This project illustrates how ciphers can be used to encrypt messages so that they can be secretly shared with someone who has the right key. Task 1: 1. Think of a password (letters only) and a key (any whole number up to 26). 2. Click on Caitlin and answer her questions to encrypt your password. Remember to use capitals! 3. Write Caitlin's code word, along with your number key, on a piece of paper, then swap your paper with a partner. 4. Click on Rowan and answer her questions. Can you find your partner's password? Task 2: Codebreakers at Bletchley Park worked hard during the second world war to get vital information to soldiers without it falling into enemy hands. 1. Can you find the names and stories of two WWII codebreakers? 2. Rename your sprites as your codebreakers and program them to introduce themselves. 3. Find images of your historical codebreakers and save them to your computer. 4. Import your images as costumes for your sprites. 5. Find an image of Bletchley Park and save it to your computer. 6. Import the image into your stage as a backdrop. Task 3: Can you use the project to decrypt this message? 'DGD TWDMTIKM ZDV WKH KNWXY IZIV ZBYQBKWWOB' Hint: I didn't use the same key for each word, but if you think careful you might be able to guess how I decided which numbers to use. Task 4: 1. Find a fact about computing history and summarise it in a short sentence. 2. Use the Scratch project to encrypt each word, using the algorithm I used in the last task. 3. Use the chart to convert the cipher text into Morse code, and write it down on paper. 4. Swap paper with a partner. Can you crack their code?
This project was inspired by the code breakers at Bletchley Park during WWII. If you go to data and tick the boxes 'letters' and 'passwords' you can watch it crack the code, just like the enigma machine.
