LESSON 5
SHAPES AND SYMBOLS

“I Spy” Inkblot

1. Play the “I Spy” game with students. “I spy” means “I see.” To play “I Spy” one student finds a person or object to describe. The person or object needs to be something that everybody else playing the game can see as well. The student then describes the person or object without saying the name or what it is. Everybody else has to guess what is being described. For example, if playing this game in a classroom, a student might say, “I spy something red and square.” Other students might guess, “Is it that lunch box?” “Is it Karen’s notebook?” “Is it the stapler?” Students keep guessing until somebody identifies the person or object correctly.
2. Continue playing the “I Spy” game in the classroom until students understand the game and the format.
3. Tell students that they will be creating inkblots to use in the “I Spy” game.
4. Have students cover their workspace with old newspapers or other scrap papers to protect the desks or tables from spills.
5. Pass out a sheet of paper to each student. Have students write their names on the back of the paper in pencil.
6. Demonstrate to students how to make an inkblot:
   a. Drop a small amount of the liquid being used into the middle of the paper.
   b. Carefully fold the paper in half, using your fingers to flatten the paper. This will make the liquid spread out and absorb into the folded paper.
   c. Carefully open the paper back up to reveal the shape the liquid has created.
7. After demonstrating, have students make their inkblots. Young students may need more assistance. If needed, help students to evenly fold their papers in half, spreading the liquid in between the folded halves, and carefully open the paper up again.
8. Place the inkblots in a safe place to dry.
9. When the inkblots are dry, use them to play the “I Spy” game.
10. Tape the inkblots on the board or the classroom wall so that everybody can see them.
11. Demonstrate the game. Pick one inkblot, and a shape or object that you see in that inkblot, and say to students, “I spy a…” Students then have to guess which paint inkblot is being described.
12. Try to use vocabulary that you have recently used or taught in class. For example, if you have just covered animals, try to pick an inkblot that looks like an animal, such as an elephant, bat, or snake.
13. Ask for student volunteers to come to the front of the class and be the “I Spy” observer. The students should pick something they see in one of the inkblots and describe what they see. Other students guess which inkblot is being described.
14. Play the “I Spy” game in groups, with groups working together to describe what they see, or working together to guess which inkblot another group is describing. Points can be awarded to groups who guess correctly.