Tarantula WebQuest An Arachnid Adventure created by A. Meyerhorn for Elementary Grades designed September 2001

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Introduction

How do you feel about spiders?
Do you like to watch them or do you want to stomp on them?

During these lessons, you will become arachnologists.
Arachnologists are scientists who study spiders.
Spiders are not insects. They are arachnids.

There are many kinds of spiders, but all spiders have one thing alike, 8 legs.
You will find out about a spider named tarantula.
Tarantulas look different than most spiders, because they are hairy.
You will learn
           1.   what tarantulas look like
                           2.  where tarantulas live
                           3.  what tarantulas eat
                           4.  how tarantulas change.

Get ready to explore the world of tarantulas!
 

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Task

Congratulations! A tarantula has been given to the zoo. The Spider House has space, but the zoo has never had a tarantula and there is no home for it yet. You are entomologists. You have been asked by the director of the zoo to help find out what kind of tarantula the zoo was given and to help with the display of it. Your task is to learn about tarantulas, so you can identify the tarantula and teach the zoo keepers how to create a home and to care for it.
 

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Process

The person sending the picture of the tarantula to the zoo sent four different pictures. We don't know which one will be ours, so we need to learn  about all four. There will be four teams of arachnologists learning about the tarantulas.
 

Team 1 Spider	Team 2 Spider	Team 3 Spider	Team 4 Spider

Each team will learn about one tarantula.

You will make and label two pictures.
One picture will show what the tarantula looks like. Include
        1.  a picture showing details of the tarantula and
        2. words giving both the common and scientific names of the spider.
One picture will show
        1.  a cage that will keep the tarantula safe and
        2. the food and moisture the tarantula needs
        3. labels for things in the cage.
Three or four sentences telling information to help us care for the tarantula.
Answer these questions:   1. Does this tarantula need places to climb? Why?
                       2.  What does the tarantula eat?
                                           3.  What should we do when it molts?
Each person on the team will write one sentence.

Resources
 

Team 1 will find the following links useful.

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Click on a picture to link to information you will need.
Click on the picture for ---------->	larger picture and the common and scientific names.	fact sheet about this spider.	information about the cage this spider needs.	pictures and information about molting.

Team 2 will find the following links useful.

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Click on a picture to link to information you will need.
Click on the picture for ---------->	larger picture and the common and scientific names.	fact sheet about this spider.	information about the cage this spider needs.	pictures and information about molting.

Team 3 will find the following links useful.

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Click on a picture to link to information you will need.
Click on the picture for ---------->	larger picture and the common and scientific names.	fact sheet about this spider.	information about the cage this spider needs.	pictures and information about molting.

Team 4 will find the following links useful.

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Click on a picture to link to information you will need.
Click on the picture for ---------->	larger picture and the common and scientific names.	fact sheet about this spider.	information about the cage this spider needs.	pictures and information about molting.

All arachnologists  will think about this problem and find a solution.
Some people are afraid of tarantulas. Why do think this is so? Think of how you would make a tarantula so it would be less scary. Show your tarantula with an illustration or a model. Write about the way you made it different from a real tarantula.

Extra Resources for More Information and for Fun

.	How large is an adult Chilean Rose? See some pictures of a  Chilean Rose in someone's hand. Read about caring for a tarantula.
.	There are many photos of a person's pet tarantulas here, but the site is German so the words will look strange to you. Find Arten on the list on the left and click on Fotogalerie. You might need an adult's help to find this link for the pictures.
.	When a tarantula grows bigger, it molts (sheds its skin). It starts by lying on its back and when it is done, it is a bigger tarantula.Read about how a tarantula molts and seepictures.
.	There are many different kinds of tarantulas. Some are quite beautiful. This sites shows pictures of some. You can click on the pictures and learn more about that kind.
.	Link to Enchanted Learning to read about the tarantula and see a diagram of the parts of a tarantula. See if you can fill in the names for the parts on a diagram with blanks. You can even paint a tarantula the way you want!
.	Link to Enchanted Learning to find directions for making this spider from a cardboard egg carton. Have fun being creative, or make it colors of a real tarantula.
.	Read the recipe forchocolate spiders. Would you like something like this for a treat? Ask an adult for help making these.
. picture by Lacey	This shows care information for some of the kinds of tarantulas. Some are for beginners, and some are for people with experience. Look for the green links to read about and see tarantulas that are easy to care for.
.	These care information have excellent pictures, but they are written in paragraph form. They are hard for beginner readers, so you might want to ask for help.

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Conclusion

You have learned about four tarantulas. You know what they look like, what environment they need, what they eat, and how to protect them. Do you feel the same about spiders as you did before your study?

How do you feel about having a tarantula as a class display animal? One of these tarantulas can "visit" us for a while. We would keep it in its tank and not handle it. We know now that some tarantulas are fragile and could die if they are dropped.

If we choose to bring a tarantula into our classroom, we will plan a celebration to announce its arrival just as the people at a zoo might do. We will present our pictures, information, and charts about all the tarantulas, and we will enjoy refreshments together. We can even make some of our refreshments will look like spiders!
 

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Evaluation

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Do you have questions or comments? Send email to [a.meyerhorn at the following domain: .lportsmouth.lk.12.n.h.uls.] (I suggest that you do not cut and paste.)