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CURIOUS CRAWLERS

Fascinating Spiders
Children will compare spiders and insects.

Lesson Objective
Children will identify the differences between spiders and insects.
(Science) Science
What You'll Need
- Close-up pictures of insects (see Lesson Tips)
- Close-up pictures of spiders (see Lesson Tips)
- Magnifying glasses – 1 per child
What To Do
- Review background information about insects (see Did You Know?).
- Tell children that they will be comparing spiders and insects.
- Distribute magnifying glasses and the pictures of the spiders and insects.
- Tell children to examine the pictures closely, and ask them about the differences (see Guiding Student Inquiry).
- Explain to children that both insects and spiders are animals known as arthropods (see Did You Know?).
- Explain that arthropods can be divided into three smaller groups; insects, crustaceans, and arachnids. Spiders belong to the group called arachnids (see Did You Know?).
Resources
Home School Resources
Home educators: use these printable lesson PDFs to teach this lesson to your home schoolers. They're available in English and Spanish.
Content Provided By
Common Core State Standards Initiative – These lessons are aligned with the Common Core State Standards ("CCSS"). The CCSS provide a consistent, clear understanding of the concepts and skills children are expected to learn and guide teachers to provide their students with opportunities to gain these important skills and foundational knowledge [1]. (External) Visit the CCSS