Spider Web Lesson Plan
Name:
Subject: Science
Date:
Grade: grade one
Content: (Topic)
spider webs (habitats)
Teaching Strategy:
questioning
student-involved demonstrations
Learning Objectives/Outcomes:
to understand how and why webs
are built
Assessment:
I will ask a series of questions
to understand students’ knowledge
Adaptive Dimension:
Common Essential Learnings (CEL’s):
 Communication
students will learn terminology about spider webs and this will
improve their language abilities
Prerequisite Learning:
none required
Lesson Preparation: Equipment/materials
book: Anansi Goes Fishing by Eric A. Kimmel
yarn
fact sheet & pictures
paper for the craft
Advanced preparation:
Presentation:
Set (5-8 min)
Classroom Management
Strategies
read the book Anansi Goes Fishing by Eric A.
Kimmel. It is a West African trickster tale about
the origin of spider webs
Ask for predictions of what the book is
about
Read the book
Discuss the book-what liked? What
noticed?
Development (15-20 min)
Show students the pictures and tell them the
facts on the fact sheet
Make a class spider web
Split into two groups (approx. 8
students each)
Each group gets into a circle
One child starts with the yarn ball.
Pass the ball around the circle. Remind
students to keep a hold on the yarn as
they pass the ball to the next person
Once the yarn has been passed to each
student and a circle has been made,
students pass the yarn to another
student on the other side of the circle
Say student’s name so know yarn
ball is coming their way
Keep passing the yarn until you have a
complete spider’s web (teacher decides
when done)
Set web carefully on the ground being sure to
keep holding onto the yarn. Take a picture of
your class web
Compare your web with the pictures of the real
webs. Discuss findings
Closure (15 min)
Student will take part in an art activity were
they will create a spider’s web on paper. Using
crayons or markers, students will draw a spider’s
web
Students will draw a picture of prey they
caught on their web
Extensions:
Do the activity again and see what your new spider’s web looks like.
Compare the two.
The art activity could be done with yarn and glue.
Facts Sheet
 A spider’s web is also known as a cobweb. This comes from the
old-fashioned word coppe, meaning “spider” and is sometimes in
connection with the idea of a dusty, abandoned web. (Wikipedia,
2009a)
 Spider’s webs are built out of a proteinaceous spider silk. This
silk is extruded from a spider’s spinnerets. (Wikipedia, 2009a)
 A spinneret is a spider’s silk spinning organ. It is located on the
underside of a spider’s abdomen, to the rear. Spider’s can have
anywhere from one to six spinnerets but the majority have six.
(Wikipedia, 2009b)
 Webs are built for many reasons. Some are built for catching
prey. Others are used to make spider’s homes and to protect their
eggs. (The Earth-Life Web, 2009)
 Only about half of the worlds spiders spin webs to catch prey.
The rest are hunters who either stalk their prey or lay in ambush
waiting for their prey to come along. (The Earth-Life Web, 2009)
 Not all spiders build webs. (Wikipedia, 2009a)
 Because spider silk requires so much protein, spinning a web is
an extremely costly process. After a time, webs lose their stickiness
so spiders will eat their own webs daily to regain some of the energy
lost and then will rebuild a new web. (Wikipedia, 2009a)
 The strength of tension in spider silk is greater than the same weight of
steel. The silk also has more elasticity. Scientists are looking at how it is
made up for possible application in industry, including bullet-proof vests.
(Wikipedia, 2009a)
References:
The Earth-Life Web. (2009). Introduction. Retrieved November 2, 2009 from
http://www.earthlife.net/chelicerata/araneae.html
Wikipedia. (2009a) Spider web. Retrieved November 2, 2009 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spider_web&oldid=323309897
Wikipedia. (2009b). Spinneret (spider). Retrieved November 2, 2009 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spinneret_(spider)&oldid=316376
s144
SPINNERETS
SPIRAL ORB WEB
FUNNELED SPIDER NET
COBWEB/TANGLE WEB
TUBULAR WEB-run up base of tree or along ground
SHEET WEB
DOME or TENT WEB