Unraveling the Enigma: Cryptography in World War II, a Cross-curricular Approach of the BNCC Computing with the History Component in the Final Years of Elementary School

  • Barbara Rossi Munck dos Santos Colégio Santa Catarina de Juiz de Fora
  • José Luziel de Souza Rede Santa Catarina
  • Ronald Ribeiro Varandas Colégio Santa Catarina de Juiz de Fora

Abstract


Historically, modern computing as we know it dates back to the important contributions of the British mathematician Alan Turing, who, during the Second World War, led efforts to crack Nazi codes, especially those generated by the Enigma Machine. The aim of this cross-curricular project (History and Computing) was to use the BBC micro:bit microcontroller to provide 9th grade students at a private school in the city of Juiz de Fora, MG, with a proposal for historical and practical experience, while also developing the specific skills of the curriculum component in question and, in a crosscurricular way, the skills of the Computing BNCC. The "Unraveling the Enigma" project also used active methodologies, enabling students to code and decrypt messages, while developing logical thinking, collaboration and critical thinking related to the historical moment.

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Published
2025-04-09
SANTOS, Barbara Rossi Munck dos; SOUZA, José Luziel de; VARANDAS, Ronald Ribeiro. Unraveling the Enigma: Cryptography in World War II, a Cross-curricular Approach of the BNCC Computing with the History Component in the Final Years of Elementary School. In: BRAZILIAN SYMPOSIUM ON COMPUTING IN BASIC EDUCATION (SBC-EB), 2. , 2025, Juiz de Fora/MG. Anais [...]. Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação, 2025 . p. 34-39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbceb.2025.6584.