Teaching Shapes with a Spider Glyph Freebie

At the beginning of this fabulous month of October, my second graders really get into helping with decorating the classroom. You know, second graders LOVE, LOVE, LOVE doing those kinds of activities. Making October spiders has always been a big hit and it’s the perfect opportunity for teaching shapes. So I created a Spider Glyph for a fun lesson on learning shapes.

Each spider part has a geometric shape. We talk about the shapes, their names, how many sides, and how many angles. Then the kids have a blast choosing their spider parts and counting the sides and angles before they even begin putting their spiders together. To guide the students in counting the sides and angles of their spiders, I also included a Spider Geometry page. (This can be a little tough for some, so doing it in small groups is helpful). For you today is my freebie spider glyph templates and pages, along with instructions.

What Materials are Used for the Spider Glyph Shapes Activity?

This is the spider glyph that is used to design each student’s spider, according to his or her answers.

These are the shape pattern templates for building the spiders. All of them are copied, except for eyes and mouth, onto black construction paper, and the pattern lines are still visible. If yours does not show up on black, you can make card stock patterns to trace around. Copy the eyes and mouth sheet onto white construction paper.

How Do the Students Build Their Spiders?

After students complete their spider glyphs and have their chosen body parts, they cut them out and begin building their spiders. It’s best to take them through it step-by-step, talking about the shapes and attributes as we go.

(Look for more detailed directions when you access your freebie.)

Glue the white eyes and mouth shapes onto the black spider head shape.
Fold the body shape down the middle on the dotted line, with the two little dots on the outside.
Keep the body folded in half, and use a hole punch on one of the little round dot marks. This will be holes for the web string to thread through, so you can hang the spiders from the ceiling.
Have white string or yarn cut to about a yard length for each student. Thread it through the two holes evenly and tie in the middle on the backside of the spider as shown. You can do this at the very end if you choose.
Glue the head onto the inside fold of the body.
Glue four legs on each side of the spider’s back.
Tie the two parts of the top of the string together and hang the spiders from the ceiling.

A variety of spiders will now be looking down at you and your students all over the classroom!