Our student book is intended for use in Grades 5-8 and can be taught all at
once as a 6-8 week module, or spread throughout the year. The material is
also being adapted for use in museums and after-school programs.

Mathematics topics include percents, probability, functions, prime numbers
and factorization, positive and negative numbers, decimals, inverses and
modular arithmetic.

Cryptographic topics we cover range from old encryption systems that date
back hundreds of years through powerful modern encryption systems that
provide secrecy in electronic messages today.

The study of older encryption systems is linked to important historical
events and the study of the modern systems gives applications of recent
research in mathematics. This gives students the opportunity to see
mathematics as an exciting, changing subject, rather than an old subject
whose problems have all been solved.

The book includes problems and questions for investigation, suggested games
and classroom activities, and riddles to encrypt and decrypt. There also is
a teacher's guide.

The book is being pilot tested this year (2002-03). We will revise and
pilot test again next year (2003-04). We invite classroom teachers and
leaders of after-school, museum and other informal learning settings to
apply to join our Pilot Test in 2003-04.

We expect the manuscript to be complete in late 2004.