Skip to content
PlayOwl

Secret code puzzle · Computers & Digital Literacy

Pigpen code: data privacy · Grade 7

Decode facts about data privacy written in the traditional pigpen code, using the grid key. Practices visual matching and careful reading.

  • Grade 7 · ages 12 to 13
  • Easy
  • 5 to 10 minutes
  • 1 page
  • Free

Goes with the game Safe Message Detective.

Paper

The answer key is a separate page for grown-ups. Sign in to download it.

Make another one like this

Directions: This is the pigpen code: each letter is the shape of its place in the grids (with or without a dot). Write the letter under each shape.

  • Code key

What your child practices

Your child practices visual matching and careful reading. The skill is “Protect personal information”: keep names, addresses, schools, passwords and photos private and ask a trusted adult when unsure.

Grades and ages
Grade 7, ages 12 to 13
Time
About 5 to 10 minutes
Subject
Computers & Digital Literacy
Level
Easy for Grade 7
Answer key
Yes, for grown-ups who sign in
Printing
1 page, US Letter or A4, low-ink option
Updated

How to use it

Read the rules at the top together and try the first step side by side. Use a pencil so mistakes rub out easily, and check every answer at the end. It is one of the easier sheets for Grade 7, good as a warm-up or a first look at the skill.

An answer key comes with it as a separate page that grown-ups download after signing in.

Tip for grown-ups: Start with the shortest coded words; one- and two-letter words crack the code fastest.

Done on paper? A grown-up can record it on the child's page in PlayOwl; downloading alone doesn't count as finished.

Printable generator

Make your own printables

Make brand-new sheets like this one, with answer keys, using the printable generator that comes with a PlayOwl plan. This sheet stays free.