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Patricia NewmanPatricia Newman
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Purple code machine_Japan

LitLinks: Code breakers, STEM, and history inspire fiction writing

December 4, 2019 LitLinks, LitLinks-Grade 3-5 1 Comment
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GUEST BLOGGER LISA L. OWENS


CodeBreakers_cover

Nonfiction books about historical events offer a great way for students to further develop their reading skills while also soaking up details surrounding important historical moments and the people who lived through them. Sometimes STEM disciplines have expressly informed—and in effect made—the specific history discussed. My new book, World War II Code Breakers (Lerner, 2019), is a perfect example of this synergy between history and STEM.

I know firsthand that writing about something I’ve just read about enhances comprehension and retention of any new information. This is true when researching and writing nonfiction, and it gives just as much of  a boost to fiction writing. So I thought I’d share a project idea in which students practice on a short piece of fiction inspired by factual events detailed in my book.

Introducing the code breakers

Begin by having students read the book cover to cover. For those without access to the book, the following summary can be used as an alternative starting point.

About the Book: World War II Code Breakers explores inspiring stories of heroism among code breakers in the US and Britain. These men and women worked behind the scenes to study coded messages sent by the enemy. They applied their expertise in such fields as mathematics, computers, and languages to try to learn, or crack, the secret formulas and learn what information those messages held. Code breakers successfully cracked the codes of Germany and Japan, which ultimately led to an Allied victory and shortened the war by several years.

Code makers and code breakers

Next, have students read, or reread, the STEM Highlight from the Introduction and the Hero Highlight from Chapter 2.

CodeBreakers_STEM Highlightp7

STEM Highlight passage quoted from page 7: A code or cipher is used to produce hidden messages. In a code or cipher, letters or words are changed to other letters, words, numbers, or symbols. The person receiving the coded message must know how the code works to translate the message. Code breakers often do not know what kind of code they are reading, so they must look for patterns and repeated words or letters to figure out the code.

Hero Highlight summarized from page 17: In this section, readers learn about US mathematician-turned-cryptologist Genevieve Grotjan Feinstein. While working to break Japan’s Purple code, she discovered an important pattern in a coded message. It helped her team decode their first message from Japan. And this breakthrough enabled US code breakers to understand most of Japan’s international communications.

Pencil and paper

Fictionalizing a scene in a code breaker’s life

Now that students have learned a few details about codes and code breaking during World War II, invite them to use their storytelling skills to bring Genevieve Grotjan Feinstein’s story to life. Explain that they will write a one-page fictionalized scene about the moment Feinstein recognizes the pattern and shares her findings with her team.

Before they begin writing, have students think about the book or the summaries they’ve read. Ask them to list details they recall about

  • World War II
  • codes, codebreaking, and code breakers
  • Genevieve Grotjan Feinstein’s story

 Now it’s time to write. The fictionalized scene should include

  • setting, character, and emotional details
  • a clear beginning, middle, and end showing Feinstein making and sharing her discovery
  • some dialogue
  • optional: an illustration

Reflecting on the Project

Have students debrief their writing experience by reflecting on

  • favorite part of creating a fictional scene inspired by a historical event
  • least favorite part of creating a fictional scene inspired by a historical event
  • most important thing learned while completing this project
  • the part of their work on this project they’re most proud of
  • one thing they wish they could have done differently
  • ideas for researching and writing other fictional scenes and stories inspired by STEM history

Up for making your own code? Visit Lisa’s website for another activity.


Lisa L. Owens

Lisa L. Owens has authored more than 100 books for young readers, including early chapter books, graphic novels, middle grade fiction, and a slew of nonfiction for ages PreK–YA. Learn more about her work at llowens.com and @LisaLOwens.


Click for more LITLINKS STEM + Literacy activities

Tags: STEM+LiteracySTEM+Literacy Physical Science
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  • lisalowens
    · Reply

    December 4, 2019 at 1:17 PM

    Thanks so much for the opportunity to guest blog on LitLinks today! For anyone interested in an add-on codebreaking activity, I’ve written one on my blog: http://bit.ly/LisaLOwens

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  • Home
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    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
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    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
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    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
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    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
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