Spider-Man is a superhero. He is a character in comics and movies. Spiders are real. They both have amazing powers
Back to Teacher View
Student View
LEFT: ENTERTAINMENT PICTURES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; RIGHT: ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH LEIGHTON; PICHIT SANSUPA/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (SPIDER);
Which is More Amazing, Spider-Man or Spiders?
Choose between the web slingers!
From the October/November 2022 Issue
Lexiles: 420L
Guided Reading Level: I
Featured Skill:
Comparing Texts,
Vocabulary: character, cling, awful, spinneret, prey
Standards
Amazing Spider-Man!
TRISMEGIST SAN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (WALL CRAWLING SPIDER-MAN); AVN PHOTO LAB/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (WALL)
Wall Crawl
Up, up, up! Spider-Man crawls up walls. His hands and feet stick. He can cling to walls.
Web Master
ENTERTAINMENT PICTURES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Spider-Man has web shooters. They are on his wrists. Shooop.
Trap That Bad Guy
Spider-Man traps bad guys in sticky webs. He stops their awful plans. Bye-bye, bad guys.
Amazing!
Amazing Spiders!
VASYL HUBAR/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Wall Crawl
Spiders crawl up walls. They have eight legs and eight little feet. Their feet stick to walls.
Web Master
DAVE PRESSLAND/FLPA/MINDEN PICTURES
spinneret
Spiders make webs. The web comes from a part of their bodies called the spinneret.
Trap That Fly
Spiders trap prey in sticky webs. They catch and eat bugs. Bye-bye, flies.
Amazing!
video
(1)
Activities
(3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key
(1)
More About the Article
English Language Arts Focus
Opinions
Comparing
Science Focus
Animal behaviors
Vocabulary
character, cling, awful, spinneret, prey
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
IMPLEMENTATION SUGGESTIONS
Read-Aloud
- Storyworks 1 provides a variety of text types and levels that you can use in different ways. One suggestion is to read “Spider-Man or Spiders?” during a whole-class read-aloud. Use the articles’ parallel structures to discuss similarities and differences between the texts.
Writing Block
- Opinion writing is a critical first-grade standard. After reading and discussing the article during read-aloud time, you can return to it later for your writing block. Have students use the information they learned to write an opinion piece.
1. BEFORE READING
Preview Vocabulary (3-5 minutes)
- Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This article’s featured words are character, cling, awful, spinneret, and prey.
Set a Purpose for Reading and Preview the Article (7-10 minutes)
- Now tell students they are going to read about Spider-Man and real spiders. They can decide which is more amazing.
- Open your magazines to the article. Notice the pictures of Spider-Man and the spider. Which is an illustration and which is a photograph? Remind children that Spider-Man is a superhero in made-up stories and spiders are real.
- Turn the page, and preview the parallel structure of the paired texts. Read the headings together. What do children notice about these two pages?
2. READ THE PAIRED TEXTS (15-30 MINUTES)
- Remind children that they will compare Spider- Man and spiders. They will decide which is more amazing.
- Starting with the first category (Wall Crawl), discuss how they differ.
- To finish, take a class vote. Which is more amazing? Tally their votes on chart paper. Call on volunteers to explain their choice. Make sure children back up their opinions with reasons. Help them use the word because, as in, “I think spiders are more amazing because they have eight legs.”
3. AFTER READING: FOCUS ON SKILLS
ELA Focus: Compare and Contrast (15 minutes)
- The Spider-Man or Spiders? printable helps kids compare and contrast using a Venn diagram.
Writing Focus: Opinion Writing (20 minutes)
- With the Write to Nosey skills page, children can write a letter and practice sharing opinions in writing.
ELA Focus: Compare and Contrast (15 minutes)
- The Does It Go With Spider-Man or Spiders? skills page provides additional support.
Text-to-Speech