Spinning spider stories

This interdisciplinary lesson is designed to introduce students to the purpose and process of comparative literature. The literary selections may be altered according to audience and purpose, from grades 5 through 8.

A lesson plan for grade 5 English Language Arts and Social Studies

By Edie McDowell

Learn more

Related pages

• Multicultural cross grade level unit plan: This unit of study integrates reading, writing, math, and social studies. It is designed to help first and third grade students relate to other cultures of the world. They will understand and compare the similarities and differences of children, families, and communities in different times and places. They will analyze religious and other cultural traditions. They will apply basic geographic concepts.
• Along the Trail of Tears: A part of history is often forgot when teaching younger students. This is the relocation of the Cherokee Indians when the white settlers wanted their property. The US Government moved whole groups of Indians under harsh conditions. This trip became known as the Trail of Tears. Using this as a background students will explore and experiment with persuasive writing as they try to express the position of Cherokee leaders.
• Native American poetry workshop: This weeklong set of lessons uses four different center activities to help students respond to poetry written by American Indians. This lesson plan was written with ESL (English as a second language) students in mind, so there are many opportunities to practice vocabulary, discuss and talk with others, and model expectations.

Related topics

• Learn more about American Indians, English language arts, literature, social studies, world cultures, and writing.

Legal

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to demonstrate competency in applying strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed. Students will practice listening, note-taking, making predictions, formulating questions, and drawing conclusions in order to examine and compare textual selections from two different cultures. Students will identify and use literary elements (characters, plot, setting, etc.) as a basis for comparative analysis. Students will listen actively and critically to folklore and myth in the oral tradition. They will interact with the text by: asking questions, evaluating information and ideas, and making inferences and drawing conclusions about the cultures from which this literature originated. Extension activities afford students additional experience in: (1) Social Studies: locating and describing people of diverse ethnic and religious cultures, past and present, and in (2) Visual Arts: describing art, music, and craft forms in the United States and comparing them to various art forms from around the world.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

3 hours

Materials/resources

The Magic of Spider Woman by Lois Duncan; Illustrated by Shonto Begay, 1996, Scholastic, Inc., Singapore. (Summary: The Navajo legend of how a stubborn girl learns from Spider Woman how to keep her life in balance by respecting its boundaries; explains the reason why Navajo blanket weavers include a spirit pathway in their creations to this day.)

Various versions of the Greek myth of Arachne and Athena:

• “Arachne the Spinner” in Greek Myths, retold by Geraldine McCaughrean; Orchard Books, London, 1993.
• Masterpieces of Mythology retold by Antonia Barber; The J. Paul Getty Museum, L.A., 1998. (p. 14, Athena and Arachne)
• Metamorphosis. Book the Sixth: The Transformation of Arachne into a Spider by Ovid, translated by Sir Samuel Garth, John Dryden, et al. Avaliable online via The Internet Classics Archive.
• Arachne Speaks by Kate Hovey. Margeret K. McElderry Books, N.Y., 2000.

Technology resources

No specific technology is required for the basic literary comparative analysis. However, internet access and word-processing software may be helpful for students in completing the research, writing, and editing of their final comparative analyses. Alternatives, such as library reference books, may suffice.

For extension activities which delve more deeply into cultural art, environment, and history, internet access is vital. (For example, several Navajo websites offer specific examples of traditional weaving, educational museum tours, and various allusions to the legendary Spider Woman.)

• A Brief Social History of Navajo Weaving from The Collector’s Guide.
• Weaving in Beauty. Dedicated to the art of weaving as practiced by the Navajo people of what is now the Southwestern United States. This is also the home of the Weaving in Beauty Textile Tour. (Includes an annotated bibliography of Navajo Weaving literature.)

Pre-activities

Ask students to free-write or list any facts, ideas, superstitions, or opinions associated with spiders. Allow five minutes for sharing. Note famous spiders from children’s literature (Charlotte’s Web, Little Miss Muffet, etc.) Ask students to consider the various roles these animal characters play in their respective stories. Briefly point out that, as with human literary characters, some spiders represent good and some represent evil. Pose the question to students: What might prompt people in some regions of the world to view spiders more positively or more negatively? Discuss responses. Ask them to consider natural environment, climate, biosphere, etc. Remind them that most spiders in Australia, for example, are potentially deadly.

Tell students that some cultures revere spiders as primary figures in mythology and legend. (See the West African story of Anansi, the spider hero of Ghanaian folk tales who spun the raw material out of which human beings were created. This and other examples are included in The Book of the Spider: A Compendium of Arachno-Facts, by Paul Hillyard, pp. 15–39.)

Students should be familiar with the basic elements of literature: character, plot, conflict, and setting, and with the genres of myth and legend. Review if necessary.

Ask students to consider what might be learned of a culture, even an ancient one, from the “artifacts” left behind. Discuss. Remind students that most really old stories were originally passed down orally, told and retold before they were ever written. Thus, many variations exist as different writers opted to emphasize different elements in their individual versions or translations.

On board:

Arachnid	Pride	Athena	Hubris
Arachne	Competition	Poseidon	Phenomenon
Allusion	Jealousy	Zeus	Tapestry

Assess comprehension of the above terms and review as needed.

Activities

Tell students that they are going to read two stories about spinning spiders from two very different cultures in different parts of the world. Locate Athens, Greece and the Southwestern United States on a globe or map. Note differences in climate, topography, etc. as a basis for recognizing setting.

Introduce the purpose and process of comparative literature and ask students to work in groups to help create a chart or graphic organizer for taking notes for analysis and comparison. (Some things to include: literary elements, cultural components of the story, clues to religion, mythology, etc.) If time permits, allow groups to present their ideas for organizing notes. This will allow all groups to check for key elements.

Read aloud or tell both myths, beginning with The Magic of Spider Woman. Direct students to take notes as you read or speak, listening carefully for important details which will later serve as a basis for comparing the two stories. Have volunteers share notes when completed so that all students have an opportunity to add to their own lists.

Read the second myth, a version of the Arachne and Athena myth. Instruct students to repeat the careful listening and note-taking process before sharing results.

As students share their notes from both stories, create a chart or organizer (even a Venn Diagram would work) so that distinct differences and similarities will be obvious to all. Discuss these points. Some classes will astutely point to the thematic elements of pride, competition, artistry, jealousy, instruction, tapestry, metamorphosis, entrapment, etc. Some students may opt to focus on the obvious parallels: spider women, weaving, lessons learned, etc. Maturity, imagination, and willingness to think critically will greatly influence the depth of this analysis. ( It is important to be open to different interpretations, as students must sometimes be coaxed to take a risk in sharing with a peer group.)

Challenge the students to select one or more points of comparison as the basis for writing a paragraph or two summarizing and supporting their results. Provide a simple framework with a topic sentence, supporting details, and a conclusion. More advanced students may be encouraged to write a lengthier essay of one or more pages.

Depending upon the depth of the discussion, the maturity of the class, and the availability of class time, this portion of the assignment may take one class period or three. Writing may be completed for homework. Following peer editing, revision, and final drafting, students should be given an opportunity to share their comparative analyses.

Follow-up should include a review of the purpose and process of comparative literary analysis. Have students talk about what they found most difficult and most interesting.

Assessment

Use a to assess each student’s paper. Check for listening skills, note-taking, organization, clarity, comparative analysis, synthesis, and quality of the final written product.

Supplemental information

Comments

This interdisciplinary lesson (incorporating Language Arts, Social Studies, and Visual Art) is designed to introduce students to the purpose and process of comparative literature. The literary selections may be altered according to audience and purpose, from grades 5 through 8.

As an example, this lesson examines spider stories from the oral tradition of folklore and myth from two different cultures: Greek and Navajo. Students will examine both stories as literary “artifacts” containing cultural clues to the past, clues to the natural environment, and clues to significant mythological characters, both animal and human. Students will employ listening and note-taking skills in preparation for further organization, analysis, and synthesis of information. A final writing assignment will enable students to practice drawing conclusions and sharing their ideas with a peer audience.

This lesson is intended to be completed in approximately three hours of class time with additional time as needed for individual writing assignment completion (possibly as homework). Some teachers may wish to a lot more time to the group research work component so that students can delve deeper into the cultural significance of literary elements identified in each selection (allusions, art, characters, conflict, environment, etc.)

Note: Some teachers may opt to complete this entire lesson collectively as guided practice before assigning individual or small group versions with further selections. In that case, additional class time would obviously be needed.