Spiders Mini Unit

Hook: Magnification of a real spider and turning extra classroom into spider theme

Task: Learning about spiders

Learning through Play (Table Toys and Centres)

● Spider Web Weaving Fine Motor

○ Paper plates hole punched around the edge and string
○ Teach students how to weave properly
● Spider Web with Velcro Fine Motor
○ Extension of the weaving fine motor centre
○ Students will have to remove “bugs” stuck on the webs with velcro using
tweezers
● Light Table Spider Web Exploration Centre
○ String and webs copied onto transparency paper for student to explore trying to
make their own web on the light table
○ Plastic spiders, wooden discs and leaves to make an environment for the
students to explore on the light table
● Sand Table Exploration
○ Add small plastic spiders into sand table
● Frozen Spider Experiment - Elisa and Devon
○ Mix baking soda and water into a paste that can be frozen in an ice cube tray
○ Hide spiders inside each cube
○ Students will use an eyedropper with vinegar to dissolve the baking soda cubes
to find the hidden spider
● Playdough spiders - Elisa and Devon
○ Students will be provided with playdough, googly eyes, pipe cleaners and other
materials to create their own spiders
● Spider Slime - Elisa and Devon
○ Using cornstarch and water create a slime filled with plastic spiders for the
students to play with and explore
● Dice Games - Elisa and Devon
○ Creation of various worksheets with multiple copies of a web, underneath each
web is either an empty box, a number or a visual of a number from a die
○ Students will use beans to take the place of “bugs”
○ Rolling a dice students will place the correct number of “bugs” onto the web and
either match it to the die worksheet, fill in the number on the empty box or match
it to the number
● Coloring sheets
○ Students will be provided with pencil crayons and coloring sheets of spiders to
enjoy coloring
● Silly Spider Creation - Elisa and Devon
○ Using black laminated cardstock spider bodies will be created
○ Students will be provided with cut up pipe cleaners, eyes and dice
○ Students will roll the die to determine how many eyes or legs the spider will have
and create silly spiders
 ● Spider Labels
○ Worksheets from the spider body parts lesson will be laminated along with the
labels so students can practice labelling during center time

Sub-task 1: KWL Discussion

Learning intention: I can tell you what I already know, how I feel, and what I want to learn about
spiders.

Curriculum Outcomes:
English Language Arts
1.1 Discover and Explore
Express ideas and develop understanding
● share personal experiences prompted by oral, print and other media texts
● talk about ideas, experiences and familiar events
1.2 Clarify and Extend
Consider the ideas of others
● listen to experiences and feelings shared by others

Description/Activities:
Day 1 - Monday, November 20
● Show students the magnified image of a real spider – have them discuss what they think
it is in pairs then share with class
● Have a class discussion describing the spider and discussing feelings and wonderings
● Tour little classroom decorated in a spider theme – What will we learn about next?
● Back in front of SMART board we will have a KWL conversation about spiders
○ What do you know about spiders?

Day 2 - Tuesday, November 21

● Watch Magic School Bus on spiders
● Draw one thing they know about spiders in their journals
● Share journals
● Add to KWL chart
○ What do you want to learn about spiders?

Day 3 - Friday, December 8

● Classroom discussion about what they learned during the spider unit
● Think pair share
● Students use their journals to draw one thing they learned
● Share journals
● Add to KWL chart
○ What did you learn about spiders

Differentiation:
● Using both images, video, and discussion to describe the spider and get students
interested in the topic
 ● Include students who have difficulties developing ideas or who struggle with listening
into conversations.

Assessment: Formative assessment through observation and anecdotal notes during KWL
discussion and student journal work.

Reflection:

Sub-task 2: Parts of the Body

Learning Intention: I can tell you what the parts of the spider using the new vocabulary
words.

Learning Outcomes:

English Language Arts

4.1 Enhance and Improve
Expand knowledge of language
● explore and experiment with new words and terms associated with topics of interest

Resources:
● Spiders book,
● Large spider visual with labels
● “Parts of the Body” worksheet
● Pencils, scissors, glue, and journals

Description/Activities:

Day 1 - Thursday, November 22

● Read Spiders by Carolyn Otto
● Using a large spider visual, students will be taught six differents parts of a spider (i.e.,
eyes, abdomen, thorax, legs, fangs, and spinnerets)
○ As each word is introduced, students will repeat the new vocabulary words
● After adding the names of the parts to the spider visual the teacher will remove the
labels and play a quick matching game
○ Students will be picked using popsicle stick method to place one of the six labels
on the spider
● Students will then complete their own “Parts of the Body” worksheet in journals
○ Students will cut out the labels and glue them onto the spider diagram

Day 2 - Elisa and Devon - Friday, November 23

● Teachers will guide the students in drawing a spider in their journals using directed
drawing method
● Students will then label the drawings using the 6 parts of the spiders they learned the
previous day
 ● Students will have teacher guidance, their worksheets from the previous day and the
spider visual to refer to

Differentiation:
● Students will have a large spider diagram to refer to when completing their work
● Strategic seating during journal work

Assessment: Formative assessment through observation and anecdotal notes during student
journal work.

Reflection:

Sub-task 3: Spider Life Cycle

Learning Intention: I can tell you what the life cycle of a spider is using the correct vocabulary
words.

Learning Outcomes:

English Language Arts

1.2 Clarify and extend
Combine ideas
● connect related ideas and information

Extend understanding
● ask questions to clarify information and ensure understanding

Resources:
● Black Widow spider Book
● Visual journals
● Video about life cycle

Description/Activities:

Day 1 - Tuesday, November 28

● Read Black Widow spider book - Silvana
● Teach lifecycle using video and visuals - Emily
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0VzQ35RVh4&t=141s
○ Pause at every stage to explain
○ Pause and explain molting
● Take kids outside and snack break
 ● Review the lifecycle stages and new vocabulary - Silvana
● Explain how to cut and check their work before gluing onto worksheet - Silvana
● Have students cut and glue stages of life cycle onto worksheet

Differentiation:
● Strategic seating during individual work (e.g., with education assistant or parent
volunteer)
● Using both pictures and words to describe spider life cycle
● Using video, textual and pictorial cues to show spider life cycle
● Large and simple visuals

Assessment: Formative assessment through observation and anecdotal notes during student
individual work.

Reflection:

Sub-task 4: Spiders in Literature

Learning Intention: I can tell you my feelings about Charlotte’s Web and parts of the plot.

Learning Outcomes:

English Language Arts

2.2 Respond to Texts
Experience various texts
● participate in shared listening, reading and viewing experiences, using oral, print and
other media texts from a variety of cultural traditions and genres
3.3 Organize, Record, Evaluate
Record information
● represent and talk about ideas and information; dictate to a scribe

Resources:
● Sequencing pictures
● Visual journals

Description/Activities:

Day 1 - Thursday, November 30

● Field trip to see Charlotte’s Web

Day 2 - Monday, December 4

● Gather in story corner at about 8:45 to review Charlotte’s Web play and have a time for
students to ask questions and share their thoughts
 ● Go outside and have snack
● In table groups talk about:
○ What they liked about going on a field trip on a bus?
○ Who was their favorite character? Why?
○ What they liked the most about the play?
● Using their visual journals have the students draw and scribe what they enjoyed about
the experience.
● Read spider web book
● Lunch
● Centers
● Read Grandmother’s Dreamcatcher - compare how spiders are portrayed in this book
and how Charlotte was portrayed

Day 2 - Tuesday, December 5

● Gather in story corner at about 8:45 to review plot using visuals, laminate and tape to
board (include visuals from life cycle lesson to use for the end of the play if desired)
● Make our own webs with the words some pig, terrific, radiant and humble to model for
students and explain definitions (use these at the part where charlotte helps Wilbur)
○ Some pig - Charlotte was saying Wilbur is special and not just an ordinary pig
○ Terrific - amazing, wonderful, great
○ Radiant - shining brightly, beaming, beautiful, bright, full of light
○ Humble - modest, respectful,
● Go outside at 9:20 and have snack
● Gym/Music
● Lunch
● Split class into 2 groups for centers (add puppet center with the visuals) and art, color
with chalk, draw web with white crayon or pencil crayon then switch classes
● Read Eric Carle book
● Photo of the day?

Day 3 - Wednesday, December 6

● Review plot by selecting stages for a few students and the class can help place them
physically in the correct order
● Outside and snack
● Worksheet for sequencing they can cut and glue in linear fashion
We could use something like this story train, creating our own train that’s a little longer
and students would cut and glue onto train (Scholastic)
● Lunch
● Split class in half to model how to say something nice about their partner using a ball of
wool
○ Use the phrase: “Thank you [student name] for...”
● Other half of class can do centers

Day 4 - Thursday, December 7

● Assign students partners to draw “something nice”
● After tabletoys use index cards to draw and scribe picture of something nice about their
partner
 ● Gym/ [Very Busy Spider Art]
● Add those index cards to their spider webs to display in the spider classroom
● Very Busy Spider Art

Differentiation:

● Visuals as well as spoken and written word to help students understand in different ways
● Use of puppets and movement to understand plot in an engaging way
● When students are working on journals they will have intentional seating or opportunities
to receive one-on-one support from teacher or EA

Assessment: Formative assessment through observation and anecdotal notes during student
journal work.

Reflection: