1-2-3 Come Do Some "Very Busy Spider" Activities With Me

 Do you read Eric Carle's "The Very Busy Spider" ? It's one of my students' favorite spider stories, and perfect for sequencing! 

With these things in mind,  I designed 3 "craftivities" that will help practice the "sequencing & retelling a story" standards: There's a slider, wheel and flip booklet.

Any of the projects make for a wonderful transition activity, after you're done reading the story.   Fun for your kiddos and easy-peasy for you too, as all three are simply “Print & Go”. 

First up is the "caught in a web of learning" spider web flip booklet.

To introduce the lesson, I show my students the 2 photo-posters featuring real orb spider webs, since the cover of the booklet is also an orb web.

There are a variety of options for you to choose from:

There are 5 blank webs so you can add a plastic spider, or make one with a fluffy pom pom, or fingerprint.

There are also 6 webs featuring a non-scary spider, for students to color. I added wiggle eyes for extra pizzazz.

Pick your favorite, or give students a choice. 

Children color, cut & collate their pages, then add the cover.

There are also page options for you to choose from, which feature pages with & without traceable words to reinforce more standards.

I personally like the "trace the word" pages best. Even tho' my Y5s can't read, they are practicing letters, while my first graders get the added benefit of word recognition.

There's also enough room if you want your students to write the word as well.

As always, the graphics come in full color patterns so that you can quickly & easily make an example to share, as well as black & white templates, for students.

I purposely did not number the pages, so you can assess comprehension & students' ability to sequence correctly.

When everyone is done, practice retelling “The Very Busy Spider” by calling on a child, who explains what is happening in that graphic.

You could also ask, “Is this the setting of the story?” “Is this the beginning-middle-or end of the story?” etc.

Afterwards, for more reinforcement, have students pick a partner and take turns sharing their booklet with each other. 

When you're done with your "retelling the story" activities, you can jazz up the spider web covers if you like. 

Using Elmer's glue, have students "trace" the web lines, then sprinkle with glitter. Printing the cover on black construction paper really makes the silver glitter pop.

Since you're putzing with glue, you can also add a plastic or pom pom spider at this time as well.

To check comprehension, & reinforce the “sequencing a story” standards further, I’ve also included a “Here’s What Happened…” writing prompt worksheet.

Use the colorful template to do this as a whole group activity with younger students. This activity, with different graphics is also in the busy spider slider & wheel options. 

Next up is the slider. 

There are 2 outside slider options to choose from, which children color & trim.

Students color the story elements on the “slider strip” then cut and glue it together. (Both options use the same “slider strip”).

As they pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through the “window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their slider home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.

I introduce the lesson by reading "The Very Busy Spider", then share my completed "slider craftivity” with my students.

After I read the story, we retell the tale together, using the picture prompts.

Have children guess which story element they think comes next before you pull the picture through the “window”.

My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making a story slider of their own. 

Storytelling sliders are also an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension.

Besides the "Here's What Happened..." worksheet explained previously, the "spider slider" and "wheel" options also include 2, “Let's sequence the story” worksheets, where students color and trim the picture “windows” then glue them in the correct order on the blank worksheet.

I've also included a larger, colorful one to use during and/or after you've read the story.

My students absolutely love this "game".  As you can see by the photographs, the graphics for the slider and the ones for the wheel are different.

I purchased more clip art from two different artists, to add variety to your lessons, as teachers have told me that they've purchased both, using one as an independent center and the other for a whole group activity.

Finally, the storytelling wheel is yet another quick, easy & fun way for students to practice the “retelling & sequencing” a story standards.

Since there are quite a few characters and parts to this tale, I designed a “beginning of the story” wheel, with 6 sections; plus another 6-part wheel, to tell the end of the story.

This way, the 12 graphics are a nice size for coloring.

When everyone is done, practice retelling by using the manipulative. Everyone starts by turning their wheel so that the busy spider on the fence appears in the “pie-slice window”, then call on a child to begin the story,

Continue to turn the wheel, calling on different students to tell you that portion of the story, explaining the “picture prompt”.  

After you've explained the picture with the pig, take the first wheel out by unfastening the brass brad, then insert the "end of the story" wheel to complete retelling "The Very Busy Spider." 

Today's FREEBIE also features "The Very Busy Spider". 

It's a sweet doorknob dangler, which you can hang on your classroom door, or have students make the BW one for their bedroom.

There are two options, so that you can have a front & back side.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. 

It's pouring rain. Perfect for working on some not-so-spooky spider stuff.

"Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet." - Unknown