Alisa_Lee

== = = =Be Nice To Spiders=  Description: As students learn about spiders in this unit, they will discover that spiders are more useful than harmful to humans. Grade Level: 1st Grade Subject: Science, Language Arts Topic: Spiders Higher Order Thinking Skills: Analysis, Synthesis Key Learnings: Spider Behavior, Life Cycle, Habitat, Data Collection and Graphing Time Needed: 3 weeks, 45 min. lessons 3-4 times a week.

Essential Question: How can something so small be capable of so much?

Introduction
This unit will help children appreciate the place spiders have in the world and will lessen the fear of spiders caused by misunderstandings. As students learn about spiders, they will discover the important role spiders have in our environment in keeping the insect population in check. Students will also realize how spiders are more useful than harmful to humans but because we do not understand how useful they are, we try to destroy them. Many people think that all spiders are poisonous, but in general, very few spider bites will be harmful to humans. After the completion of the unit, the students may or may not have positive attitude for spiders, but they will now have reasons for not liking them or liking them. It is my hope that the students will develop sensitivity toward spiders as they gain a deeper understanding of the remarkable life of a spider.

Learning Objectives
To list 4 characteristics of spiders using numbers to describe and count body parts To classify pictures of animals as spiders or non-spiders: other To describe the eating habits of spiders To describe at least 3 characteristics of a spider’s habitat To list and describe at least 4 types of spider webs To name other benefit of spiders to humans To name at least 2 natural enemies of spiders, including man To list 2 animals that are prey of spiders To describe a spider’s life cycle To describe how a spider’s web feels, looks and works To describe the danger of spider bites To describe differences between live birth and hatching.

=Assessment Processes = A variety of student-centered [|assessments] will be used in this unit to monitor student progress, set learning goals, provide feedback, assess thinking, process, performance, and products; and reflect on learning throughout the learning cycle.

Content
Introduction Have a short discussion with students about their experiences with spiders. Include where spiders are found, what they look like, what they do, and why students are or are not afraid of them. Construct two class graphs to depict students’ feelings toward spiders before and at the end of the lesson and later at the end of the unit. Have each student write his/her name on a piece of paper and place it over the appropriate heading on the graph. Make a chart graph using [|Create A Graph] to show students how to make a computer graph representing the same information. Prepare a KWL chart for students to record students’ response to what they know about spiders. Write their responses on an index card to put up on the chart. Guide the students to think about what they would like to know or are curious to know about spiders. As students begin to share about their curiosity, write them down on an index card for the W section of the KWL chart.

Characteristics of Spiders Read about spiders in __“Spiders Are Animals”__ by J. Holloway & C. Harper and __“A Look at Spiders__” by C.B. Moon. Discuss the reading and brainstorm facts about spiders found in the reading. Ask the students to describe spiders’ body parts. After the students have had an opportunity to explore the idea, discuss how many people believe that spiders are insects- they are not insects. Mention that there are two main features that distinguish spiders from insects- spiders have only two body parts and eight legs, whereas insects have three body parts and six legs. Show pictures of insects and spiders and demonstrate the differences by sorting them under the correct headings “Insect” “Arachnid” using the computer during Center Time. Have the students classify pictures as spiders or not spiders on the [|worksheet]. At the close of the activity, students will be given time to complete their first journal entry. Students will specify characteristics by drawing an illustration of a spider and writing at least 4 sentences.

Making Spider Cookies To reinforce the spider’s body parts, make [|spider cookies] as a yummy treat!

Spiders make webs Tell the students that one special thing about a spider is that it can spin a silk web. The silk comes from inside the spider’s body through small holes at the back of the body called spinnerets. The silk comes out as a liquid but quickly dries in the air. It is very strong and looks like a long strand of hair. The teacher shows a thin, long piece of silk thread. Spiders also make draglines out of the same sticky, liquid silk. A dragline is a very long strand of silk that allows spiders to hang in the air. They use the draglines to capture prey, the same way as with a web. Read __“The Very Busy Spider”__ by Eric Carle. After reading the book, discuss how the spider uses a web to catch prey. Show different types of webs and how different spiders catch their prey. Discuss how camouflage helps spiders catch their prey and also helps them hide from their enemies. Have the students make a spider web using Elmer’s glue and sprinkle clear glitter to look like a silk web. In their journal, have students recreate the web and write at least 4 sentences describing the steps in creating their web. Have students use sequence words (first, then, next, finally) to describe how webs are made and underline the sequence words in their sentences. How do Spiders Catch Insects? Although most spiders use webs to net insects but some use other means. Students will explore picture books about spiders to find out how spiders catch insects. Students will work in groups to find out about three main ways spiders catch bugs. Divide the students to work in groups of four. Try to group students to include at least one strong reader. Provide a graphic organizer for students to record their findings to be presented later to the whole class. Wandering hunters, like the jumping spiders, walk about searching for something to eat. Tube dwellers, like the trap-door spider, hide and wait for an insect to come by. Web weavers use webs to net insects. Their sticky webs strung in the corner of attics.

What do spiders eat? Students will explore picture books about spiders to find out what spiders eat. Discuss their finding. Ask the students if they know what carnivores mean. Discuss that spiders are carnivores, animals that eat other animals. They must eat insects to survive. Provide pictures of things spiders eat and things they do not eat. Ask students to sort the picture into two groups: “Things Spiders Eat” and Things Spiders Do Not Eat” on the [|worksheet]. Extend the activity, using Kidpix computer program provide two framed sentences: “Spiders eat…” and “Spiders do not eat…” Students will each write two complete sentences on a page with illustrations. Bind the pages into a book called “What Do Spiders Eat?” In their journal, have students write at least 4 sentences describing what spiders eat. Food Chain Ask the students: do you think that other animals eat spiders? Do birds eat spiders? What else eats spiders? Guide the discussion to “If you were a spider, what would you do to hide from your enemies and not get eaten?" (Hide, use camouflage.) Discuss the notion of a food chain with the students. Spiders consume many different kinds of insects, but they themselves are prey to other animals. At the bottom of the chain are the plants because they make their own food. At the top of the chain are humans. Humans consume plants, but humans eat meat also. Have the students explore picture books to find out what animals eat spiders. Create a classroom food chain poster. In their journal, have students write at least 4 sentences describing spider’s enemies.

Spider Venom Discuss what venom is and how a spider uses its venom. Do all spiders bite? Which kinds of spiders have been known to kill humans with their bite? Are all spiders harmful to humans? If not all spiders bites cause death, in what other way can spider bites be harmful? Explain to the students that the spider can only digest fluid food. Some people believe that spiders suck blood, this is not correct. Spiders inflict a wound with their fangs and, through the wound, inject digestive enzymes into the wound to liquefy the tissues of their prey. They drink up the insect dry, leaving nothing but an empty shell behind. After the discussion have the students perform the spider’s venom experiment using sugar cubes and water. In their journal, have students write at least 4 sentences describing spider venom experiment. Life Cycle of Spiders Before reading discuss the two ways that animals are born? Animals either hatch from an egg or else they are born from their mother when they can live on their own, like kittens or puppies. How are spiders born? Read the book, “Spider Magic” by D. H. Patent, about the life cycle of spiders. Show the students the life-cycle sequence cards ( pictures of spider eggs in the egg sacs, spiderlings in the nest hatching and leaving the nest, spiderlings ballooning, adults spinning a web to catch prey or being eaten as part of the food cycle). Put students in cooperative learning groups of 4 students each to identify the four stages of a spider’s life cycle on the [|worksheet] and to label the pictures with descriptions using the vocabulary.

Spider Vocabulary Words Students will keep track of new vocabulary learned in the unit. Students will work in groups of four to illustrate and write a brief description of vocabulary words from the unit using Kid Pix. Spiderlings, web, egg sac, silk, Arachnids, ballooning, spinnerets, and orb webs.

Spider Facts Slide Show Students will work in pairs to choose and research a spider of their choice. [] (Common spiders in the USA) They will share what they have learned with others by creating a [|slideshow]. Students groups gather information about what they eat, where they live, how they catch their prey, who are their enemies, are they helpful or harmful to humans, and any other interesting facts. They will need to plan their slides, write words, and choose the art for their slides using a [|checklist]. Teacher will provide support for computer use and navigating to transport pictures, etc… Slide show checklist will be provided to guide the students in creating their slide show presentations. Spiders are remarkable Read __“Anansi the Spider__” by G. McDermott. Discuss how spiders are remarkable. Ask the students to name different things that make spiders remarkable or what they know about spiders now and add them to the KWL chart under “What we have learned”. Lead the discussion so as to refer to the graphs students constructed at the beginning of the unit. Take another survey to construct a final graph showing the way students feel about spiders now that they have completed the unit. Make a chart graph once again using [|Create A Graph] and use it to compare with the graph from the beginning of the unit. Ask the students if they think that knowing about something helps them develop better opinions about that thing. For example, when they first gave their opinions about spiders, did they know that spiders will not bite or attack unless they have no escape? What else did they learn about spiders that influenced their opinions? Compare the graphs and have the students share their choices and reasons behind their choices. Explain that after learning new things about spiders, people may still not like them, but now they have reasons for liking them or not liking them.

Product
Spider Research Slide Show [|Slide Show Trapdoor Spider.ppt] Life Cycle of a Spider [|Life Cycle.ppt] Insects & Spiders [|Insect & Spiders.ppt]

Credits
Many thanks to Diana Gonzales for sharing her technological knowledge and skills. Kudos for her role as excellent facilitator. Thanks to my colleague, Jennifer Stites, for her support throughout the course. Thanks to Intel Corporation for giving me the opportunity to learn how to integrate more technology in my classroom.

Authors
This wiki page was created by Alisa Lee as participant in the Intel Teach Program. She welcomes any comments or feedback concerning this unit and kindly requests delivery by email. ahlee@cps.edu