Do you want to know how to write in secret? Do you want to work for the CIA? Do you want to explore how famous figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson communicated without revealing their secrets? Codes and ciphers have been around for thousands of years, throughout nearly every language and culture. These vital tools of secrecy helped America win independence from Britain and the Allies win WWII. American spies used ciphers during the Cold War; criminals like the Zodiac used them to taunt the police and newspapers. In fact, one 19th century man named Thomas J. Beale wrote a cipher that gives coordinates to a $63 million treasure he buried in Virginia (to this day, no one has been able to solve the cipher and find the treasure!). These are just a few examples of how codes and ciphers have affected the course of human history. We will learn the basics of how to write and decode secret messages, starting with simple methods such as the Greek Square cipher, the Caesar shift cipher, and the PigPen cipher. By the end of the class, you'll be able to encode your writing and keep your secrets safe, just like the most well-trained spies!

Do you want to know how to write in secret? Do you want to explore how famous figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson communicated without revealing their secrets? Codes and ciphers have been around for thousands of years, throughout nearly every language and culture. These vital tools of secrecy helped America win independence from Britain and the Allies win WWII. American spies used ciphers during the Cold War; criminals like the Zodiac used them to taunt the police and newspapers. In fact, one 19th century man named Thomas J. Beale wrote a cipher that gives coordinates to a $63 million treasure he buried in Virginia (to this day, no one has been able to solve the cipher and find the treasure!). These are just a few examples of how codes and ciphers have affected the course of human history. We will learn the basics of how to write and decode secret messages, starting with simple methods such as the Greek Square cipher, the Caesar shift cipher, and the PigPen cipher. By the end of the class, you'll be able to encode your writing and keep your secrets safe, just like the most well-trained spies!