Spider Unit - African Kente Cloth Legend

One of the things I'm excited about with this spider unit is that it  provides lots of opportunities to pull in folk tales from different regions.  Thus, we will get to do a lot of cross-curricular activities - in this case, language arts and art.

Lesson:  African Kente Cloth Spider Legend

Objective:  Child will identify what a folk tale is, and become familiar with the Ghana legend of Kente cloth.

Materials:  The Spider Weaver, by Margaret Musgrove.  1 sheet construction paper.  Plate.  Fork or other mixing utensil.  Elmer's glue.  Water.  Different colors of yarn.  Scissors.

Process:

1.  Discuss with child what a folk tale is.  Say, "Although you didn't know it, you already know some folk tales!  There's one about three bears, and a little girl with curly blond hair, who eats porridge and breaks a chair and sleeps in a bed ... what folk tale is that?"  Discuss several other familiar folk tales, such as Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood.  Then say, "Other cultures around the world have folk tales, as well, and today we'll be reading a folk tale from Africa."  Read, The Spider Weaver.

2.  Give child a piece of construction paper (black works best).  On the plate, mix equal parts glue and water.  Cut the yarn into strips.  Instruct child that she is going to make a web like the spider in the book.  Have her dip a piece of yarn in the glue mixture, then place it on the construction paper.

3.  Continue the process with more yarn.  Child can use scissors to cut the yarn into smaller pieces if she wishes.  Leave the book open so the child can refer to the picture of the web for inspiration!

4.  Even the little guy got in on the action!  I dipped the yarn for him, and he placed it on the paper.  

5.  We even made a "B", which is his letter of the week!

The kids REALLY enjoyed this activity.  Messy, but fun!

Spider Unit - Spider Facts Flip Book

Two of the mainstays I stuck with while teaching public school were:  1) If you can, no matter the subject, share a book, and, 2) If you can, no matter the subject, have students demonstrate their knowledge by making a book.  This way, no matter if you are in science, social studies or math, you are integrating both reading and language arts.  One of my favorite ways for students to publish their knowledge (especially in nonfiction areas of study), was a flip book.  Flip books can be as simple or complex as you need them to be. They can be used for sequential information (life cycles, how to's, relating the scientific process), and for lists of facts, as we did here.

Lesson:  Spider Facts Flip Book

Objective:  Child will be able to identify the number of body parts, legs and eyes a spider typically has.

Materials:  2 sheets of construction paper.  1 sheet lined writing paper.  Pencil  and crayons.  Scissors.  Stapler.

Process:

*Note:  At this point, I had already spent a while reading several nonfiction books about spiders with Sophie.  We looked at different pictures of spiders, and identified the 2 body parts, 8 legs and 8 eyes over and over again, until she was secure in this knowledge.  Then, the next day, we reviewed the books and information, then proceeded to create the flip book.  We kept one of the books open while we completed the activity, to reference when we needed to.

1.  First, make the flip book.  Offset one piece of construction paper about 2 inches from the other.  Fold both pieces, creating four flaps (see picture below), and staple twice along the top to keep the papers together.

2.  Set the flip book aside.  On a piece of writing paper, have child write the facts about spiders she learned from the books.  In this case, we talked about spiders having two body parts.  Then I wrote 'Two body parts' on a separate sheet of paper, and she copied onto her own paper.  I wanted her to practice her handwriting, which is why I didn't just write it for her.

3.  Child cuts out each fact she wrote on the paper.  I drew a dotted line so she would know where to cut.

4.  Child glues one fact on each flap of the construction paper flip book.

5.  Child illustrates each page.  Be sure you point out that in books, the pictures always match the words.

6.  The finished product!  Don't forget to write your title on the top flap.

KWL Chart - Spiders

We finished the map unit before going on vacation, so I've been looking for inspiration about what to do next for Sophie's school.  She had a conversation with a little friend a week ago about tarantulas, and ever since then, has been fascinated with them.  So, I thought, since we did insects last year, I could piggy back on her interest in tarantulas and do a little unit on spiders.  Which is kind of funny, because my friend Stephanie is doing spiders with her daughter right now, too.  What's up with little princesses who are fascinated with bugs??!


A great way to start any unit is by using a KWL chart.  The 'K' stands for 'What I want to Know', the 'W' stands for 'What I Want to know', and the 'L' stands for 'What I Learned'.  This simple activity is great for accessing prior knowledge, and establishing a base upon which to build new information and concepts.  It also gets the child to start asking questions about the topic, and gets those brain juices flowing!  I put a little twist on the KWL chart by turning it into a flip book, because I thought it would be more fun for Sophie than just a basic, 3-column chart.


Lesson:  KWL Chart - Spiders

Objective:  Child will list what she already knows about spiders, and will formulate some questions about them.

Materials:  2 pieces of construction paper.  1 piece of white printer paper.  Glue.  Writing utensil.   Scissors.

Process:  

1.  Instruct child to glue the white paper to one of the pieces of construction paper.  Set aside.

2.  Draw two lines down the other piece of construction paper, leaving off about 1 inch from the end, thus dividing the paper into three columns.  Instruct child to cut on the lines.  Make sure she doesn't cut through, but stops about an inch from the end.

3.  Have child glue the uncut strip over the white paper, then fold up the three flaps.  Draw lines on the white paper, delineating three columns.

4.  Fold the flaps back down, and write, 'SPIDERS' along the uppermost, glued strip of construction paper.  Write, "What I know" on the first flap, "What I want to know" on the second flap, and "What I learned" on the third flap.

5.  Now comes the fun part!  Lift up the 'What I know' flap.  Ask child what she already knows about spiders.  Write down what she says in this column even if you know it's wrong.  This is about her accessing her own prior knowledge.  As she begins to learn about spiders, you will have the opportunity to correct her misconceptions.  If she is having trouble coming up with things she knows, ask leading questions:  "Do you know any kinds of spiders?"  "Do you know where spiders live?"   Older children can fill out this space on their own, instead of you writing it for them.

6.  Now lift up the 'What I want to know' flap.  Ask child what she wonders about spiders.  What does she want to know about them?  What are some things she is interested in learning about spiders?  Your child may have more trouble with this one, but it's a great way to get her to start thinking about the topic.  Leading questions are also helpful here:  "Do you know what spiders eat?  How would you say that using a question?"  Point out that everything in this column has a question mark at the end, because they are all questions.

7.  Go over your chart one more time, reading each column to your child.  Then put it away, to be pulled out at the end of the unit when you will fill out the last column.  As the teacher, keep in mind the questions your child asked, so that you can be sure to address them as you study together.