I Spy Detective Notebook

Students explore I Spy books or other highly detailed picture books using magnifying glasses to search for hidden objects, shapes, letters, and other interesting details. As they make discoveries, students record the items they find in a detective notebook by drawing and writing the names of objects. Students then exchange notebooks with a partner and use the clues to locate each other's hidden items within the books. 

• Observe students to determine when support or extension may be needed.
• Support students in stretching out words and listening for individual sounds as they write. 
• Prompt students to apply letter-sound knowledge and use inventive spelling when recording their discoveries. 
• Extend learning by encouraging students to write descriptive clues rather than object names (e.g., “I spy something that flies” instead of “bird”).

• I Spy books or other detailed picture books 
• Magnifying glasses (optional) 
• Paper, clipboards, or detective notebooks 
• Writing and drawing materials