Teaching about Insects and Spiders: 10 Websites Not to Miss

I LOVE teaching about insect and spiders. First, because they are facinating, plus the kids love learning about them! It's such a good time to teach about form and function, adaptations, and about predators and their prey! 

The trick is to make sure to keep the unit exciting and interesting. Kids are natural nature lovers, so this is the perfect unit to use in integrating language arts skills too! As you start preparing for your unit, check out these fun sites that not only teach about bugs, but bring out the entomologist in every student!

Spiders

1.  All About Spiders from TheSchoolRun.com  This site includes spider information, a video, and links to all kinds of spider activities such as building a spider web online,  jigsaw puzzles online and even create your own spider!

National Geographic Kids

2,  You can't do better than National Geographic Kids, and this site about insects with blow their minds! This is a good one to send home....they'll be exploring (and reading) for hours!

Orkin for kids

3.  I usually don't like sites from businesses (it's advertising after all), but this site from Orkin is absolutely amazing! It includes an insect safari, an insect guidebook filled with downloadable worksheets (or the whole book). It has games and coloring sheets, plus lesson plans! You can't do better than that!

Mr. Nussbaum's Insects

4. I don't know who Mr. Nussbraum is, but he sure has some great information on the Internet! This site has online stories, a virtual butterfly garden and tons of information! It is so engaging even your reluctant readers will be pulled in!

Spider facts/videos

5.  This fun site from "owlcation" and is FULL of great videos from Anansi, to videos of spiders in webs. It is quite extensive, so I advise teachers scope out what they want their students to see on this site.  This is particularly true of younger students. Some videos show spiders hunting, and can be a little scary. There's lots of information and LOTS of videos. The video of a water spider building an air bubble is pretty amazing. These videos woulld be great on a SmartBoard for sure! Be sure and check out the World's Weirdest Spiders from Nat Geo! 

The Kid Should See This

6.  "The Kid Should See This" is an amazing site filled with videos kids will be talking about to their parents at night! From butterflies and bees drinking turtle tears, to watching lightning bugs in the Iowa woods. If you're looking for a "hook" for your unit, it's here!

Grasshopper

How a caterpillar becoomes a butterfly

7.  I love videos of bugs. Kids do too!  Here are a couple that are particularly good. The grasshopper is on You Tube, but with no commercial, the other is a website. 

Kids.com Insect games and videos

8.  This site from Kids.xom is filled with insect games and videos. It includes word games, and videos of giant tarantulas....plus much more! It's a good one to use for centers, or when kids have free time. 

Education World, Arthropod Academy

9.  It's always great to find some really good lesson plans...why reinvent the wheel? I love this site from Education World.  It has 10 bug lesson plans for a variety of grade levels.  Lots of hands-on goodies. If a worksheet is needed, it is provided. 

The Bee Conservancy

10.  This site from the Honeybee conservancy is really good! There are a number of short videos that are perfect for inserting into lessons.

If you would like to check out my resource on TPT that includes task cards plus 25 pages of teaching materials check out:

This resource is also available as a PowerPoint or as Digital Boom Cards.  The link to these resources is on the page linked above.

I hope you will find the websites helpful, and will save you lots of time....plus really hook your students on bugs!

Insects, and Spiders, and Bugs OH MY!!!

Nothing grabs a kid's attention like a bug! 

If you are ready to start your insect and spiders unit I have some fun ideas below, plus websites and games that will add just a little bit of creepy crawly fun into your unit. Oh! Don't miss the Freebies!

Integrate, Integrate, Integrate!

Bugs and insects are more than just a science subject! The thing I love the most about the insect and spiders unit is how easy it is to integrate it into all of the other subjects. 

1. Math: 

It's really easy to make math story problems into bug problems. Any grade, and any strand of math can be made into great (and fun) story problems. Your kids don't like story problems you say...just wait until those story problems are about bugs! 

2. Social Studies: 

If you are studying a country, research insects and spiders that live there. How are insects used in that country? Are they eaten? Is there folklore about insects there? If you are studying economics, how do insects impact that countries economy in either good or bad ways. A google search will help you here. 

3. Language Arts: 

Stories (both fiction and nonfiction) are all over the place! A look in your school or local library will give you access to bunches!

 a.  Do a "Bug Book Tasting"  Get at least as many bug books as you have students. Scatter them around the room on desks, tables etc. Ask students to start at any book. They have two minutes to look through the book, read a couple of pages, then when the bell rings they move on to the next book. Do this about ten times. It will spur their interest in some of the books enough to make them want to read the whole book. This is fun to do with any topic. 

b.  Use insect/spider articles that are free online for guided reading. Copy and print enough copies of the article for all members of the group. Check readability by copy and printing text into:  http://www.lefthandlogic.com/htmdocs/tools/okapi/okapi.php  Make sure you click either spache for grades 1-3 or Dale-Chail for grades 4 and up. There are LOTS of sites online. Here are couple of good ones. 

This site is great for upper elementary. It's full of amazing fact articles kids will love.   http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/

This is a great video about the history of eating bugs!

That gives you a "taste" of what's online. There's articles for any reading level.

If you are studying any skill in grammar, add bug pictures to it and watch you kids eyes light up! Here are two freebies to stick in your bug unit! Click on the link below the pictures to pick it up for free in my store. 

4. Science:

Just reading the text book can be pretty dry, and suck the fun out of any unit. (sorry, is my bias showing??)  Adding kids' magazine articles, interesting facts and videos certainly help get the information through (even to those reluctant learners), but you need reinforcement too. Have you tried task cards? If not, think of them as a small "bit" of information at a time. For example, it could be a question with multiple choice answers. Some have an essay answer. The point is that the skill is broken down into tiny parts. That makes task cards much less intimidating than worksheets. They can be done alone, with a partner, in groups, or with a game. Try using a simple game like pick-up-sticks with your task cards. Students can only take their turn when they answer a question correctly. Making your own task cards works well when you want to tailor your cards to your curriculum needs. Use the free task card form below to make your own. Really, they are not hard!! Download the google.doc below and copy it as many times as you need to make 20, 30 or as many task cards as you like. Use a sharpie to write your questions, cut apart and laminate. They will last a l-o-n-g time! If you would like a set of task cards on insects and spiders that is already done (that includes a teaching unit) click Here

Click Here for the Freebie

Another fun way to reinforce information is through PowerPoints. If you haven't used PowerPoint before, don't let it intimidate you. It takes about 15 minutes to get the basics by just playing with it. A Powerpoint is fun to use as a class project. Show the slide and ask students to write the answer, then check the answer. They are a great way to test students too. It doesn't feel like a test. If you would like a PowerPoint on insects and spiders already done click Here

Adding activities and videos to your insect/spider unit really hikes up the interest level. Here are a few great sites.

And more (and more) great activities to add to your unit!

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson192.shtml

This site from National Geographic is FULL of great insect videos!

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/hubs/insects/

If you have any other ideas/sites for insects and spiders, be sure to list them below!!

Do you need a great resource for teaching about insects and spiders? Check out:

To get TONS of great ideas and freebies follow my Pinterest board at:

Dragons Den Curriculum on Pinterest