We taught aspect of forensic science using decoding, encoding and creating ciphers. Simple
substitution ciphers, involving the replacement of letters with numbers, and the Pigpen cipher
were discussed and practiced by the students. The students were asked to create their own
ciphers once the process of encoding was explained. Ciphers involving numbers, letters,
symbols, and a variety of images such as smiley faces were made. The students enjoyed writing
their own productions on the board and watching their fellow classmates try to decipher their
messages. Lastly, I gave them a message to decode using a simple Caesar cipher and the
students were able to decode it successfully.