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The Secret Code Game

The Secret Code game is an ice-breaker activity where the teacher writes secret messages using a Caesar cipher on candy wrappers or slips of paper. Students have to decipher the messages using the cipher, which shifts each letter forward one place in the alphabet. Once decoded, the messages instruct students to say their name and talk about holidays or other topics. This helps students learn each other's names and builds a sense of community in a fun way at the beginning of the school year or after a break. It is a creative low-resource activity that works for multi-level classes.

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Darren
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523 views

The Secret Code Game

The Secret Code game is an ice-breaker activity where the teacher writes secret messages using a Caesar cipher on candy wrappers or slips of paper. Students have to decipher the messages using the cipher, which shifts each letter forward one place in the alphabet. Once decoded, the messages instruct students to say their name and talk about holidays or other topics. This helps students learn each other's names and builds a sense of community in a fun way at the beginning of the school year or after a break. It is a creative low-resource activity that works for multi-level classes.

Uploaded by

Darren
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Secret Code game

Submitted by TE Editor on 23 June, 2002 - 13:00 This is an ice-breaker / warmer for the first time a class meets. It is suitable for all ages and levels. It should take 15 - 25 minutes. Preparation You will need lollipops, sweets with wrappers or slips of paper. Prior to the lesson write a secret message (the code is described below) on the wrappers or lollipops or another type of sweet. You may also write out the secret messages on slips of paper that are folded into various shapes. Procedure

Greet and welcome students to their first lesson. Tell them you'll play a game called "Hidden message". You can also tell them, if they are young learners, that you will be playing a game called "Spies". Then, if the class is lower level, elicit the alphabet and write it on the board. Give out the sweets or lollipops wrapped with the slips of paper. This paper will have a hidden message which will have to be worked out by students if they want to eat their sweets or lollipops. Tell students that each letter used represents the previous letter in the alphabet ( Note: Z comes before A). You can demonstrate by writing IJ on the board and you should have spelled out " HI". Once students understand, allow them two minutes to work out their messages individually. The first one to find out the hidden message, should read it out to the rest of the class and carry out the instructions on it. See example below: TBZ ZPVS OBNF UBML BCPVU ZPVS IPMJEBZT (Decoded: "Say your name. Talk about your holidays") Continue around the class until everyone has deciphered their messages. Give help as needed.

Why it works This game helps students learn each other's names and builds a sense of community at the beginning of the school year. It also helps students develop their fluency and truly "breaks the ice" if students have just come back from a break or are just starting their studies. This creative classroom aid is usable in multi-level, large classes with limited resources as well as adaptable for elementary classrooms too. Variations Higher-level students can be given hidden messages which review functions such as complaints, apologies, etc. Teachers may include any topics they want students to talk about such as hobbies, family, animals and so on. Follow up Once they have finished getting to know each other, they may write a short paragraph about what they learned about their pals as a homework task.

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