This activity is always a favourite of pupils who need to decipher a chosen text.

No prior knowledge required.

1. Print out one copy per pupil of the text you would like them to decipher.

2. Optional: play the video to introduce the concept of a substitution cipher.

3. Hand out sheets, and consider giving pupils clue(s) such as:

• This book is about...
• This poem is about...
• The first line includes the word '...'

4. The rest should be pupils looking for structure in the text, and you can drop further clues if you consider it to be necessary.

*It is strongly recommended to have a copy of the text your learners are trying to decrypt. These can be found in the 'Teacher Notes' document.