileo

For Students 3rd - 8th
Decipher Galileo's code and read about his biography. Instructions are also given on how to construct a magnifying glass.