Dear Parent’s:
As you know, we are studying Spiders in class and reading the book, Charlotte’s Web. Here are a few
facts that Charlotte has shared with us:
Charlotte's description of the life of a spider is pretty accurate, except that they don't talk or
spell. Most spiders live only one season and reproduce by spinning egg sacs. Spiders with
webs catch their prey in the web, inject a venom that starts the digestion process and then
drink the digested juice within the animal's body. (Spiders don't really drink blood. The
prey's body is predigested by the poison the spider injects making the inside of the prey a
kind of soup. The spiders drink the soup.) Young spiders disperse by sending out strands of
silk, called balloons, and riding the air currents to a new home.
Spiders have four pairs of legs, eight in all. Their bodies have two major parts, a head
region and an abdomen. These are joined by a narrow waist. At the end of their abdomen,
spiders have small fingerlike spinnerets which produce silk. Spiders have a pair of jaw-like
structures as part of their head which end in hollow fangs for injecting venom into their
prey. For almost all spiders, these fangs are not strong enough to pierce human skin,
however, their jaws can still bite people and spider bites can result in bad infections. Young
spiders (spiderlings) look just like the adults, only they are smaller and they may have a
different color.
Spiders have an important place in most ecosystems. If spiders didn't exist, insects like
mosquitoes and flies would soon get out of control. People would have to use many more
chemicals to control insects.
This movie illustrates all of these facts in the setting of a fiction story. Charlotte teaches the
children about the importance of friendship, selfless behavior, and grieving. The book also
discusses with the children about how to care for animals and the environment and the
important place of all life.
The children are very excited to learn different facts about Spiders. At the end of the Spider
unit, I would like to show the children the Rated G version of Charlotte’s Web. By showing
the children, the children can visually see what we are reading! We will also be comparing
and contrasting the book vs the movie. If you would like for your child to be able to
participate in the watching of the movie please sign below! If you do not feel comfortable
with your child watching the movie, your child will be in another teacher’s room doing
activities that deal with spiders!
__________ I grant my child, _____________________ to be able to watch Charlotte’s
Web.
__________At this time, I do not want my child, __________________to watch Charlotte’s
web.
Thank you,
Mrs. Giacobbe and Mrs. Jackum