Spiders: Cross-curricular activities to engage readers and writers
Table of contents
We recently published a new group of Clicker sets - All About Spiders. The resources focus on the unique features and behaviours of spiders. Different versions of informational text are offered in the three-level Clicker Books, ensuring that every pupil, whether emergent, struggling, or fluent readers, can access the same topic content.
The writing activities, which include Sentence Sets, Connect Sets, and Word Banks, also provide scaffolded support for your learners. Pupils can share their new understanding about spiders using the Talk Set and Clicker Board as well.
We chose this topic because it covers a range of science learning objectives but also because spiders catch the imagination of many pupils - and can keep them engaged in reading and writing. These aren’t the only arachnid-themed Clicker sets on LearningGrids. We have a range of other cross-curricular activities about spiders that can inspire the readers and writers in your classrooms.
Let’s have a look at resources in a few LearningGrids categories:
- Greek Myths
- Literature
- Nursery Rhymes
- Creative Writing
Greek Myths
In the Story Corner, you’ll find the Greek myth The Weaving Contest. It is the story of Arachne who challenges the goddess Athena to a weaving contest. Athena punishes Arachne by transforming her into a spider. There is a Clicker Book version of the myth to read, as well as a range of writing activities to help pupils retell the story and demonstrate their understanding.
Literature
Pupils always love the classic novel Charlotte’s Web - the story of Wilbur the pig and his friendship with a spider named Charlotte. Using the resources on LearningGrids, pupils can write about the novel, analysing the characters and themes. There are also activities to support the development of persuasive writing skills - pupils write to a character in the story to persuade them to spare Wilbur’s life.
Nursery Rhymes
The next group of Clicker sets with a spider theme is geared toward younger learners. The Incy Wincy Spider resources start with a simple Clicker Book to practise reading the nursery rhyme. Then there are a range of supporting activities, including a Clicker Board for sequencing and a Talk Set that focuses on creating rhyming strings, as well as Sentence and Connect Sets for rewriting the nursery rhyme.
Creative Writing
With Halloween coming soon, the spooky season is upon us. And what’s spookier than spiders and cobwebs! To help spark pupils’ imagination and support their creative writing, there are a number of spooky Word Banks, Writing Frames, Clicker Boards, and Talk Sets.
Be sure to visit LearningGrids and check out Collections for other cross-curricular activities and topic ideas to engage your readers and writers. Here are some other resources you might find helpful:
