Page 3 - Kin News, Jr. Teacher Guide, September October 2020
P. 3

ANSWER KEY
 COMMON CORE AND NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NGSS) ALIGNED ACTIVITIES



            Critter Clues  FROM PAGE 3
            Our mystery critter is the jumping spider.
            With over 5,000 species of jumping spiders — about 13%
            of all spiders — they make up the largest spider family.
            Jumping spiders exist all around the world and are very
            adaptable, living in different types of habitats, from
            mountainous areas to deserts.
               The jumping spider gets its name from its ability to
            jump long distances. Instead of building a web, it
            catches its prey by jumping on it. The spider uses
            hydraulic pressure to extend its legs fully by contracting
            muscles to increase blood flow to its legs. Because of
            this special ability, it can sometimes jump up to 50 times
            its body length! Although the spider doesn’t use a web, it
            does spin a silk line to act as a safety net in case it needs to
            abandon its mission mid-jump.
               The jumping spider has excellent vision. It has four pairs of
            eyes! Although its eyes can’t move, it has binocular vision, which
            allows both eyes to work together to focus on insects about 20cm away,
            helping the spider distinguish between prey and danger.
               Jumping spiders are much more likely to run away from humans than to bite. When they do bite, it is usually
     opposite page: redrover. this page, from top: suman ghosh/bigstock; tara lenehan; raja: bryan huff.
            in self-defense. Their venom is not poisonous to humans.
               People’s first instinct upon encountering a jumping spider (or any spider) in their home is often to kill it.
            However, having spiders inside can actually be helpful! Spiders prefer to avoid humans and are important
            predators in the indoor ecosystem, catching insects. How can you counteract children’s fear of spiders? Help
            them learn cool facts about spiders and why they are important members of our ecosystem. This will help them
            understand why co-existing with spiders can be beneficial.




                                                                                         DO ACTIVITIES
            Personality Puzzle answers FROM PAGE 7
                                                                                           ONLINE AT
                                                                                        KINDNEWS.ORG!
                                                   ACROSS
                                                   4.   You act playful or goofy. You are silly.
                                                   5.    You find it easy to be around people. You are friendly.
                                                   6.   You have courage. You are brave.
                                                   7.   You make people laugh. You are funny.




            DOWN

              1.   You are good at solving problems. You are clever.
              2.   You are eager to learn. You are curious.                              Where’s Raja?
              3.   You are helpful and treat others well. You are kind.                       Raja is hiding
              4.    You are bashful and find it hard to be around people. You are shy.         on page 3!
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