You love to play outdoors.  You love to explore.  You love to discover new things.  What kid doesn't?  Did you know that scientists have discovered over 30,000 different  kinds of spiders?   They think there are many more to be discovered. Your job is to help the number of discovered spiders go up, or increase, even more! 

To do this, you will need to explore the different sites, learning as much as you can about spiders.  You will learn their body parts, the difference between a spider and an insect, and you'll learn about the different webs spiders can build or spin for their homes or habitats.

When you have completed your study, you will create a newly-discovered spider and its web.  You will write a descriptive paragraph about your spider, and share it with your classmates.  They will determine whether your spider passes the arachnid test.  Good luck!

Day 1

What does a spider look like?  How can you tell it's a spider and not an insect?   If you look at the picture of the spider and the picture of the insect, you should be able to see many differences. 

Look at the spider.  Count the legs of the spider.  Did you count 8?  If so, you are correct!   Now count the main body parts.  You should only see 2 parts - the front and back.  The spider's head is in the front part of its body.  It is called the cephalothorax (sef-a-la-THOR-ax).  A spider also has a thin shell with tiny hairs covering its body.  Can you count the number of eyes this spider has?  Most spiders have 8 eyes like this one. Now look on each side of the spider's head in front of its mouth.  Do you see his jaw with claws?  The claws are very important because they help the spider to eat.
 

Now look at the insect.  What is different about the insect from the spider?  An insect only has 6 legs, and it has 3 main body parts -  head, middle, and a back.  Many insects also have wings.  On each side of the insect's head is a feeler called an antenna (an-ten-a). 
 

There are some things that are the same...An insect has a hard
shell and jointed legs, like a spider.

Now click here to see some pictures of spiders and here to see a picture of the spider's anatomy, or its body.

A spider has a special body to help it do its work.  Here are some of the things that make it special:

Eyes:  Most spiders have 8 eyes.  Some only have two or 
        four.  There is even one spider that doesn't have   
        any eyes!  Some spiders can see in all directions, but
        most spiders cannot see very well.  Their eyes are
        used to tell whether it is light or dark outside.

Jaws:  A spider has a jaw on each side of its mouth.  The
        jaws are good for catching and holding food.  The
        mouth is good for sucking up food. 

Legs:  Each of the spider's 8 legs has a tiny claw at the
        end for grabbing and pulling things.  These claws
        also help the spider walk upside down without falling.
        All 8 legs are in the abdomen or the back part of
        the spider. 

Abdomen:  The back part of the spider's body is the
             abdomen.  This is where the spider makes a
             silky liquid.  There are organs called spinnerets
             that spin the liquid into thread for the spider's
             web.  Most spiders have 6 spinnerets.

Hair:  Some of the hairs on a spider's body help the spider
        tell direction.  Some of the hairs help the spider
        smell!

Now it's your turn.  Click here to find a picture of a spider.  You or your teacher can print this out and fill in the blanks.  If you need help, click here. back to process

Day 2

We've learned a lot about spiders already!  Now we will learn about their habitats, or where they live.  

Most spiders live in webs.  The webs are woven in special designs. There are three common types of webs that spiders spin.  They are the orb web, the funnel web, and the tangled web.  Each of these names describes how the web looks.

Orb Web:  Looks like a big round wheel with spokes.

Tangled Web:  A clutter of silken threads, usually strung 
                  across the corner of a ceiling or wall.

Funnel Web:  A round tube that looks very much like a real 
                funnel, usually found among the branches of
                a bush or in the blades of grass.

Click here to see pictures of these webs and to learn a little more about them.

Not all spiders live in webs.  Some spiders are hunting spiders like the trapdoor spider.  This spider lives in an underground tunnel, and its door is lined with silk.  Other hunting spiders live beneath rocks, like the wolf spider.  

Some spiders live in gardens and are able to change colors to blend in with their homes.  They hide until an insect lands on the flower and then they attack.

A dangerous brown recluse spider lives in dead leaves, bark, and stone.  This is one spider that you don't want to touch.  It is poisonous.  It also hides and waits for its prey.

The water spider lives under the water!  It spins a silk nest that looks like a small balloon.  The spider fills the nest with air bubbles and can breathe underwater for several months at a time.  It catches and brings insects inside its bubble nest where it enjoys its dinner. 

Jumping spiders live in warm, tropical areas, and jump on insects to catch them.

You can see that spiders don't just use their webs as homes.  They also use them to help catch insects. You can see why spiders can be found just about everywhere...because they live just about everywhere!

It's your turn now.  Let's create a web.  You can either open the Paint program on your computer and draw a web, or you can click here to make a web with a marble and black construction paper!  After you have created your web, don't forget to name it!  If you drew your web in the Paint Program, don't forget to save it!  back to process

Day 3

Upon closer investigation of your web you created yesterday, you discover a spider.  It's not like any you have ever seen.   You have discovered a new spider, and it's right on your web!  What does your spider look like?  Is it big or small?  Is it hairy or shiny?  What color is it?  How many eyes does it have?  You can either draw your spider picture on your web in the Paint Program that you saved on the computer, OR, you can draw your spider on the web you created on black paper!  If you drew your spider in the Paint Program, print it.  After you have printed it, or when you have completed drawing your spider on the black paper, follow the steps here to add additional features.

Be sure your spider has the right number of legs and body parts to pass the arachnid test!  Do you need to go back and change anything?  back to process

Day 4

Your last assignment is to write a descriptive paragraph about your spider and its habitat.  Be sure to answer the following questions:

1.  How big is your spider?
2.  What color is your spider?
3.  How many eyes does your spider have?
4.  What does its web or habitat look like?
5.  How does it catch its food? 

Did you use complete sentences?  Are your words spelled correctly?  Did you answer all the questions?  Go back and make any corrections that need to be made on your sloppy copy.  If you have time, you can begin writing your clean copy.  back to process

 Day 5

Today you will complete editing and rewriting your descriptive paragraphs.  Your teacher will tell you how you will publish.  After your paragraph is written, check the scoring guide to make sure your project is the best that it can be.  Make any changes that need to be done BEFORE you turn in your project.

When your project is completed, you will be ready to present your new spider to the class.  Happy presenting!  back to process