Spiders
Pre-Visit Activities
The activities in your pre-visit packet have been designed to help you and your students prepare for
your upcoming Spiders program here at the St. Joseph County Parks. The information and activities
included in this packet have been designed to introduce your students to the characteristics of
spiders, their lifestyles, and some basic vocabulary.
Make a bar graph!
Before you start your spider unit, ask the students “How many of you are glad there are spiders?”
Have your students complete the first two columns of the bar graph below, documenting the
students’ opinion of spiders. After completing the unit and field trip to St. Joseph County Parks,
repeat the exercise, and have them complete the second two columns in a different color. Compare
the two: Did learning about spiders change the students’ opinions of spiders? How? Do they like
them more or less than before? Why?
READ-ALOUD PAGE
The Spider and the Fly
by Mary Howitt
Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the The Spider turned him round about, and went into his
Fly, den,
'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, again:
And I've a many curious things to show when you are So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
there." And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.
Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain, Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come sing,
down again." "Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and
silver wing;
"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so Your robes are green and purple -- there's a crest upon
high; your head;
Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the Spider to Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are
the Fly. dull as lead!"
"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are
fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "for I've often heard it
said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your
bed!"
Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, "Dear friend what
can I do,
To prove the warm affection I 've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome -- will you please to take
a slice?"
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "kind Sir, that cannot
be,
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to
Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
see!"
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting
by;
"Sweet creature!" said the Spider, "you're witty and
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and
you're wise,
nearer drew,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and
your eyes!
purple hue --
I've a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
Thinking only of her crested head -- poor foolish thing!
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold
At last,
yourself."
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her
"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you 're
fast.
pleased to say,
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal
And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another
den,
day."
Within his little parlour -- but she ne'er came out
again!
And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne'er give
heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the
Fly.
Read About SPIDERS
Spiders are not insects as many people believe. They belong to a class of animals called
arachnids. Spiders have eight eyes, four pairs of segmented legs, and can grow a new leg if they
lose one. They do not have antennae or wings. A spider’s body is divided into two sections. The
sections are the abdomen and the cephalothorax. The legs, eyes, and mouthparts are in the
cephalothorax section. Most spiders have poison glands and fangs in their jaws, which they use
to inject poison into insects. This poison is called venom. Venom can paralyze an insect,
allowing the spider to eat the insect as food.
Spiders can live almost anywhere in the world. Some like very humid or hot
temperatures and some like places that are very dry. Some spiders prefer to live underground
and others live in trees. We have all seen spiders that prefer to live in our houses.
These amazing animals usually have six fingerlike silk glands called spinnerets located
beneath their abdomen. The silk comes from inside the spider’s body as a liquid that is thicker
than water. A spider uses this silk to make a web by squeezing the silk out of two small holes at
the back of its body. At the time the silk hits the air, the silk dries into a line that looks like a
long string of hair. Spiders use this silk to build webs. Some spiders also use silk as draglines to
hang onto as the wind blows the spider through the air. This is called “ballooning.” The spider
can crawl up or down on this dragline if the wind takes it somewhere it doesn’t want to be.
Young spiders and adult male spiders like ballooning and can release long silken threads that
make them float or ride in the wind to new areas.
There are about 30,000 different types of spiders known to scientists. Most of them are
very tiny animals that help us by
eating insects. The next time you
see a spider, inside or outside,
take a few minutes to watch this
most interesting animal.
Tell About Spiders
1. Where are the poison glands located on the spider’s body?
a. cephalothorax
b. eyes
c. jaws
d. none of these
2. Spiders prefer to live in ____________.
a. hot temperatures
b. dry places
c. trees
d. all of these
3. Which of the following is true?
a. Spinnerets are used by the spider to see things.
b. Spiders belong to a class of animals called arachnids.
c. The silk spiders make is thinner than water.
d. Spiders have antennae and wings.
4. How is venom used by the spider?
a. to paralyze insects
b. for ballooning
c. as a dragline
d. none of these
5. Which of the following is NOT true?
a. The legs, eyes, and mouthparts of the spider are located in the abdomen section.
b. Spiders have eight eyes and four pairs of segmented legs.
c. Spiders can live almost anywhere in the world.
d. Most spiders have fangs and poison glands located in their jaws.
6. How do spiders help us?
a. by making webs and draglines
b. by growing new legs
c. by eating insects
d. none of these
7. WRITE TWO SENTENCES ABOUT THE SPIDER.
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Tell About Spiders – Answer Sheet
1. Where are the poison glands located on the spider’s body?
a. cephalothorax
b. eyes
c. jaws
d. none of these
2. Spiders prefer to live in ____________.
a. hot temperatures
b. dry places
c. trees
d. all of these
3. Which of the following is true?
a. Spinnerets are used by the spider to see things.
b. Spiders belong to a class of animals called arachnids.
c. The silk spiders make is thinner than water.
d. Spiders have antennae and wings.
4. How is venom used by the spider?
a. to paralyze insects
b. for ballooning
c. as a dragline
d. none of these
5. Which of the following is NOT true?
a. The legs, eyes, and mouthparts of the spider are located in the abdomen section.
b. Spiders have eight eyes and four pairs of segmented legs.
c. Spiders can live almost anywhere in the world.
d. Most spiders have fangs and poison glands located in their jaws.
6. How do spiders help us?
a. by making webs and draglines
b. by growing new legs
c. by eating insects
d. none of these
ORB WEAVERS!
Have you ever watched an orb weaver build a
web? To weave a web, a spider “squirts” a liquid
thicker than water out of the spinnerets on its
abdomen. As soon as the liquid touches the air
it dries into a silk line!
FIRST, to build an orb web, the spider makes a
frame, like then one you see below. Can you see
how it has spokes coming from the center, kind
of like a bicycle wheel? Once the frame is
finished, the spider weaves its round web onto
the frame.
HELP THIS SPIDER finish its web! Start where
the spider is, and draw the line shape you see on
the left. Don’t draw circles! You will need to
make one continuous line, going round and
round, until you get to the center.
Spider Words!
Across
2. old tangled spider web that has collected
dust and dirt Choose from these words!
5. an animal hunted for food
6. long silk threads that trail behind the Web
spider Spiderlings
7. sac made of silk that holds the spider eggs Cobweb
8. baby spiders Dragline
9. a fine threadlike material spun by a spider Prey
Spinnerets
Down Egg sac
1. the class of animal that includes spiders Arachnid
3. part of spider that makes silk Silk
4. pieces of silk put together by a spider
Here come the Spiderlings!
Which picture goes first? Second? Third? Fourth? Write what is shown in each picture
and add color. Then cut out each square, and staple it into a book or a timeline.
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Make Spider Cookies!
To start, give each child a plastic sandwich bag filled with the
following spider parts: a napkin, 2 chocolate sandwich cookies,
4 pieces of thin red licorice, 2 Chinese noodles, 8 round
“confetti” decoration candies, and 6 shelled sunflower seeds.
Then read these directions aloud:
1. Place the two cookies side by side on your napkin. A spider
has 2 body parts. The front part is called the cephalothorax. The
back is called the abdomen. The cephalothorax is like the head
and chest of the spider. It contains its brain and stomach.
2. Carefully open the cephalothorax and lay each piece of licorice across the middle of the
cookie. Put the top back on the cookie. A spider's legs grow out from the front part of its body.
Your spider should have 4 licorice legs on each side. How many legs do spiders have in all?
Spider legs are covered with tiny hairs. It can smell and feel vibrations with these hairs. Spiders
also have two tiny claws on the end of each leg which help it cling to its web. If a leg is lost, a
spider grows a new one!
3. Many spiders have 8 eyes. Lay your tiny candies on the cephalothorax in two rows with 4 in
each row. Even with all those eyes, most spiders do not have good eyesight. How can a spider
know when an insect is caught in her web? (It feels the vibrations with its legs).
4. In the front of a spider's body are its jaws and fangs. Stick 2 noodles into the filling of the
cookie so they stick out under its eyes. Its jaws are very strong and its fangs sharp and poisonous.
When a spider catches an insect, it uses its fangs in two ways. First, it injects its prey with poison
to paralyze it. Then, because spiders can digest only liquids, it injects the insect with digestive
fluids that turn its insides into bug soup. The spider then sucks up the meal. It leaves the crunchy
outside of the insect for another animal to enjoy.
5. Open your spider's abdomen. This part contains the heart and lungs. In the back of the
abdomen are 6 tiny spinnerets--tubes that release thin threads of silk to make a web or an egg
sack. Place 6 sunflower seeds inside the back part of the spider's body to remind you of the
spinnerets.
IF YOU EVER WANTED TO EAT A SPIDER, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!
