Special Agent Theme

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Home : 2008 : July : 1

Special Agent Theme
By book lover

At the beginning of the school year, before school actually began, I sent home a welcome letter to all of my students. I started the letter with "Dear Future Special Agent and family, Welcome to 4th grade where you will
be investigating our world by asking questions and seeking answers! You are about to enter a training force of student special agents where your mission will be to try your best in all that you do. Your term of membership lasts one year. Your hard work and dedication will add to the success of the special agent task force. Welcome and good luck!" I then went on to invite them to a "Recruitment

Briefing" before school began at the "Special Agent Headquarters." I provided a cipher card where I used wingdings font and matched the symbols with the letters of the alphabet and provided them with a password that needed to be decoded before they came to see me. I also signed the letter "Special Agent 0024" (which was my badge number.)

When students came to see me on the designated day before school began they told me their password and then got to choose a locker and desk and had to pose for their special agent badge photo. I got magnifying glasses and black fidora hats from Oriental Trading Company and each child got one to pose with. They had to pose and then I provided badge name tags that were made out of construction paper with a big circle in the middle for their picture to be placed.

Students also chose special agent numbers. The numbers were used for Homeworkopoly and when they wrote letters to me at the end of each week they could sign them Special Agent and their number instead of writing their name.

On the first day of school all of the kids got their hats and magnifying glasses and went out and posed together for the Special Agent Task Force photo. I then posted it outside of my classroom for the entire year for all to see.

On the outside of my classroom I had a sign that I drew that had a detective following footprints with a magnifying glass and it had on it "Special Agent Headquarters" and "Hot on the trail of learning."

I used the MOOSE notebooks but called mine C.S.I. Binder which was short for Curious Students Investigating 4th grade.

I also utilized Mrs. Renz's Mastery Club but called mine the Special Agent Challenge. If they earned 10 or more stars they became a part of the permament Special Agent Hall of Fame.

This year I may incorporate the GEMS fingerprint lessons into my first few weeks or in the middle of the year to add some flavor. I am moving to a new school this year and they have a school-wide theme of "Red, White, and Blue" so I am incorporating that with my special agent theme. I went to a scrapbooking store today and found some cute stickers of stick figure kids that are holding flags and have the red, white and blue colors. I was thinking about blowing them up on an opaque projector and drawing them on butcher paper and using them for some decorations around the room and then adding some fidora hats and magnifying glasses and badges to some to tie in both themes.

I would like to come up with a cute idea for my reading area. I like the idea having a stuffed dummy dressed as a special agent, that may work. Well, hopefully this gave you some ideas. I would love to hear any other ideas anybody else may have.