Lessons, Activities, Books, Movies & other Resources
Field Safety and How to Lead an Expedition
Lessons (for classroom use)
Activities (for outreach or informal educational use)
- Writing Spider (aka Black and Yellow Garden Spider) Coloring Sheet (high resolution pdf, so download takes a bit of time)
- Eight-Legged Encounters - Hebets Lab
Books
Childrens' (3 to 18, PreK to 12th)
Type - F (fiction), NF (non-fiction)
Age/Grade Bands - PreK (0 to 4 years), EE (K to 2nd, 5 to 7), UE (3rd to 4th, 8 to 10), MS (5th to 7th, 11 to 13), J/HS (8th to 12th, 14 to 18)
- The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle - F, PreK, poetical introduction to the role of spiders
- Be Nice to Spiders by Margaret Bloy Graham - F, PreK to EE, how spiders help the animals at the zoo by keeping flies down
- National Geographic Readers: Spiders by Laura Marsh - NF, EE to MS
- Are you a Spider (Backyard Books) by Tudor Humphries - F, EE, biology of spiders
- Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - F, UE to J/HS, classic in children's literature, fantastic elements (talking animals), coming of age, adult themes (death of Charlotte, the spider, sacrifice for others) but an affirming ending.
- Children's Guide to Insects and Spiders by Jinny Johnson - NF, PreK (the pictures) to MS
- Lynx Tracks: Jumping Spiders (Lynx Tracks Series Book 1) by Joseph Robertia and Lynx Robertia - NF, EE to MS. The Lynx Tracks series aims to inform young readers about species which are easily overlooked, underappreciated, or misunderstood.
- Spi-ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs by Leslie Bulion (Author), Robert Meganck (Illustrator) - UE to MS. Meet spiders that spit silk, roll like wheels, scuba dive, hide under trap doors, strum tunes, and so much more.
Youth to Adult (13 and up, 8th and up)
- Spiders and their Kin (Golden Guide) by Herbert W. Levi, Lorna R. Levi, Nicholas Strevolasky (ill.) - NF, handy, pocket-sized guide to spiders with brief descriptions of biology, behavior and ecology.
- Common Spiders of North America by Richard Bradley (Author) and Steve Buchanan (Illustrator) - Be sure and use the AAS member discount code (30% off!) you should have received in an email. http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520274884
Movies and Videos
- Charlotte's Web - based on the book by E.B. White, Dakota Fanning, Charlotte voiced by Julia Roberts
- Arachnid Diversity: Spiders and Their Kin
- Animal Architects: Structures That Shelter, House, and Feed Animals
- Arthropod Predators: Nature's Defenders