As part of the Primary 7 East Renfrewshire Maths challenge we were exposed to a number of ciphers and codes. In order to decode the messages we understood that maths plays a vital role. We have been involved in 2 challenges linked to ciphers and decodng which we throughly enjoyed.

The first decoding activity that we undertook was part of the Primary 7 East Renfrewshire maths challenge. We were given 5 different messages to crack, each with a different cipher to use. The ciphers that can be seen in the image below is named pigpen. This was our favourite cipher to use.

The second decoding activity that we took part in was a decoding orienteering challenge. We had to use maps to find the secret messages that were here hidden in a number of secret places within our school playground. We found this a challenge but we applied our prior knowledge of ciphers to help decode the messages. We discovered that we each of the messages linked to events that occurred during WW2 and understood the importance of using codes during the war to keep all communication hidden from the enemies.

As part of Maths week Scotland we took part in an online origami lesson. We were asked to make cubes without using any glue or sellotape. We found this challenging but by preserving and applying our prior knowledge of growth mindset we were able to create 3D cubes using 6 small squares of paper.

Here are some pictures of our completed cubes.

We also found that those we had completed their 3D cubes were able to help other in the class to complete their cubes. We really understood the importance of working together to get to a shared goal.

Our knowledge of growth mindset and the importance of the word yet proved very useful while completing this activity.

Maya: It was really hard to start with but I couldn’t stop smiling once I had created my cube.

Zoe: It was really tricky trying to figure it all out and I wanted to give up but I knew I could do it if I kept on trying.

Cameron S: I felt amazing  when I  was finally able to piece my cube together and help Saif to make his cube.