Volume 9, Issue 9 Teacher Guide
High Wire Magazine – Code Breakers Teacher Guide
Series Consultants:
Nina Hess
Karen Hume
Brad Ledgerwood
Series Publishing Team:
Joe Banel
Rivka Cranley
David Friend
Darleen Rotozinski
Susan Ure
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ISBN-13: 978-0-17-635803-7
ISBN-10: 0-17-635803-X
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Code Breakers
Teacher Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Code Breakers Lesson Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Cryptic Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Graphic Organizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Wordplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Strategy Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Human Code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Navajo Code Talkers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Ask an Expert: Making and Breaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Blackline Master 1: Anticipation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Blackline Master 2: Mind Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Blackline Master 3: Probable Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Blackline Master 4: Monitoring for Meaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Blackline Master 5: Anticipation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The lesson plans in this Teacher Guide are supported by the High Wire Magazine
Program and Assessment Guide. The Program and Assessment Guide contains:
•
•
•
•
•
an overview of the components and features of High Wire Magazine
Theand
lesson
planschart
in this
Teachers’
Guide
supported
a scope
sequence
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outlines the
keyare
reading
strategies that are
by the High
Wire
Magazine
Program
and Assessment Guide.
highlighted
in each
issue
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Magazine
supporting information about the needs of adolescent readers
For more
contact
Nelsonapproaches,
Education,and activities used in the
descriptions
of information
the instructional
strategies,
lesson
plans
http://www.nelsoned.com
assessment masters for the key reading strategies.
Brief explanations of instructional strategies are provided in the sidebar of the lesson
plans alongside the first use of each strategy.
NEL
Contents 3
Code Breakers
Key Reading Strategy: Monitoring for Meaning
The lesson plans in this issue of High Wire Magazine highlight the
reading strategy of Monitoring for Meaning. Opportunities to practice
this strategy are indicated by the symbol . For more information on
this strategy, see page 10. Assessment Master 11 in the Program and
Assessment Guide can be used for this strategy.
Curriculum Links: social studies, technology
Introducing the Magazine
Setting the Scene
Tell the students that, by the time they have finished reading this issue
of High Wire Magazine, they will be experts in the art of developing and
breaking codes. To help set the scene for the magazine’s theme, ask
questions such as the following:
➣ When you hear the words “code breaker,” what comes into your
mind?
➣ When might you use a code?
➣ Why do people need codes?
Record the students’ ideas on a chart or have them record the ideas
themselves.
Making Connections
Explain that this magazine looks at different kinds of codes. Ask:
➣ What famous codes do you know about? Can you tell us about them?
Have the students brainstorm a list of words and ideas about codes.
Encourage them to generate as many questions as possible.
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High Wire Magazine – Volume 9, Issue 9: Code Breakers
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Lesson Focus
Visualizing
Monitoring for meaning
Cryptic Messages
page 2
Before Reading
About This Selection
Anticipation Guide
Featuring the Enigma
code of World War II, this
article discusses the use
of codes in history and
describes the important
role of codes in technology
today.
Hand out copies of BLM 1, Anticipation Guide, which contains general
statements about the article. Read each statement aloud as the students
follow along. Ask the students to rate how strongly they agree or disagree
with each statement. Then lead a whole-class discussion, encouraging
them to share their views.
K-W-L Chart
Word Talk
Glossary words: boobytrapped, cipher machine,
distorted, rotors, hoax,
constellations, Allied,
astrologers, enciphering,
decipher
Other vocabulary:
super brains, fanatics,
concealed, intercept
Introduce a K-W-L chart using the following steps:
1. Discuss codes.
2. Brainstorm what the students already know about the topic, and
record this in the first column, “What I Know.”
3. Ask the students to formulate questions that address gaps in their
knowledge. Record these questions in the second column, “What I
Want to Know.”
During Reading
Anticipation Guide
An Anticipation Guide
contains several
statements that relate to
the text topic or theme.
Students use the guide
to prompt their thinking
before they read a text.
Assessment Tip
Look for the students
who employ a variety
of strategies, such as
rereading, using text
features or visuals, or
changing their reading
rate, to clarify the meaning
of the text.
Extra Help
Record on a chart the
words the students have
identified as difficult so
you can refer to them after
reading.
NEL
Visualizing
Have the students close their eyes while you read aloud page 2. Ask
them to turn to a partner and describe the mental images they had. Ask
questions such as the following:
➣ Can you sketch your mental image?
➣ What happens to your body when you are scared, stressed, or excited?
➣ What emotions might David Balme have been feeling?
➣ Which part of the text was particularly powerful? Why?
Monitoring for Meaning
Have the students skim the text to look for words, phrases, or ideas that
they would like to clarify. Remind them that the meanings of words in
bold type are in the glossary.
Clarify any points of confusion before reading on.
Using a Guided Reading approach, take the students through the
article section by section. Ask questions such as the following:
➣ Why do you think the article is broken into sections? How does this
help us to understand the text?
➣ Why hasn’t the information in the blue boxes been incorporated into
the main body of the text?
➣ What do the photographs tell you about the development of various
codes?
➣ What does the word “sensitive” mean? What does it mean when
applied to information?
➣ Which form of code writing do you think would be more difficult to
break: steganography or cryptography? Why do you think that?
Code Breakers: Cryptic Messages
5
➣ Why was the German cipher machine called the Enigma? Can you
think of other names for the machine?
➣ Why do you think some people have suggested the Voynich
Manuscript is a hoax?
➣ What was special about the people who were employed to break the
Enigma code? Why were they chosen for the job?
➣ Why did they wait for thirty years after the war to reveal their success?
➣ What is “criminal encryption”?
➣ Now that you have read the article, can you list the pros and cons of
cryptic messages?
After Reading
To encourage a conversation about the article, ask:
➣ What was the most interesting part of this article? What surprised you
the most? Why?
K-W-L Chart
Fill in the third column of the K-W-L chart. Ask the students to review the
first two columns and use check marks to identify:
• the information in the first column that was confirmed by the reading;
•
6
the questions in the second column that were answered by the
reading.
Silent Exchange
Silent Exchange
Students write an
open-ended question.
The questions are passed
around the group, with
each student writing
a response to each
question. At the end, they
discuss the responses.
Have the students use a Silent Exchange to share their points of view
about the text.
Anticipation Guide
Refer to the Anticipation Guide and have the students complete the
column “Response after Reading.” Discuss any changes in opinion.
High Wire Magazine – Volume 9, Issue 9: Code Breakers
NEL
Graphic Organizer
page 8
Featured Graphic Organizer: Mind Map
A mind map is a simple way of organizing information. It centers on
one topic and branches out to include increasingly specific pieces of
information. The ideas can then be used in various forms of writing, such
as book reports or essays. It is especially useful when studying or reviewing
because it helps students to remember key points. Using different colors
for different levels or kinds of information is helpful for visual learners.
Reading and Discussing the Page
Read aloud the introductory passage. Ask the students to skim the mind
map, then guide them through it step by step. Draw their attention to the
various components:
• The topic (codes) is in the middle of the web in a bright color with a
white background.
• The branches lead to the subtitles (four different kinds of
information about codes), changing to the color in which the
information is presented.
• Each subtitle has at least two branches. Each branch leads to a distinct
piece of information in the same color as the subtitle.
Ask questions such as the following:
➣ Why is a mind map useful?
➣ How has the information been organized? (Record the students’
responses on the board.)
➣ How do you read this mind map? How do you know where to start?
➣ How do you know where to go next? Is it obvious? Does it matter?
➣ Where can you add new branches to the map? What information
would you add?
Discuss the students’ questions, then ask questions such as the following:
➣ How can a mind map help to clarify your ideas and organize your
writing?
➣ What questions do you have about how to make a mind map?
Make sure that the students understand exactly how the organizer works.
Have them apply their understanding to “Wordplay” on BLM 2, Mind Map.
NEL
Code Breakers: Graphic Organizer
7
Lesson Focus
Making connections
Making inferences
Monitoring for meaning
Wordplay
page 10
Before Reading
About This Selection
Making Connections
This story follows three
friends as they attempt
to decipher a series of
mysterious messages
and the meaning of an
ominous motorcyclist. The
friends soon realize that
nothing is exactly as it
seems.
Discuss the title of the story. Ask questions such as the following:
➣ What springs to mind when you hear the title?
➣ What else could “wordplay” mean?
➣ Have you ever heard the expression “a play on words”? What does it
mean?
➣ Look up “wordplay” in a dictionary. Does it mean what you thought it
did?
Word Talk
Probable Passage
Vocabulary:
leather-clad, online
catalog, fluorescent,
abbreviation, monetary
Hand out copies of BLM 3, Probable Passage, which contains a brief
summary of the text and includes key words and phrases. The students
can then compare this passage with the story.
Probable Passage
The teacher lists key
words from the selection
and the students discuss
them. They may be asked
to arrange the words into
categories. The students
then use the words to fill
in the blanks of a Probable
Passage (one that might
occur in the text) or to
write their own Probable
Passage.
Say Something
Students work in pairs,
taking turns to read
sections of text aloud.
The reader pauses
occasionally to say
something about the text,
for example, a prediction,
question, comment, or
connection.
During Reading
Making Inferences
Read aloud the opening paragraphs, modeling the Think Aloud
approach. Have the students take turns reading pages 11 to 13 with a
partner, sharing their responses using Say Something. To guide their
thinking, ask questions such as the following:
➣ Is the Harley Davidson rider important? Why/why not?
➣ What does “five in the key” mean?
➣ Why would someone exaggerate when they were losing?
➣ Do you think the characters are right to assume that the motorcyclist
is up to no good? Why do you think that?
➣ What do the numbers beside the clues mean?
➣ What does it mean when people roll their eyes? Why did Rae do it?
Stop at this point to find out if there are any words, ideas, or phrases
that the students are confused about. Discuss these and review strategies
that the students can use to help their comprehension.
Tracking the Clues
Explain to the students that it can be difficult to follow the story as well
as keep track of the clues. Return to the story, and together, produce a
Chain of Events that summarizes the clues.
Reflection and
Metacognition
Discuss the questions that
required the students to
make inferences. Was this
difficult? If so, why?
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Double/Triple Entry
Journal
Two- or three-column
charts are used for
students to record parts
of the text and their
inferential or critical
thinking about each part.
Teaching Tip
To monitor the students’
understanding of the
selection, ask for
volunteers to give an oral
summary of the text.
Assessment Tip
Look for the students
who employ a variety
of strategies, such as
rereading, making use of
text features or visuals,
or changing their reading
rate, to further clarify the
meaning of the text.
Somebody Wanted
But So
Students choose a
character from the text
and create a sentence
saying what the character
wanted, what stands in the
character’s way, and how
the conflict is resolved.
Monitoring for Meaning
Have the students read pages 14 and 15 independently. Ask them to draw
up a Double Entry Journal with the headings “Words from the Text” and
“My Questions.” Have them write questions about the text as they read.
The questions may apply to points of confusion or inferences they make.
For example, they may want to know more about the cryptic clues.
When the students have finished reading, have them discuss answers
to their questions in groups of four or five.
Read Aloud
Read aloud the rest of the story. This gives the students an opportunity to
benefit from the fluency of a good reader.
Discuss the outcome of the story, asking questions such as the
following:
➣ Did the story end in the way you expected?
➣ Did you enjoy this story? Why/why not?
➣ Why was Johnny’s grandmother dressed as a biker? What was her
intention?
After Reading
Somebody Wanted But So
Have the students complete a Somebody Wanted But So activity to show
each character’s points of view.
Making Connections
Discuss the students’ responses to the story. Ask questions such as the
following:
➣ What emotions would each of the characters have experienced?
➣ How would these emotions change at different points of the story? For
example, when the characters saw the motorbike, found clues, visited
Grandma, thought Grandma was in trouble, and realized it was a trick.
➣ Would you feel the same?
➣ Would you see a biker as a sinister character?
➣ What does the story tell us about stereotyping and making
assumptions?
➣ How would you feel if your grandmother played a trick like this?
Aesthetic/Creative Response
The students could write a story imitating the author’s use of clues. You
may wish to suggest one or two scenarios.
NEL
Code Breakers: Wordplay
9
Strategy Focus
page 18
Key Reading Strategy: Monitoring for Meaning
Monitoring for Meaning is one of the most important strategies we use
when learning to read. As readers, students need to be able to realize
when they have lost the meaning and use fix-up strategies to get back
on track. Students can use a number of strategies when decoding a text.
These include rereading, reading on, using photographs or illustrations
in the text, and taking notes.
Reading and Discussing the Page
Have the students turn to page 18 and follow along as you read aloud
the title and first paragraph. Explain that Monitoring for Meaning
means checking that you understand what you are reading. The blue
section on page 18 suggests strategies that students can use to check their
understanding. Read aloud Try It Out on page 19, and have the students
apply these strategies to “Wordplay.” Remind them that they must
monitor their understanding as they read.
Have the students complete BLM 4, Monitoring for Meaning, to practice
this strategy. As a class, find the answer to the question, “What do
you get when you cut a rock in half?” Using a process of elimination,
model how to find the correct answer in the list of possible statements
(“Two stones”). This activity presents a two-fold challenge in that the
students must monitor their understanding of the activity as well as their
understanding of the clues in the story. Encourage the students to refer
back to the story to clarify the clues and answer the questions.
Before moving on to “The Human Code,” use “Wordplay” to model
some other reading strategies such as taking notes, asking questions, and
rereading. Demonstrate how you can choose a particular strategy to help
you to make sense of any confusion. For example, you could say, “I felt
confused when Johnny figured out the answer to the question, ‘What do
you get when you cut a rock in half?’ I decided to reread the story and
look for references to ‘stonewall’ to help me understand the clue.”
After reading, ask questions such as the following:
➣ What strategies did you use?
➣ Have you used [strategy] before?
➣ Why did you use [strategy]?
➣ Are there other strategies you could have used?
Have the students read pages 20 and 21 independently. Ask them to mark
the places where they have trouble gaining the meaning so that they can
go back later. Remind them to take their time when solving a problem.
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High Wire Magazine – Volume 9, Issue 9: Code Breakers
NEL
Encourage them to:
• choose a strategy that they think will help;
• try it;
• move on if the strategy works;
• try another strategy until they are successful.
Have the students repeat the process with each page. When they have
resolved their trouble spots, have them reread the selection and retell
what they have read to a partner.
NEL
Code Breakers: Strategy Focus
11
Lesson Focus
Making predictions
Monitoring for meaning
Asking questions
The Human Code
page 20
Before Reading
About This Selection
Word Splash
This article describes the
race to map the human
genome and why this
achievement was a major
scientific breakthrough.
Using a Word Splash, write some words from the article onto chart paper
or a transparency for the students to use when predicting the content.
These words could include “genome,” “chemical,” “identical,” “strands,”
“genetic,” and “decipher.”
New Vocabulary
Word Talk
Glossary words: genome,
daunting, patent
Other vocabulary: DNA,
genes, molecule, genetic,
glitches
Word Splash
Key words from the
text are “splashed” or
written onto an overhead
transparency or chart
paper. Students use
the words to predict the
content of the text.
Extra Help
Rereading this text
may benefit those who
are struggling with the
scientific concepts in
the text.
Reflection and
Metacognition
Have the students reflect
on which strategies they
found most helpful for
extracting meaning from
the text.
There are a number of methods of introducing new vocabulary. For this
article, use the following method:
1. Introduce a new word and explain its meaning.
2. Have the students write a meaningful explanation and create a visual.
During Reading
Monitoring for Meaning
Read aloud the text as the students follow along. Have them use sticky
notes to mark places that pose problems with comprehension. They
can then work in small groups using some of the strategies you have
discussed to help them extract meaning and clarify one another’s points
of confusion.
If all group members are confused by one point, suggest they put it to
one side and move on. When all groups are finished, discuss the problems
as a class and work together to clarify the trouble spots.
Graphic Organizer
Have the students revisit the mind map on pages 8 and 9 and prepare a
similar map for “The Human Code.” This will indicate how well they have
understood the text and highlight any remaining points that need to be
clarified.
After Reading
Silent Exchange
Have the students use a Silent Exchange to share their points of view
about the text.
Asking Questions
Have the students work in groups to formulate questions about the theme
of the article. They can then use library or the Internet to research the
answers.
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High Wire Magazine – Volume 9, Issue 9: Code Breakers
NEL
Lesson Focus
Making connections
Text features
Making inferences
Navajo Code Talkers
page 24
Before Reading
Anticipation Guide
About This Selection
Navajo code talkers
have only recently been
acknowledged for their
role in World War II. Using
a highly complex code,
they protected secret
military information from
the enemy.
Word Talk
Glossary words:
reservation, tactical,
imposter, declassified
Other vocabulary:
tones, impenetrable,
consequences, genuine,
Congressional, civilians,
Cheyenne
Hand out copies of BLM 5, Anticipation Guide, which has general
statements about the article. Read aloud each statement as the students
follow along. Ask the students to rate how strongly they agree or disagree
with each statement. Then lead a whole-class discussion, encouraging the
students to share their views.
Making Connections
Discuss what the students already know about code talking from other
articles in the magazine as well as their own prior knowledge. There
may be students in the class who know about Navajo code talking. Ask
questions such as the following:
➣ What have you learned about codes and code talking?
➣ Have you ever heard of Navajo code talking? What do you know about it?
➣ Have you ever used a code of your own? Can you think of codes we
use in our everyday lives?
During Reading
Text Features
Reflection and
Metacognition
Ask the students to discuss
how the illustrations and
photographs helped them
to understand the story.
Assessment Tip
Look for the students
who employ a variety
of strategies, such as
rereading, making use of
text features or visuals,
or changing their reading
rate, to further clarify the
meaning of the text.
NEL
Have the students look over pages 24 to 29 to note the features of the
text (headings, subheadings, photographs, captions, fact boxes, glossary
words). Have them follow along as you read aloud page 25. Ask questions
such as the following:
➣ Why has the designer used a khaki color for the headings? Is it
effective? Why/why not?
➣ What additional information do the photographs and fact boxes give
you that the text doesn’t?
➣ Why hasn’t this information been included in the main body of the
text?
➣ What do photographs offer that illustrations and other graphics can’t?
Double Entry Journal
Have the students read the rest of the article independently. Ask them
to use a Double Entry Journal with the headings “Words from the Text”
and “This is Important/Interesting Because.” They can use this to note
important or interesting facts.
Code Breakers: Navajo Code Talkers
13
After Reading
Making Inferences
Prompt a discussion by asking questions such as the following:
➣ What was the most important part of the article? Why do you think
that? What was the most interesting?
➣ How might the code talkers have felt when they received their
Congressional Gold Medals?
➣ Why did the code talker Sam Billison say, “We are happy, but we are
also sad”?
Encourage the students to go back to the article and reread to find the
answers.
Anticipation Guide
Go back to the Anticipation Guide the students filled in before reading.
Have them fill in the column “Response after Reading,” and discuss any
changes in opinion.
Write a Message
Using the Navajo code alphabet, the students could write a message about
an interesting fact from the article. They could copy their messages onto
cards, writing the answer on the back, to make a class set of facts.
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High Wire Magazine – Volume 9, Issue 9: Code Breakers
NEL
Lesson Focus
Making connections
Monitoring for meaning
Asking questions
About This Selection
On this web page, the
Codemaster explains how
a code called the One
Time Pad works.
Ask an Expert: Making
and Breaking
page 30
Before Reading
Making Connections
Tell the students that they are going to read a selection called “Making
and Breaking.” Ask questions such as the following:
➣ What do you think the selection will be about?
➣ What might we make and break?
Explain that a character is asking the Codemaster for some ideas for new
codes she and her friends can use. Ask:
➣ What might a One Time Pad be?
➣ Does the theme of the magazine help you to predict what it might be?
➣ Do the illustrations help you to predict what it might be?
During Reading
Monitoring for Meaning
Assessment Tip
Look for the students
who employ a variety
of strategies, such as
rereading, making use of
text features or visuals,
or changing their reading
rate, to further clarify the
meaning of the text.
Review strategies the students can use to help them have a deeper
understanding of the text. Ask them to read page 30 independently, then
ask questions such as the following:
➣ Did this part of the text make sense to you?
➣ What strategies did you use to help you out?
➣ Is there anything that still needs to be clarified?
Have the students read the rest of the text, then ask questions such as the
following:
➣ Do you think a One Time Pad is a code you could use successfully?
Why/why not?
➣ How do you rate this code in terms of “unbreakability”?
After Reading
Asking Questions
Ask questions such as the following:
➣ Do you have any unanswered questions about the text?
➣ How could you find the answers?
➣ Was the text easy to understand? Can you think of other ways to
present the information?
➣ What other thoughts or observations do you have about the text?
NEL
Code Breakers: Ask an Expert
15
Project
page 32
Featured Project: Develop Your Own Code
Materials required: writing materials
Tell the students that they are going to be inventing their own code. Read
aloud the introduction and the instructions in the orange boxes.
Have the class brainstorm a list of codes they have read about. These
could include:
• the Enigma
• the Voynich Manuscript
• online encryption
• security codes on the Internet
• the One Time Pad
• the human genome.
Write these on the board or on a piece of chart paper. Ask the students
what the main elements of each code are and list these as well. For
example, the main elements of the Navajo code would include:
• whole words used to represent single letters
• more than one word representing a single letter
• names of birds representing airplanes; names of fish representing ships.
This will be useful in helping the students to decide on the form of their
code.
Have the students work through the task independently.
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High Wire Magazine – Volume 9, Issue 9: Code Breakers
NEL
Blackline Master 1
Anticipation Guide
Name: ______________________________
Date: __________________________
What to do:
Before reading “Cryptic Messages” (Code Breakers, pages 2–7), read the
statements in the table below. In the first column, write your response: strongly
agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree.
Read the article, and then look back at the statements. Have you changed
your ideas? Write your new response, or rewrite your original response, in the
final column.
Response before Reading
Statements
Cryptic codes and messages are
used only during war.
You need to be a scientist or a
mathematician to break a code.
Cryptic messages are not used
today.
Cryptic messages are made up
only of letters or numbers.
There is no such thing as a
completely unbreakable code.
18 Code Breakers: Cryptic Messages
Response after Reading
Blackline Master 2
Mind Map
Name: ______________________________
Date: __________________________
What to do:
Read “Wordplay” (Code Breakers, pages 10–17).
Fill in the supporting details about the key ideas below. Details about
Grandma have been started for you.
Rae
Marco
Characters
Grandma
Johnny
Thinks Johnny
should read more
Likes books
and puzzles
Calls Johnny
Stonewall
Code Breakers: Graphic Organizer 19
Blackline Master 3
Probable Passage
Name: _______________________________
Date: __________________________
What to do:
Read and discuss the following words from “Wordplay” (Code Breakers,
pages 10–17).
Write the words from the list into the passage below. Check that the passage
makes sense with the words you’ve added.
creepy
cryptic
note
clues
crossword
break
message
basketball
grandmother
Three friends meet at the park to throw hoops and discuss a number of ____________ coincidences.
Johnny has found his ___________ cut in half and pinned to his wall and receives
a weird text _____________. Marco finds a _____________ hanging off the backboard, and a sinister
Harley rider is hanging around the park. They follow the _____________ to the library and discover
a book with more weird messages inside. Unable to crack the _____________ code, they go to see
Johnny’s ___________. She is an expert _____________ puzzler. The friends go away and work through
the clues to _____________ the code.
20 Code Breakers: Wordplay
Blackline Master 4
Monitoring for Meaning
Name: ______________________________
Date: __________________________
What to do:
Reread “Wordplay” (Code Breakers, pages 10–17).
Read the questions in the left column below.
Read the statements in the right column. Each statement helps to answer a
question in the left column.
Write the letter of the question beside the matching statement.
Look back at “Wordplay” to check your answers.
Questions
Statements
A.
What was written on the basketball?
Johnny’s ball had been cut in half and
pinned to the wall with a toy car inside it.
B.
Why did Johnny think his grandma could
help?
On the online catalog.
C.
What was the name of the book inside Rae’s
copy of The Tarr Chronicles?
They thought the rider was a criminal.
D.
What was the first clue?
He drew a loop around the first and last
letters in the note.
E.
How did Marco discover his name in the
clue?
Two stones.
F.
Why did the friends go to the library?
Howl’s Moving Castle.
G.
Where did the friends look for information
about The Tarr Chronicles?
The word “Rock” was the brand name on
the basketball.
H.
What do you get when you cut a rock in half? Johnny’s grandmother.
I.
Who was leaving the clues?
She read a lot and was good at crossword
puzzles.
J.
What did the friends assume about the rider
of the motorcycle?
They went to see if they could solve the clue
from the backboard.
Code Breakers: Strategy Focus 21
Blackline Master 5
Anticipation Guide
Name: _______________________________
Date: __________________________
What to do:
Before reading “Navajo Code Talkers” (Code Breakers, pages 24–29), read the
statements in the table below. In the first column, write your response: strongly
agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree.
Read the article, then look back at the statements. Have you changed your
ideas? Write your new response, or rewrite your original response, in the final
column.
Response before Reading
Statements
Very few people outside the
Navajo tribe speak the Navajo
language.
Codes are only as safe as the
code books they are recorded in.
Movies should not be made
about historical events because
they can never tell the full story.
Using an alphabet as a code will
not make the code difficult to
break.
Using a language as a code
opens it up to all speakers of
that language.
22 Code Breakers: Navajo Code Talkers
Response after Reading