🚦 Start here
📽Briefing 0: IntroductionThe story so far, and how the Cipher Challenge works
Then, for every challenge:
1 · 📽 BriefingLearn the codebreaking trick, together on the board.
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2 · Part AA message from our side. Crack it on paper; use the tools to help and check.
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3 · Part BA harder message from Helix, for when Part A is cracked.
📋 What to do
👩🏫 Teacher
- Before the first session: make a class code on Class codes (optional, to follow progress; tick 📝 Paper only to hide the code and tools on students’ screens until they say they are ready) and print each student a copy of the cipher wheel from the printable pack.
- Each session: show the challenge’s 📽 briefing on the board (🖥 Present). Students answer its questions; press ✔ Check together. In the first session, start with Briefing 0.
- Hand out the printed Part A (printable pack, or 🖨 Print on the challenge). Students work in pencil, with the online tools to help.
- Students who crack Part A move on to Part B. On Class codes you see who has cracked what; open the next challenge for the next session.
- More in the 📘 teacher guide.
🧑🎓 Student
- If your teacher gives you a class code, join below with your first name and the first letter of your surname.
- Follow the briefing and answer its questions.
- Crack Part A on your printed sheet: the code is in CAPITALS; write each letter you work out in lower case underneath it.
- Open Part A online, put in your letters (the tools can help), and press ✔ Check my answer.
- Cracked it? Read what it says, then try Part B.
👥 Join your class
🧰 Codebreaker’s toolkit
The tools from the challenges for any text: cipher wheel, frequency analysis, letter swaps, affine and keyword alphabets, rail fence and columns, keyword shifts (Vigenère) and a word finder.