Secret Code

I sometimes give instructions to my students written in code that they have to interpret before completing tasks. I've used this at various levels:

Here's an example: to revise alphabet and simple present verbs/vocab.

• ·        Tell students the code e.g. each code letter represents the letter that comes before it in the alphabet ‘a’ is ‘b’, ‘m’ is ‘n’, 'dbu' is cat etc. 
• ·        Then they decode their message and do the task: 

o   xbml up uif cpbse - walk to the board 

o   kvnq ufo ujnft - jump ten times

To make it more difficult, I've...

• ·        Used more complex codes,
• ·        Let them work the code out for themselves,
• ·        Have not defined where words end,
• ·        Have given more complicated tasks or vocabulary
• ·        Or given them half an instruction which they must decode and then find the classmate with the other half of their task information.

This activity can be used to review or practice vocabulary or structure or simply be a different way to introduce the topic for the day's class - each student gets one or two words to decode and then the class work to put all the words together.