The Beale Cipher: Final and Ultimate QUEST Code of the Year!

Our 4th and 5th graders have been conducting a whole-class research project on one of the most intriguing real-life buried treasure stories in history. If you except this final code-cracking challenge of the year, you'll have some work to do. First you'll need to learn the background story (but the videos below will make it fun and easy) and you'll probably get sent off in a few different directions before you even get to the actual code challenge.

Are you up for it? Bring all the thinking skills we've been developing in QUEST all year (critical, logical, creative and so on) and plenty of patience and persistence, too. Those who stick with this challenge and crack it will receive a special certificate of merit.

OK, then, let's start by building some background...

What is the story of the Beale Cipher?
This basic Wikipedia entry lays out the story.

Wait, the Declaration of Independence is part of this mystery?
Yep, and here is what you need to know about that. Just be patient--at the end of this clip they make the connection to the Beale Cipher:

OK, now they are talking about Edgar Allen Poe, the guy who wrote those really scary stories?
Exactly. Here is a clip that explains the Poe connection.

Oh, and to save you some time, here is a link to The Gold Bug.

So no one has cracked this yet?
Actually, there are a few treasure hunters who claim they've found the location of Beale's treasure. Use your critical thinking and decide if you think they are on to something.

In Philadelphia?

In New Orleans?

And now for your code challenge!
Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to decipher letters 1 and 3 and bring me a piece of the treasure (although if you do find it a little token of thanks for telling you about it would be appreciated). Instead, I'd like you to watch the film below ABOUT the Beale Cipher and crack a code in it. It is said the film makers included 16 different codes/ciphers in this short movie, but there is one in particular I'd like you to crack. Throughout the movie you will notice several numbers appear with circles around them. These seem to be connected to a specific book or story, and are most likely the key to unlocking something important about the mystery within this movie. It will be hard work, but hard work brings the best rewards.

PARENT NOTE: The film does contain some MINOR language. It is nothing I wouldn't allow my own elementary age children to watch in context, but contact me if you have any doubts!

Your mission is to pay close attention to the circled numbers, figure out which book or text they are connected to, and crack the code!

Focus on Innovation and Caine's Arcade

I came across the following two items completely independently but they compliment each other so well and are so useful that I couldn't help but share them together here under the common theme of "Innovation."

The first item is an article/interview with author Tony Wagner on his new book Creating Innovators. The article does a nice job of distilling the major points and recommendations from the book. They include food for thought for me as a teacher, you as a parent and all of us as a community. Here's a link to the article: http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/creating-innovators-22-insights-from-tony-wagners-new-book-905.php

The second item is a video about a young boy who demonstrates an inspiring level of innovation and perseverance. I first heard about it as a radio story on NPR, but felt compelled to track down the video and see this young man's creation for myself. Parents and kids should find it equally inspiring. It's called "Caine's Arcade" and is a fascinating example of how an innovative mind can do A LOT without MUCH.

How to Crack a Caesar Cipher!

We spent time earlier this year learning how a substitution cipher that goes all the way back to Julius Caesar has been used throughout history. We made our own cipher wheels in class and enciphered our own messages. You've even cracked a couple on this blog!
The Caesar Cipher
All Hail the Newest Code Challenge 


Well, the Caesar Cipher worked pretty well for a few hundred years, but eventually a really smart Arab mathematician figured out how to crack it using a method called "frequency analysis." The video below from KhanAcademy.com explains.

"What Is Gifted?"- A Video for Students

Personality Profiles: True Colors and Myers-Briggs

One of our major focuses since coming back from Winter Break has been on discovering truths about our own personalities and how we relate to the world and others. Different grade levels used different personality tools, and below you'll find a Prezi presentation for both of the profiles we used. Videos are used to highlight characters who demonstrate the discussed personality traits. You can zoom in and out of the Prezi using the controls.

If you have trouble viewing the Prezi's below, you can link to online versions of them here:

• What's Your True Color?
• What's Your Personality Type (Myers-Briggs)?

 

1st through 3rd Grade: What's Your True Color?

What's Your True Color? on Prezi

 

Want to take the True Colors quiz yourself?

 

4th and 5th Grade: Myers-Briggs

What's your personality type? on Prezi

 

Kid-friendly Myers-Briggs Quiz

Adult Myers-Briggs Quiz

"The Eleventh Hour" by Graeme Base: A Code Breaker's Dream!

We have been tackling a mystery that is putting a lot of our skills to the test! We are applying all our observation and deductve powers, as well as our growing toolbox of code breaking and deciphering skills to crack the mystery of Horace the Elephant's birthday feast in The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery by Graeme Base. Third graders got a head start this week but next week our 4th and 5th graders will see if they can get to the truth as impressively as their underclassmen have been.

Here's a little teaser-trailer to give you a taste:

Brad Meltzer's Decoded: Stimulating T.V.

A History Channel series very relevant to our QUEST theme this year is Brad Meltzer's Decoded. Meltzer is a mainstream author of fiction who is especially interested in chapters of history that have to do with secret, hidden information and, above all, codes.

Not all episodes are directly related to codes, and some present alternative theories that may ruffle feathers, but I've never seen an episode that would be inappropriate for young viewers for any reason.

Get some more background and information on the show's homepage.

And I've just posted two complete episodes (both with code themes!) on the "Videos" page of this blog.

Enjoy!