Summer Spy Camp: Brain Teasers, Secret Codes, and History Spotlights
Are you intrigued by puzzles? Captivated by mystery? Join me for this 4-Day summer camp as we examine the history of mystery and the stories of spies!
Alison Stephens
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(363)
Popular
What's included
4 live meetings
2 hrs 40 mins in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Students may occasionally be asked to create and bring a coded message to class for all of us to decode together.Class Experience
What is Spy Camp? It's part history and literature, part critical thinking and deductive reasoning, part social skills and teamwork...and ALL fun! This four-day camp is a collection of the most popular lessons from the popular Spies and Detectives Class. Students will hear stories from the history of spying and will learn to create and crack a sampling of secret codes. Students will also have a chance to explore various invisible ink techniques and check out their own fingerprints. Each class time will have three parts: I will introduce students to an important spy, detective, or event from the history of whodunits or espionage. Students may find themselves moving from the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt to the Trojan Horse story from ancient Greece (real or myth?) to inspiring and heroic stories from WWII. Next, students will learn a particular type of secret code or cipher and have the opportunity to create and crack the code. Finally, as time permits, we will harness our powers of deductive reasoning and logic to solve puzzles and mysteries together. Day 1 History Spotlight: Overview of the History of Secret Codes (making a scytale) Codes: Simple Word Group Codes Daily Puzzle: Noticing Details Day 2 Codes in History: Ancient Egypt and Hieroglyphics Codes: More Group Variations (Twisted Path, Rail Fence) Daily Puzzle: Riddles and Brain Teasers Day 3 History Spotlight: Trojan Horse Codes: Substitution Ciphers (Rail Fence, Pigpen) Daily Puzzle: What Do They Like? Word Riddles Day 4 History Spotlight: The Limping Lady of WW2 Spy Craft: Invisible Ink and Fingerprints Daily Puzzle: Whodunnit
Learning Goals
Students will:
*learn about various people and events from the world of spies and detectives in history and literature
*learn about various codes and ciphers (their history, how to create, break, and decipher)
*practice deductive reasoning and teamwork to solve logic puzzles and mysteries
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Discussion of historical spies, literary detectives, mysteries, and spy gadgets may include mentions of war, crime, or murder. All discussion will be age appropriate, without unnecessary detail, and within a broad context of clever and heroic use of skills.
Supply List
Students should have paper and pencil for each class. Students may occasionally be asked to bring supplies for secret messages, such as methods for writing with invisible ink, etc.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined July, 2020
5.0
363reviews
Popular
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in Education from Bob Jones University
BS Degree in English Education, 30+ years teaching experience, former homeschool momReviews
Live Group Class
$45
for 4 classes4x per week, 1 week
40 min
Completed by 64 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-14
3-10 learners per class
