Grade 3 Ms. Weiss tweiss12@schools.nyc.gov
Introduction:
Why shouldn’t you be afraid of and harm spiders? While
spiders may seem scary to a lot of us, they are actually crucial to our
environment as well as our daily lives! Spiders are beneficial predators and
serve a significant role in our ecosystem. An ecosystem is a geographic area where
plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work
together to form a bubble of life. Although some spiders are dangerous to
encounter, they all provide benefits that a majority of us do not realize.
Task:
Over the course of the next three
days, you and your partner will research why we should NOT be afraid of spiders
(and why we should not harm them)! Be sure to include: What benefits spiders offer and what would happen if spiders were ever
to become extinct (extinct means to not exist anymore). By the end of this WebQuest,
you and your partner will work together to create a PowerPoint presentation highlighting
your findings.
Process and Resources:
Using the PPA
Process we discussed in class, you and your partner will follow the six steps to explain why we should NOT
be afraid of spiders and harm them. REMINDER:
The six steps of the PPA Process are:
1.
Define the problem
2.
Gather the evidence
3.
Identify the cause
4.
Evaluate the existing
policy
5.
Develop a solution
6.
Select the best
solution.
Day 1 and 2: Define the
problem and gather evidence
People being afraid of spiders and harming them is a
problem worldwide. Your job with your partner is to research this problem and
discuss the benefits spiders offer to our NYC environment. Also gather evidence
about what would happen if spiders didn't exist. As you discuss, one of you
should take notes that you can use in your final PowerPoint presentation.
Here are a few
resources to get you started!
●
Don't
Be Afraid of Spiders! | Amazing Animals | Backyard Science | SciShow Kids
●
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXUHfa2yUWY&t=6s
●
The Benefits of Spiders
in the Garden | Ortho
●
https://www.treehugger.com/what-if-all-spiders-disappeared-4858270
Day 3 and 4: Identify
causes and evaluate existing policies
● After doing some research on spiders and their benefits, it
is time to identify the causes of why people may be afraid of spiders! You will
also evaluate the very few existing policies on spiders. Make sure to add any
information found to your notes.
○ Check out the links below!
○
We Need
to Talk About Spider Conservation • The Revelator
Day 5 and 6: Developing
and selecting the best solution
Having done research over the past
few days, it is your turn to develop and select a solution to people harming
and being afraid of spiders in New York City. Make sure to develop a few
solutions, then pick the best one to
put in your PowerPoint presentation.
Day 7: Presentation
time!
Today, you will present your PowerPoint
to the class with your partners!
Evaluation: WebQuest
Rubric
Conclusion:
In this unit, we learned about the
importance of spiders, and why we should not be afraid of or harm them. We
learned that spiders provide so many benefits to the ecosystem in NYC, and if
they were to not exist we would experience famine. You investigated existing
policies as well as created a solution to help our city!
NYS Next Gen Learning
Standards:
3R1: Develop and
answer questions to locate relevant and specific details in a text to support
an answer or inference.
3R4: Determine the meaning of words, phrases,
figurative language, and academic and content-specific words.
3R8: Explain how claims in a text are
supported by relevant reasons and evidence.
3W1: Write an argument to support claim(s),
using clear reasons and relevant evidence.
3W1a: Introduce a claim,
supported by details, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
3W2a: Introduce a topic and
organize related information together.
3W2b: Develop a topic with
facts, definitions, and details; include illustrations when useful for aiding
comprehension