Spider Savvy

A WebQuest for 1st Grade (interdisciplinary)

Designed by

Lisa Mitchell
lmitchell@iss.k12.nc.us

Introduction | Task |Resources|Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | 

Teacher Notes

Introduction
Welcome to Spider Savvy!  Have you ever been walking through the woods and seen a spider in a web and not known what kind it was?  Have you ever been watching television and seen a spider run across the floor and wonder if  it was poisonous?  Have you ever wondered what spiders eat and how they spin their webs?   To become spider "savvy" and know the answers to these and other questions, complete the "creepy crawly" activities found below.   But, beware!  It's easy to get ensnared in this "web"quest! 
 
 

The Task
In a small group, you will be investigating different kinds of spiders.  You will learn where they live, what they eat,  and how they look.  Look forward to completing these activities: 
Counting spiders 
Coloring spiders
Completing a spider information sheet
Playing a spider memory game
Completing a spider science experiment
Reading stories about spiders
Making a poster featuring one kind of spider
Making a spider snack
Writing an illustrated story about spiders to share with others
Making a "recycled" spider
Creating a "scratch and sniff" spider web

You will be assigned to groups of three or four students.
1. Go to the Rochedale State School site.  Go to the Interesting Facts page and read about spiders. Discuss some of the interesting things that you discovered.
2. Go to the Other Spiders section of the Rochedale State School site.  Your group picks one spider to click on and read about.  Then your group will make a poster that includes a drawing of the spider, the name of the spider, its habitat, if the spider is poisonous, and any other interesting things that you find.
3. Go to the Spider Stories section of the Rochedale State School site and read some of the selections.
4. Go to the Spider Information section of the Rochedale State School site. Print and fill out the spider information sheet using the site.
5. Visit the Beakman and Jax site and complete the first science experiment to learn more about how spiders don't get caught in their own webs.

1. Play the spider memory game.
2. Print the spider count sheet and complete it following the directions on the page.
3. Finish, color, and print out the spider using the Paint program.
4. Take school glue, powdered Jell-O, and a sheet of construction paper.  Make a spider web on the construction paper using the glue.  Then sprinkle with the powdered Jell-O.  Wait until it dries.  Now you have a "scratch and sniff" spider web!
5. Follow this recipe to make a yummy spider snack.  Take an oreo cookie and twist it apart.  Take four pieces of licorice and break in half.  Put four pieces of  licorice on each side of the creamy part of the cookie so that they stick out like legs.  Put the cookie back together and eat your creation!
6. After reading or listening to The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle, think of how the story would be different if you changed the setting to the zoo instead of the farm.  Which animals would be different?  How would their sounds and responses change?  Using the word processing section of  MSWorks, write a few sentences using a zoo animal instead of a farm animal.  The sentence should be in this format and you can fill in the blanks:  "_______, ________," said the __________.  "Will you come and __________ with me?"  "No, no," said the spider.  "I must finish my web."  After writing your sentences, save your document to the desktop using your own name.  Then go into the Paint program and create an illustration to go along with your sentences.  The picture should include the animal you chose.  Save the picture the same way you did the sentences.  Your teacher will help you put the picture on the same page as your sentences.  Print out your finished page.  It will be used to create a class book!

Resources
Spider Science Experiments
Spider Information Worksheet
Rochedale State School Spider Web Site
Spider Memory
Spider Books
Spiders Count Worksheet
Spider Art Template
 
 
  

Evaluation
You will be evaluated using the following rubric.
 
 
 
 

Conclusion

After sharing your projects, your class will go outdoors with an extra large trash bag and two smaller ones.  Collect trash around the school to put in the bags (wear rubber gloves to keep germs off).  After the bags are full, tie a knot in the ends.  Take the trash back to the room.  Put the three bags together to form the body of a spider.  Take other material, like newspaper strips or other trash bags, and make eight legs to attach to the bags.  Then paint eyes and other decoration onto the bags to resemble a spider.  Display your "recycled" spider along with your projects a special place in the school. 

Credits & References

This Webquest was created during an Iredell-Statesville School's summer workshop.  The following sites and information were used to develop this webquest.
Information Links
http://beakman.com/spider/spider.html
http://www.powerup.com.au/~glen/spider.htm
http://senckenberg.uni-frankfurt.de/games/mem1/mem1e.htm
http://www.naturalpartners.org/InsectZoo/Bibliography/spiderBooks.html
http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/
http://www.miamisci.org/avocado/projects/spiders/hotlist.html

Graphics Links
http://www.animation.arthouse.org/spider.html
http://www.need2know.co.uk/clipart/clipart/buttons1/buttons1.htm
http://www.clipartconnection.com
Books
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle