Spidermania

This book allows students to develop process skills such as using a table of contents to navigate the book in order to find information about spiders. The book has clear factual information that students can draw from in order to develop and strengthen their knowledge of spiders.

• Author: Alexandra Siy and Dennis Kunkel
• Year Published: 2015

Science Topics

• Life Science

Minimum Suggested Grade Level

• 4th Grade

Maximum Suggested Grade Level

• 8th Grade

Summary

Spidermania takes an audience through peculiar facts about unique species of spiders that both interest and terrify humankind. You will find facts about the anatomy, diet, and purpose of these certain spiders. The real life pictures give a clear depiction of what the arachnids looks like in everyday life.

Evaluation

• Appropriateness: High
• Authority: High
• Accuracy: High
• Liteary Artistry: Medium
• Appearance: High

Questions

Does the book foster development of processes?

This book allows students to develop process skills such as using a table of contents to navigate the book in order to find information about spiders. The book has clear factual information that students can draw from in order to develop and strengthen their knowledge of spiders.

Does the book provide an opportunity for children to ask and answer their own questions?

Students will most likely not ask or answer questions in reading this book due to the nature of how it is written. Spidermania is informing the reader on spiders by giving explicit information that the authors have explored themselves.

Does the book encourage children to think for themselves?

Students will be able to think about how spiders relate to their every day life and the world around them.

Is the science topic addressed in ways that are appropriate to the lesson?

Spidermania focuses on the topic of spiders and clearly informs its audience about the topic, which is very appropriate for a lesson about spiders.

Is the content based on sound scientific principles? Is it accurate?

The information found in this book has been explored, studied, and written by the authors.

Does the book distinguish between fact and fiction?

This book is very factual, so fiction is not a component in the writing. It is very clearly non-fiction.

Are the illustrations clear and accurate?

There pictures found in Spidermania are all taken with a camera, making them absolutely accurate.

Is the book written at the level of your students?

This book can be read by a range of reading levels starting in fourth grade. I would not recommend this book to anyone exceeding eight grade.

Is there a multicultural component? Is it free from stereotyping?

One of the best things about this book is that the science it teaches covers areas all across the world. The spiders explored in the book can be found in several different countries making it have multicultural components.

Is the book free from gender bias?

There is no part in this book that mentions gender. The authors of this book are one female and one male.

Does the book show the close association between science and other disciplines?

In this book students will be able to recognize the science it is teaching and how it relates to the world around them.

Does the book present a positive attitude toward science and technology?

The excitement this book poses around spiders makes for a positive reading experience for its audience.