Spiders Storytime Lesson and Scavenger Hunts

Need an alternative to Halloween storytime? Try spiders! This digital library lesson is perfect for librarians looking for an October storytime with a science twist. 

Please note that this presentation is designed to complement a read-aloud. The actual read-aloud story comes from you!

Content Warning: This presentation is full of real, close-up spider photos (see the preview for slide samples). The underlying idea is that while some spiders can harm humans, the vast majority are harmless. Still, some students and teachers truly fear spiders and may be afraid of the photos. As always, know your audience!

This lesson has 83 total pages & slides, and it includes:

• 64-slide Lesson Presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint + Google Slides
  • All body text is editable; you choose which slides you want to use.
  • 20 slides are for the read-aloud and/or guided lesson that walks you through the storytime lesson.
  • 29 slides are “scrolling presentation” slides that are great for extending lessons or scrolling in the library during checkout and downtimes.
  • 9 slides are review slides at the end of the lesson to keep students engaged as they line up.
• Two (2) editable, differentiated scavenger hunts (3 pages, PowerPoint and PDF)
  • Students “hunt” for images and information in the Part 2 scrolling slides part of the presentation. This gives students something to focus on during library checkout and downtime.
  • “Easier” version – Students color the objects as they find them.
  • “Harder” version – Students answer questions about the information in the slides, plus find smaller images.
  • Answer key is included.
• List of 26 recommended books to accompany this lesson (1 page, PowerPoint and PDF)
  • The list is editable and great to hand out to parents, teachers, and students looking for related books.
• Take-Home Extension Activities (2 pages, PowerPoint, Google Slides, and PDF)
  • Text is editable, and includes several ways for students to share what they learned during the lesson.
• Detailed, pre-filled Library Lesson Plan in editable PDF and PowerPoint formats (7 pages), aligned to:
  • AASL National School Library Standards for Learners,
  • National Common Core ELA Standards, and
  • Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
• Lesson tips and tricks for librarians on a “specials rotation” (7 pages, PDF)
• Google Classroom Basics (4 pages, PDF)
• Instructions on how to set up PowerPoint slide timings for scrolling slides (2 pages, PDF)

20 Storytime Slides:

Part 1 is a guided whole-class discussion and read-aloud. The slides walk you through the entire class discussion, from start to finish.
IMPORTANT! Due to copyright law, read-aloud videos of the books are NOT included. The read-aloud must come from you.

• Storytime song: “The Spider Song” to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”
• ASL sign language for “spider” — includes video links and step-by-step directions for making the signs
• “Fact or Fiction?” game of five (5) different spider facts and myths. Students decide if the statement is fact or fiction, then the next slide gives the answer and additional information. It’s also great for reviewing the word “fiction” as being not true or false.
• Slide for your read-aloud (paste the book cover on the slide).
• Checkout reminders slide — Add your own reminders!
• “What Should We Do Now?” slide — This is very clear instructions on what students should be doing after the lesson.

29 Scrolling Slides:

Part 2 is the scrolling slides. Set them on a timer to scroll on a screen during library checkout. Students can use the scrolling slides to complete one of the two Scavenger Hunts.

• Vocabulary Words of the Week: venom, exoskeleton, molting
• Common house and garden spiders: wolf spider, cellar spider, black widow, brown recluse, yellow garden spider, jumping spider
• Large spiders: tarantulas, cobalt blue tarantula, Goliath birdeater, Sydney funnelweb
• Fun facts about spiders
• 2 Would You Rather question slides
• 1 spider joke

9 Wrap Up Slides:

Part 3 is the review slides. There are 7 review questions that make great time-fillers to use while waiting for teachers to pick up students from library class. All the questions are answered in the presentation, but students can also make up additional answers for some questions.

Take Home Extension Activities:

Students love sharing their knowledge! With the editable 2-page take-home activities, students can:

• quiz siblings, friends, and family members about some of the spider facts they learned in the storytime,
• prepare a healthy spider snack,
• read some recommended spider-themed picture books,
• review spider vocabulary words from the lesson,
• learn to draw a cute spider using simple, step-by-step directions,
• remember how to sign “spider” in American Sign Language, and
• remember the words to the storytime song.

Standards Addressed:

AASL National School Library Standards – See the AASL Standards Framework for Learners to view full text. 

• Inquire –  C.1. – D.3.
• Collaborate – A.2. – D.1.
• Explore – A.1. – C.1.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards –
© Copyright 2010 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.10. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.

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