Ready to have some fun this November? The November Crack the Code will get students learning about the important events that happened in November during the year 1621! Here is a closer look at the November Crack the Code and the 6 challenges that students will be working through! Remember, every Crack the Code has options for students in grades 1-5 so you can easily differentiate within your classroom! During this Crack the Code, students will complete six November themed challenges while collecting a feather (with a letter on it) for the successful completion of each task. For the final challenge, students will need to figure out the mystery word on their collected feathers (THANKS), and glue the feathers on a turkey to officially Crack the Code!
Starting with the beginning card, students will be directed about the set up of this Crack the Code and how they will need to collect feathers for accomplishing the challenges successfully. You can differentiate between groups using different clue cards for different groups in order to make this game at a just right level for all students! Here is a closer look at Clue #1 where students will be solving a math puzzle! Here are the six options included for the math puzzles challenge!
- Skip counting by 1
- Skip counting by 3
- Skip counting by 5
- Multiplying by 5
- Multiplying by 6
- Multiplying by 12
For Clue #2 students will be reading an informational article about Thanksgiving. As they are reading, students will take particular notice to the amount of important dates discussed in the article (five). They are then going to highlight the number five anywhere they see it on the secret number decoder. Once they highlight all of the fives, the secret number decoder will reveal the date 1621. This is the year of the first Thanksgiving, as well as the date needed to advance to the next clue.
In order to solve Clue #3 students will have to do their best listening! For this challenge, one student will be chosen from within the group to open a secret envelope. Inside the envelop will be a small picture of a turkey. The student must then direct his/her group members to draw a replica of the turkey following only his/her oral directions. This challenge will take teamwork, patience, clear directions, and great listening ears!
Clue #4 is a challenging one indeed! I call this clue the TURKEY TABLE CHALLENGE! For this STEM activity, students must use 5 pieces of paper & 12 pieces of tape in order to create a table type structure that can hold 1 jar of food. To make this challenge fit with the November theme, I typically use jars of food that students would traditionally see at a Thanksgiving dinner! Look at the amazing table structure student examples below!
Onto Clue #5 the Polybius Cipher! Most students have never seen anything quite like this before! They will need to discuss a strategy for decoding the cipher, and must work very hard in order to figure out how it works! Here is a sneak peek of the cipher, clue card, and answer key!
Finally, students will work through Clue# 6 with the FINAL CHALLENGE being to put together all of their collected feathers in order to spell the secret word (THANKS). Once they figure out this word, they will glue their feathers to their turkeys! After the turkeys have been assembled, students will have officially CRACKED THE NOVEMBER CODE! For finishing as a team, the students will earn their November Crack the Code printable badge!
I hope your students have a wonderful time solving this November Crack the Code! Remember you can save BIG by grabbing the Crack the Code GROWING BUNDLE which has a Crack the Code for every month (grades 1-5) plus more!!! Here are some amazing reviews from other teachers who have completed this fun activity with their students!
