Learning kitGrades 4-5

Computer science: cybersecurity

Code cracker and cyber detective

Make and crack secret codes in CryptoLab, learn how updates and smart choices keep thieves out, and investigate messages to catch the fakes. Ages 9 to 11 or grades 4 to 5: the first ideas of cybersecurity, worked like a detective.

Time
About 90 minutes, in one or two sittings
Steps
5 steps, 1 of them in CryptoLab
You need
A computer or Chromebook and a friend to trade secret codes with. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.
Unlock the kit, $5 I have a code

$5 for one learner: every step, the CryptoLab activities that check the work, the printable lesson, and the certificate with a page of the learner's own work.

A Caesar cipher wheel turned seven letters, putting the message MEET ME AT THE TREEHOUSE into secret code.

The 5 steps

  1. 1Create and crack a shift cipherIn CryptoLabA shift cipher hides a message by moving every letter the same number of places along the alphabet. Julius Caesar used one 2,000 years ago. Computers still use the same idea, keys and all, with much bigger numbers. Crack three codes in CryptoLab, then make your own.
  2. 2Find out how updates keep devices safeRead and quizPhones, tablets, game consoles and computers ask to update all the time. Here is why that matters.
  3. 3Learn about identity theftRead and quizA detective uses clues to figure out who someone is. So does an identity thief.
  4. 4Find out what to do if your identity is stolenRead, quiz and planIf it happens, the fastest fix is a plan you made ahead of time.
  5. 5Spot a real or fake messageInvestigateFake messages, called phishing, try to get you to click a link or give away information. Investigate each message below like a detective, then decide.
CryptoLab's Caesar Cipher panel: HELLO WORLD with shift 3 becomes KHOOR ZRUOG, and a two-ring letter wheel.
Each step shows how CryptoLab works, then opens it with a checklist that ticks as the work gets done.

Work on a computer. The apps need a keyboard and a bigger screen than a phone: a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. You can pay here and open the emailed link on the computer.

One learner

Unlock the kit, $5

  • All 5 steps, worked on screen, with a lesson you can print if you like paper
  • CryptoLab activities that check the work as it is done
  • A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work: your secret code and your cipher, your plan, and your notes

We email a link that opens the kit on any computer. No account needed. We keep the email only to send the kit and certificate links: privacy.

Have a discount code?
Co-ops and classes: unlock it for a group

One payment and one code. Each learner types the code to unlock the kit on their own computer, and gets their own certificate at the end. Your pack page shows who has started and finished.

See a sample certificate (PDF) · Already paid? Find your link

Questions

What does the learner do in Code cracker and cyber detective?

It has 5 steps: 1. Create and crack a shift cipher; 2. Find out how updates keep devices safe; 3. Learn about identity theft; 4. Find out what to do if your identity is stolen; 5. Spot a real or fake message. Make and crack secret codes in CryptoLab, learn how updates and smart choices keep thieves out, and investigate messages to catch the fakes. Ages 9 to 11 or grades 4 to 5: the first ideas of cybersecurity, worked like a detective.

What age is it for?

Grades 4-5. About 90 minutes, in one or two sittings.

What is needed?

A computer or Chromebook and a friend to trade secret codes with. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.

Is there a certificate?

Yes. A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work, for your records or a portfolio. It is not course credit.

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