Teacher: Lisa Eliuk Lesson Title: A Spider Inquiry Grade: Kindergarten

Curricular Connections
Big Ideas Essential Questions
What will students remember long after the unit is over? (enduring understandings) What driving questions will frame the learning? (open-ended; connected to Big Ideas)
What will students learn and discover about spiders? What are spiders? Are they insects?
Plants and animals have observable features. Are spiders helpful and if so how?
Why are people afraid of spiders?
Understand

How do spiders walk on their webs?

Where in the world do spiders live?
What happens to spiders in the winter?
Are spiders poisonous?
(Record students’ thoughts, ideas and answers.)

Core Competencies
Which core competency or competencies will be focused on in this unit?
Communication Creative Thinking Critical Thinking Positive Personal and Cultural Identity Personal Awareness and Responsibility Social Responsibility

Curricular Competencies
Which process skills will students be applying in order to learn the content? List only those that will be assessed.
Do

Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world.

Experience and interpret the local environment.
Discuss observations.
Generate and introduce new or refined ideas when problem solving.
Share observations and ideas orally.

Content
What knowledge will students learn and be assessed on?
Basic needs of plants and animals.
adaptations: may include structural features or behaviours that allow organisms to survive
plants: features may include roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds
animals: features may include shape, size, feet, teeth, body covering, eyes, ears
Local First Peoples uses of plants and animals.
Spiders play important roles in the mythology of many Native American tribes. In Southwestern tribes, spiders are associated
with the culturally important art of weaving, and wise spider goddesses give their assistance to the people as culture heroes.
On the other hand, many Plains tribes feature Spider as a rough trickster god. To the Osage, spiders were a special symbol of
patience and endurance. To the Blackfoot, they represented intelligence and skillfulness. The Ojibwe associated spider webs
Know

with their dream catchers, a type of traditional hand-woven Ojibwe craft meant to filter out bad dreams, which has become
popular among many different tribes today. And to many Native Americans, it still is considered bad luck to kill a spider
today.
Spiders are also used as clan animals in some Native American cultures.
Adaptations of local plants and animals.
This would be an opportunity for a role model to come in and talk with students regarding spiders and what they
mean to them. It would also provide an opportunity to learn weaving. This would be a good time to include older
students with the Kindergarten students to support and provide an example.

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Teacher: Lisa Eliuk Lesson Title: A Spider Inquiry Grade: Kindergarten

Assessment
Formative
How will information be gathered about what students already know (i.e., pre-assessment/accessing prior knowledge)? What strategies will be used to evaluate student learning
and adjust teaching? Where will students have the opportunity to share their understanding in order to receive feedback, revise and improve?
FOR Learning

Assessment
Ask each child to count the legs on a spider (one to one correspondence)
Ask children what new info they've learned. Record answers.
Notes will be taken on assignment performance and recorded. Pictures will be taken of assignments and recorded.
Drawings and projects will be recorded.

Reflective
What opportunities will there be for students to reflect on their thinking and feelings as part of their learning? (e.g., self/peer evaluations, partner talk, goal setting, journaling,
etc.)

Paper, clipboard, pencils

Peer evaluations
AS Learning

Group Discussion
Circle time Discussion.
Use inquiry based-feedback. Do not allow a simple express like or dislike. Express feedback in a way that is more
descriptive. For example, “I noticed that __________”, “Why did you ___________”.
Encourage students to use the same type of feedback in class discussion.
Journaling: Using pictures or writing, even art, songs or poems can be used to express what has been learned.
Pictello: Used to reflect information. We cannot use this program now.
This would be an opportunity to have group of multi-grade students work together with the Kindergarten class, both learning
at their own levels, with peer support.

Summative
How will students demonstrate their understanding of the curricular connections listed above (e.g., performance task, project, portfolio, test, etc.)? How will the assessment
criteria be communicated to or created with students?

I can count to 8.
I can remember facts.
I can draw and label a spider.
OF Learning

I can measure a spider.

I can build a 3-D spider with loose and natural materials, or make one out of clay.
I can research spiders the library, books, and the natural environment.
I can ask questions to find information.

Spark curiosity and wonder around spiders before starting the lesson. Set up a play provocation with
spider toys, pictures of spiders and even books about spiders. Use loose parts that students can use with
the spider toys to play, create stories or build webs or habitats. Observe the students as they play. Make
note of any questions you see arising as the students play.

Planning Essentials: Ask children what they know about spiders. What are some questions the students have? Ask: “What
 Extensions and would you like to learn about spiders?” “How do you think we can learn the answers to our questions?”
adaptations You can prompt them with photos or drawings. Record responses.
 Aligns with
assessment English Language Arts:
 Timelines Read “The Very Busy Spider” by Eric Carle and discuss characters and setting.

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Teacher: Lisa Eliuk Lesson Title: A Spider Inquiry Grade: Kindergarten

Use a T-chart to compare spiders and bugs. Provide students with small toys of spiders and bugs. Ask:
What differences do you see between the spiders and the bugs?
Use books to research a list of things spiders like to eat. Create a collage pf items that spiders like to eat.
Create vocab cards with pictures and words. An extension would be to add the definition.
Learning Create a spider’s vocab word wall.
Opportunities: Sing the “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” poem and draw a picture of what the poem means to the students.
 Cross-curricular Play movement game that has the students move like spiders.
connections Learn a spider dance.
 Aboriginal
perspectives New vocabulary:
 Inquiry Arachnid, silk, arachnophobia, cephalothorax, abdomen, egg sac, fangs, molt, spider ling, spinnerets,
 Technology venom, web
 Place-based,
community A baby spider is called a spider ling.
learning Spiders have short hairs on their feet that allow them to walk upside down on ceilings and over glass.
 Sustainability and Most spiders only live for 1-2 years.
environmental Write out a list of spiders and bugs. Have children circle the spiders. To modify, add some pictures with
awareness clearly shown legs. (I.e. a ladybug and a tarantula.)
Arachnophobia is a fear of spiders (Ask students to count how many letters in Arachnophobia. Ask
 Visual literacy
students of they are scared of spiders. If not ask them what are some other things that scare them.
Do you like spiders? (Have children write their names under yes or no)

Music:
Learn the song, The Itsy, Bitsy, Spider and sing it. Students could also do a performance of this song with
Other
singing, dancing, musical instruments, and dress-up.
Considerations:
 Differentiated
Mathematics:
learning
How many legs does a spider have?
 Student grouping
Create an image of a spider’s web; add spider game pieces, a dice and tweezers. Ex. Roll 5 and put 5
 Student voice and spiders on the web.
choice Create a chart with answers to “Are you afraid of spiders? Count each side. Discuss more and less.
 Anxiety Practice making the number 8 in play dough or sand.
Draw a spider and label each leg with a number.

P.E.:
Spiders and Flies Tag Game

Provocations:
Place clay, pipe cleaners, small beads or eyes and toy spiders for close observation and creating.
Charcoal pencils and paper to sketch spiders. Print real images of spiders which are various colors and
sizes for children to observe.
Creating spider snacks and baking.
Draw or build a space where spiders live. Where do spiders live in the winter?
Students may create a natural home of where spiders live outdoors. Students may have a spider and home
set up outdoors or indoors in their class so that they can observe it.
Students can use art materials to create or draw spiders, such as art pencils, painting, or beading.

Investigations:
Take a close look at a spider. What do you notice? Record student comments. Have students record their
observations in a way they are comfortable with (labeling pictures, words or drawing).
How are spiders able to walk on their web without sticking? Record predictions. Next, have students
place a finger in cooking oil and walk them across sticky tape to show how spider can do it.

Outdoor Experiences:
Go outside on a spider scavenger hunt. Look for spider homes.
How could you measure a spider web? Use more natural items to measure with such as string, yarn, how
many leaves, etc.

Draw and label a spider.

Have the class create a spider using the art tools they choose. Allow them to create their spider anyway
they choose. It could be a real spider one that they have seen or have looked up, or they could invent their

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Teacher: Lisa Eliuk Lesson Title: A Spider Inquiry Grade: Kindergarten

own spider. If they create their own make sure they have included all the necessary aspects to make it a
spider (8 legs, hairy legs etc.).
Look for pictures in magazines, print off pictures from the internet or take pictures outside and create a
collage.
Go on a nature hunt to find spider homes and draw what you find. (watch video if it’s not possible to go
outside) We cannot do now.
Where do spiders live in the winter? Do they hibernate?
Draw 5 things spiders like to eat.
Draw how big a goliath tarantula is. (It’s 30 cm long. Using a ruler, what non-standard units could you
use to measure 30 cm. (I.e. crayons) Draw the comparison.
Draw a zoomed in spider leg. Look closely at a spider leg on Google or a microscope. We would not be
able to do this now.
Research spiders on goggle or Brain Pop for information regarding tropical poisonous spiders. We would
not be able to do this now.

Is their venom dangerous to animals and humans? We would research books from the library and use
them for information gathering.

Resources

Spiders by Laura K Murray Seedling Books

The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
Miss Spider’s ABC by David Kirk
Spiders by Gail Gibbons
National Geographic Readers: Spiders by Laura Marsh
Non-fiction books on Spiders

Art supplies mentioned above.

Baking supplies for spider snacks and cookies.
Going outdoors, being in nature, viewing spiders in their natural habitats, and using loose parts in nature.
Musical instruments
Dress-up clothes

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