Secret Letter Codes

Materials

• Writing paper
• Pen
• Envelope

A secret code letter is exchanged between best friends only. You and your friend need to put your heads together and create a secret code that no one else can decipher or understand. One way is to use the letters of the alphabet in a different sequence, e.g., A=B, B=C, C=D, etc., so that DOG would = EPH. Or you could use symbols, pictures, or a rebus, e.g., 2 Y's U R, 2 Y's U B, I C U R 2 Y's 4 me (too wise you are, too wise you be, I see you are too wise for me). A secret code letter does not usually need an envelope. It can be folded neatly and passed by hand to your friend. And if someone else opens it, he or she will never know what's inside!

Note: Do not pass secret code notes in class. Teachers are known for their ability to decode any student note that they find in their classrooms.

More on: Building Reading and Language Arts Skills

Excerpted from:

From 365 Smart After-School Activities by Sheila Ellison & Judith Gray. Copyright © 2005 by Sheila Ellison & Judith Gray. All rights reserved. Used by arrangement with Sourcebooks, Inc.

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