LEARNING EXPERIENCE
I spy Descriptive Writing
ENGAGE
Grade
 Ask students if they have ever played the game “I Spy”. Point out
3rd
that people who are good at “I Spy” describe objects with words
really well. Question students regarding how objects are often
Timeframe
described. Physical properties (size, shape, color, texture,
45 minutes
similarity to other objects, etc.)
 Pick two students and have the class describe them based on
Materials
their physical characteristics. Are they the same size? Are they
 Student journals/pencils
the same color?
 Pebbles and rocks are different too. Share that the class is about
to play “Ispy” except using small rocks or pebbles from the outdoor classroom.
EXPLORE
 Ask each student to find a pebble in the outdoor classroom that can be held in the palm of the hand.
Find a comfortable place and observe the pebble carefully. Memorize it’s size, shape, color, texture,
smell, etc. Each student should try to form a mental picture of his or her pebble.
 Bring students back together and collect their pebbles in a cup or bag. Shake up the pebbles and then
spread them out on a sidewalk, table, or other flat surface.
 Ask each student to try and find their own pebble.
 Ask students what details they remembered that helped them to identify their pebbles correctly.
Did they have mental pictures of those details that they used to identify their pebbles?
EXPLAIN
 Point out any adjectives that students used to describe their pebbles. Explain that adjectives are words
that describe people, places, and things (nouns).
 Complete this sentence in your journal: I remembered my rock because______________________.
 As students are writing down a sentence for helping them remember their rock, the teacher can
explain that good authors use words to paint pictures in the reader’s mind. One way authors do this is
by using their senses and adjectives to describe the details of objects and events. A good writer does
not need lots of big words to paint a picture, but good writers do observe objects and events very
closely, looking for details.
ELABORATE
 Ask each student to go find a different rock/pebble in the outdoor classroom that can be held in the
palm of the hand. Repeat the direction that they are not supposed to share their rock with anyone. Hi
 Find a comfortable place to write and describe the pebble with enough details so that someone else
could select that pebble in a pile. Remember students should keep their rock a secret.
 Bring students back together and collect their pebbles in a cup or bag. Shake up the pebbles and then
spread them out on a sidewalk, table, or other flat surface.
 Ask for four volunteers to be “it” and one volunteer to read his or her pebble description. The four
students who are “it” must confer and come to a consensus on the pebble they think the reader is
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
describing. The reader may read his or her description multiple times. Continue this process until each
student has had a chance to be “it” or to read his or her description.
Rather than emphasizing matching all of the correct pebbles to their descriptions, emphasize that this
activity is to help refine students’ abilities to describe objects in writing. Emphasize the students’
correct use of adjectives to describe their pebbles. This exercise will make describing other objects and
events seem like a breeze!
EVALUATE
 Instruct students to tape one leaf each into their journals (using clear packaging tape if available). Ask
students to describe their leaves using adjectives and include details that paint a picture in the reader’s
mind. Collect writing samples and assess student progress.
OBJECTIVES
Language Arts
3.18 A write imaginative stories that build the plot to a climax and contain details about the characters
and setting
3.22 A use and understand the function of the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing,
and speaking:
(iii) adjectives (e.g., descriptive: wooden, rectangular; limiting: this, that; articles: a, an, the)