What is the biggest spider in the world?

What is the biggest spider in the world?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS (1 of 2):

How do you feel about spiders?

DISCUSS (2 of 2):

What's the biggest spider you've ever seen?

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Featured Reviews

“The kids loved it. I have 52 students/day 3rd - 6th graders and only 45 minute blocks with each, so this was perfect science activity for the range of ability and short time to execute. THank you! I thought I wouldn't be able to do any science Fridays this year, but I think I will be able to do some of them! The kids LOVED it - and the spiders double as reasonable kites! :)”
· Susannah · Teacher
“Great fun! The kids loved the climbing spider!”
· · Teacher
“This was SO fun!”
· Stacey · Teacher
“The students loved learning about spiders and the activity was very engaging. ”
· Nancy · Teacher
“High interest for the students, easy to follow directions”
· Leslie · Teacher
“My students were so engaged!”
· Kelley · Teacher
“So much fun and great for a Halloween day activity!”
· Leslie · Teacher
“Kids were working well with partners. Your directions were so clear and easy to follow everyone had fun!”
· Anita · Teacher
“Great and interactive lesson. My students LOVED it!”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“The children had a lot of fun making it and they experimented different ways of making the spider crawl - upside down, sideways, at an incline, going over objects, etc. I let them come up with their own ideas. My kids are English Language Learners and there was a lot of language involved so a win all around. Thanks and keep these wonderful activities coming!”
· Isabel · Teacher
“This was a great lesson, my students love it!”
· Amy · Teacher
“We loved the activity and all the information in this video! It was fantastic and even I learned something!”
· Jessica · Homeschooler
“The kids loved making the STEM activity at the end! ”
· Amber · Teacher
“The embedded visuals and videos were very engaging for students. Also the scaffolding in the drawing instructions made the task much more manageable for even artistically challenged students. The mystery lesson was able to be completed efficiently and matched the estimated time markers in the lesson prep.”
· Kimberly · Teacher
“The kids loved the dancing spider! Everyone was out of their seats copying the peacock spider dance. The students also enjoyed mimicking the behavior of the crab spider snatching its prey.I loved that they practiced doing a detailed drawing to learn about the parts of the spider's body and how each spider is a little different based on its adaptations. Thank you for another wonderful lesson!”
· Lisa · Teacher
“I am legit loving these lessons! They are super fun and engaging, informative and easy peasy for me to set up. I seriously don't know how I've taught science up to this point without Mystery Science. And I am not being the teeniest bit hyperbolic in my praise. If anything I am playing it cool (okay, maybe that is a little hyperbolic) but I really do love it! A lot. (What's the law on marrying online subscriptions?)”
· Mary · Homeschooler
“The students loved using your pics to create accurate drawings of the spider they picked, they loved picking up a few quick facts, and of course they thought it was cool that the spider could actually climb!! As a 4th grade teacher, I was able to reinforce earlier learning about structure and function. Another thing I love is how the kids really learn to listen and follow directions on these activities!!”
· Cynthia · Teacher
“Watching the videos about spiders wowed the kids and got them excited to learn more about spiders!”
· Carmen · Teacher
“My students were really excited to make this easy project of the spider crawling up the web to the fly! The variety of spiders you showed held their attention with lots of positive comments!”
· Kathy · Teacher
“Both my Kindergartener and 2nd grader were amused and able to participate. Mini lessons are perfect for their short attention spans! Fun and easy! ”
· Jeanie · Homeschooler
“Loved the videos and activity. The questions after each video segment encouraged kids to think and reflect about what they know about spiders.”
· Lillian · Teacher
“There are spiders crawling all over my room! They had so much fun. There is a lot going on at our school today and we did it in increments. I love how much spider discussion we have had today. ”
· Susan · Teacher
“My third grade class loved the video mini lesson on spiders and the extension activity. Our spiders were really moving. My studentslook forward to Mystery Doug every week. You are like a member of our class. The students learn a lot and have fun at the same time. Thank you for preparing the videos, and we always love when they have extension activities. Ms. Donahue St. Gregory the Great Catholic School Virginia Beach, VA”
· Deborah · Teacher
“Loved doing this with my kindergarten students! Favorite part was watching their faces when they figured out how to make their spiders move to the fly. ”
· Courtney · Teacher
“team work is always a struggle, but the simple step by step instructions were a huge help!! ”
· Amy · Teacher
“Everyone loved learning about the different spiders, even those who were a bit unsure of spiders were engaged. They loved the craft, we did it with our Big Buddies. Thanks!”
· Kathy · Teacher
“The best part was seeing how happy the kids were. ”
· Cynthia · Teacher
“The kids loved seeing the different spiders and they LOVED making the spiders...so did I. We LOVE Mystery Doug AND Mystery Science.”
· Cheryl · Teacher
“The kids loved being able to choose which spider to do!”
· Jennifer · Homeschooler
“Everything was perfect for my SDC class! It had something for everyone!”
· Yeyra · Teacher
“seeing the kiddos get excited about the videos about the spiders was great! they loved the activity that went with it.”
· Brenna · Teacher
“The information, photos, and activity were fantastic, The kids loved it”
· Kristi · Teacher
“The students loved making the Spider Climber Activity. Lesson provided times to pause and ask discussion questions. Students LOVE mystery science. ”
· Tonya · Teacher
“Very friendly for first grade hands!”
· Kathleen · Teacher
“The kids really enjoyed making their spiders. The step by step instructions made it very easy. Thanks!”
· Susan · Teacher
“Students LOVED it, and were completely engaged!”
· Monica · Teacher
“Kids loved the videos of the spiders. Some even said that they are no longer as fearful of spiders anymore. Love the way Doug does the videos too. Thank you from a class of 30 x ten year olds and their happy teacher :)”
· Sarah · Teacher
“The best part was watching my students delight when they discovered their spiders moved and then told their families what they knew about spiders. Just Awesome!”
· Sarah · Teacher
“Interesting, engaging and fantastic directions as always! My second grade class LOVED it (and their teacher did too)!”
· Julie · Teacher
“Fun way to learn about different types of spiders.”
· Hillary · Homeschooler
“Very high interest for the students. A topic they were glad to investigate and pursue further.”
· Maria · Teacher
“The kids were fascinated with the spiders and the movements!”
· Kris · Teacher
“We all had a really fun time making spiders.”
· Holly · Teacher
“the loved seeing and comparing all of the different types of spiders”
· Sasha · Teacher
“My kids loved making their spiders "crawl"!!!”
· Jessica · Teacher
“My kids enjoyed making the climbing spiders! ”
· Kathleen · Homeschooler
“The kids LOVED it, and I loved the extension activity! Thank you so much!”
· Megan · Teacher
“Students enjoyed this activity a lot. They had to follow directions carefully to make their spider move.”
· Frank · Teacher
“What a fun lesson! ”
· Susan · Teacher
“So much fun. We learned a lot about different spiders.”
· Christi · Teacher
“Watching my first graders work with their 7th grade reading buddies to make the spider crawl”
· Stephanie · Teacher
“Very engaging and fun!!”
· Kristin · Teacher
“My students like designing and racing their spiders.”
· Rachael · Teacher
“The directions were easy to follow and the students loved to see real life spiders. ”
· Lauren · Teacher
“Kids enjoyed the video and discussing the spider topic. The hands on activity was fun. Thanks!”
· Rachel · Teacher
“The best part was the walking spider activity! It was a lot of fun to put together! ”
· Courtney · Teacher
“kids loved making the spiders - and they worked well”
· Amy · Teacher
“the students loved walking their spiders”
· Audrey · Teacher
“The biggest spiders was the best part! My students LOVED when the spider jumped out and ate the other bug!! ”
· Mercedes · Teacher
“The best part about this lesson is that it can be modified from different grade levels. Also, it makes us realize that spiders are not all bad!”
· Susan · Teacher
“The students loved it, and I did, too!!”
· · Teacher
“The variety of spiders illustrated during the video. My fifth grade student were both intrigued and a bit freaked out!”
· · Teacher
“Seeing the spiders in action and learning about all the different sizes of spider that there are in the world.”
· Eleanor · Homeschooler
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this mini-lesson, students explore the huge variety of spiders that exist. Whether one finds spiders creepy or not, it's argued that they can be fascinating. In the activity, Spider Climber, students work together to build a spider out of paper that can climb up a string!
Preview activity
Spider Climber (Grades 3-5) printout 1 per student
Spider Climbers (Grades K-2) printout 1 per student
Crayons
Colored pencils or markers will also work.
Details
3 crayons per student
Rulers
1 ruler per student
Scrap Paper (8.5 x 11")
1 sheet per student
Sticker Labels (1" x 3")
The activity will not work if small stickers are used. Long pieces of tape can work.
Details
4 stickers per student
Yarn
String will also work.
Details
6 feet per student
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students will need a partner to help. Students will need a little bit of space in the classroom to spread out for testing their Spider Climbers.

Prepare Yarn

Cut your yarn so that each student will have a piece that is about 6 feet (2 meters) long.

Separate Supplies for Distribution

You may want to separate your supplies for easier classroom distribution. In addition to their Spider Climber template, each student will need the following supplies:

Spider Climber supplies

Teacher Tips

If a Spider Climber doesn’t run up its string, make sure that the string is not taped to the inside of the template, and also make sure students are holding the ruler and not the string when they are in the “Fly” role. The climber will only work if the string is able to move freely.

Spider Climbers (Grades K-2)

For the younger grades, we have provided three Spider Climber templates, each picturing a different spider (Jumping Spider, Crab Spider, and Orb Spider). In a class, we suggest giving students a choice of which spider they’d like to color. If students finish early, you can have them color in the other spider templates.

Extend this lesson

Discussions

Discussion

  1. What's the biggest spider in the world? Why do you think that?

  2. What did this lesson make you curious about? What other questions do you have about spiders?

Activity

Activity

Some people love spiders. Other people are afraid of them. What animal do you think people are scared of the most? Do an experiment to find out! Ask as many people as you can, “What animal are you most afraid of?” Write down what each person says. What do you notice? Were you surprised by any of the answers? Is there one animal that most people are afraid of?

Download this Lesson to your device so you can play it offline:
Credits
 
Animal Traits Tx Lesson 9: What is the biggest spider in the world?

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