Lesson 101: Habitat for a Tarantula

Introduction

Welcome: Game Plan: Habitats

Description: Lesson 101: Habitat for a Tarantula

Grade Level: 3-5

Curriculum: Science

Keywords: Habitat, Tarantulas, Black Widow Spider

Author(s): Courtney McMurtry

The itsy, bitsy spider went up the waterspout.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.

The itsy, bitsy spider went up the spout again.

Tarantulas are often kept as pets.

What type of habitat would you make for a pet tarantula?

How would you meet its needs?

Task

  • Step 1- Do some investigative research on tarantulas. Use books, websites, anything you'd like. Also be sure to visit the website under Step 1- in the Process page.
  • Step 2- Create a drawing of a cage that you would like to set-up if you had your own pet tarantula. Be sure to label the various parts of the habitat. Put some thought into what you think they need to survive and thrive.
  • Step 3- Research the Black Widow Spider! What kind of habitats does it like? When collecting spiders, what habitats should you avoid? Visit the web link in Step 3- of the Process page.
  • Step 4- Collect a spider from your yard. Set-up a habitat for the spider. Observe it for 3 days. Record your observations in a Spider Journal. The activity "Home Away From Home" is described in full detail in the Process page under Step 4-. Follow the instructions carefully.
  • Step 5- Read about Spiders: Visit the Web link under Step 5- in Process. Also recommended are the following:
  1. The Lady and the Spider, a book by Faith McNulty
  2. The Tarantulas, a book by William R. Sanford and Carl R. Green
  3. The Lives of Spiders, a book by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
  4. A Spider Might, a book by Tom Walther
  • Step 6- Be a Spider Mathematician:
  1. Four Tarantulas were in a yard. Three came to visit. How many tarantulas are there?
  2. Twenty flies walked by a tarantula. Twelve came to dinner. How many flies survived?

Process

Step 1- Research Tarantula's here:   http://www.spiderroom.info/examineatarantula.html 

Don't miss these other cool websites that offer tons of interesting facts about these creepy crawlers:

 http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/tarantula/?source=A-to-Z     

http://www.tarantulas.com/    

http://www.earthlife.net/chelicerata/tarantula.html

Step 2- (Drawing of the habitat)

Step 3- Research the Black Widow Spider here: http://www.spiderroom.info/va_blackwidowspider.html

Step 4- Activity 101: A Home Away From Home

Objective: Set up a habitat for a spider and learn about its life needs

What You Need: Aquarium tank or very large jar 

Small sponge and water 

Cheesecloth, aluminum foil, or paper with holes punched in it 

Tape 

Soil, rocks, leaves, and branches 

Flashlight 

Plastic container or net for catching spiders 

Insects (for spider food)

Safety: Be sure that you know the characteristics of the Black Widow Spider, which is poisonous. Do NOT touch one. Remember that spiders are living creatures. Treat them with respect. Follow your parent’s or teacher’s rules for safety.

Directions: 1. Place soil in the bottom of the container. Add a few leaves, rocks, and branches. 

2. Place a small wet sponge in the container for moisture. You will need to add fresh water to the sponge every few days. 

3. Carefully capture a spider to put in the container. Try not to hurt it when you capture it. If you injure the spider, it will not be a good model of spider behavior. 

4. Place the spider in the container. Cover the container with the fabric or paper. Tape the edges down securely. 

5. Every day, for three days, observe the spider. Make a Spider Journal. Record your observations. 

6. At least once a day, add live insects, such as flies or grasshoppers to the container. Observe what happens. What does the spider prefer to eat? 

7. Using the flashlight, see how the spider reacts to light and to darkness. Which does the spider prefer? How can you make the habitat better for the spider? 

8. Do spiders react to noise? What is your evidence? 

9. After 3 days release the spider in the same habitat that you collected it. 

10. If you are still studying spiders, collect a new spider to observe.

Step 5: Read more about Spiders here: 

http://www.spiderroom.info/spideryarns.html

Step 6: Write What You Have Learned in Your Spider Journal

Evaluation

Record answers to the following questions in your Spider Journal:

1. Describe the habitats of tarantulas, which are often kept as pets.

2. Learn about the native spiders of Florida and the habitats in which they live.

Spider Math

1. A tarantula ate 5 flies each day. How many flies did it eat in a week? A weekend? The month of August? 

2. An aquarium tank to hold a tarantula is twice as long as it is wide. If the tank is one foot long, how wide is the tank?

Spider Literature

1. Read the book, The Lives of Spiders, by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent.

2. Read the book, A Spider Might, by Tom Walther

Conclusion

I'd like to end the lesson with a poem about spiders and a short paragraph about what we have learned through our great spider endeavor. 

Spiders seldom see too well.

Spiders have no sense of smell.

Spiders spin out silken threads.

Spiders don't have separate heads.

Spider bodies are two-part.

Spider webs are works of art.

Spiders don't have any wings.

Spiders live on living things.

Spiders always have eight legs.

Spiders hatch straight out of eggs.

Since all these facts are surely so:

Spiders are not insects, no!

In this lesson you learned about spiders and more specifically how to make habitats for Tarantulas:

A tarantula’s habitat includes living and non-living elements. Both food sources and habitats can change over time because of many influences, including humans. But the basic life needs include food, shelter, oxygen, and space.

 

Great work Students!

 

Credits

References:

Lesson 101. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2017, from http://www.spiderroom.info/classroom/LESSONS/101.html

Teacher Page

This WebQuest was created for grades 3-5 with the goal of further educating the student's in the field of science. The lesson's objectives were to teach the students about spiders, more specifically, the Tarantula and Black Widow Spider. The goal was to teach the student's how to build an appropriate habitat for a spider by having them conduct research and gather raw materials to have a hands-on approach to science. Who says science can't be fun?!

Aligned Standards

SC.3.L.15.1 :Classify animals into major groups (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, arthropods, vertebrates and invertebrates, those having live births and those which lay eggs) according to their physical characteristics and behaviors.

SC.4.L.16.2 :Explain that although characteristics of plants and animals are inherited, some characteristics can be affected by the environment.

SC.4.L.16.3 :Recognize that animal behaviors may be shaped by heredity and learning.

SC.5.L.17.1 :Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycles variations, animal behaviors and physical characteristics.

References

Virtual Field trip to the Spider Room -. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceUrl/Preview/2862