“The Lady and the Spider” by Robert Fulghum



“The Lady and the Spider” by Robert Fulghum

Enrichment: Songs

“The Lady and the Spider” is more than a humorous essay about spiders. Robert Fulghum relates his anecdote about a spider to the song “Eensy, Weensy Spider.” He

explains that the message of the song is important to all living things.

Many of the songs you learned when you were young have an important message. For example, “This Land Is Your Land” is about our relationship to our country. Other songs are about having adventures, doing a job, overcoming difficulties, enjoying the love of family—and many other subjects that people find meaningful.

A. DIRECTIONS: Think about the songs you know. Choose one with such a special meaning that it is worth passing on to future generations. Answer the following questions about the song.

1. What is the title?

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2. Which lines of the song do you remember best?

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3. What is the meaning, or message, of the song?

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B. DIRECTIONS: Imagine that you are in charge of making a CD featuring the song you

chose. You want the cover of the CD to show something about the song’s special

meaning or message. Describe the cover you would ask an artist to create. Would it be

a drawing or a photograph? What scene would it show? What colors would it use?

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“The Lady and the Spider” by Robert Fulghum

Vocabulary Builder

Word List

catastrophe dimensions equipped frenzied inhabited mode

A. DIRECTIONS: Write the letter of the word or phrase whose meaning is most nearly the

same as the meaning of the Word List word.

1. inhabited

A. dressed up B. disowned C. empty D. lived in

2. frenzied

A. frantic B. calm C. angry D. unhappy

3. mode

A. model B. up-to-date C. manner D. dessert

4. equipped

A. provided with B. missing or lacking C. classified D. joked

5. dimensions

A. problems B. rewards C. measurements D. activities

6. catastrophe

A. celebration B. disaster C. illness D. stage or phase

B. WORD STUDY: The Latin root -met- or -mens- means “to measure.” Words containing

this root include thermometer (“an instrument for measuring temperature”), parking meter (“a device for measuring the amount of time a car is parked in a given location”) and barometer (“an instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure”). Each of the following sentences does not make sense. The underlined word is used incorrectly. Correct each sentence by replacing that word with thermometer, parking meter, or barometer.

1. When stormy weather is approaching, there is a reduction in air pressure. You can

measure this with a television.

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2. Brenda used a flashlight to find out whether she had a fever.

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3. Mom’s appointment lasted longer than she expected, so she had to dash out to the

street and put more money in the mailbox.

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“Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez

“The Lady and the Spider” by Robert Fulghum

Integrated Language Skills: Grammar

Interrogative and Indefinite Pronouns

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or another pronoun.

• Interrogative pronouns are used in questions. Interrogative pronouns include who, whom, whose, what, and which.

• Indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural, depending on how they are used. Indefinite pronouns include some, one, other, and none.

A. DIRECTIONS: In each of these sentences, underline the interrogative and indefinite

pronouns. Above the interrogative pronouns, write Inter, and above the indefinite

pronouns, write Indef.

1. Who can remember some of the names Julia Alvarez gave herself?

2. From whose point of view do the spider and the lady see each other?

3. None of Julia’s classmates seemed able to pronounce her name correctly.

4. Which essay do you prefer: the one by Alvarez or the one by Fulghum?

5. What do you think of some of the lady’s and spider’s reactions to each other?

6. What sort of name is Judy Alcatraz?

B. WRITING APPLICATION: Write a brief paragraph about “The Lady and the Spider” or “Names/Nombres.” Write at least four sentences, and use at least one interrogative

pronoun and two indefinite pronouns. Then, underline those pronouns.

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“The Lady and the Spider” by Robert Fulghum

Reading: Understand the Difference Between

Fact and Opinion; Use Resources to Check Facts

To evaluate a work of nonfiction, you must understand the difference between fact and opinion. A fact, unlike an opinion, can be proved. An opinion expresses a

judgment that can be supported but not proved. For example, the statement “Spiders

have eight legs” is a fact that can be proved by observation. All you need to do is look at

a spider. The statement “Spiders are scary” is a judgment based on emotions.

You can check facts by using resources such as

• dictionaries

• encyclopedias

• reliable Web sites on the Internet

• maps

A. DIRECTIONS: Identify the following passages from “The Lady and the Spider” as fact

or opinion. Write F if the statement is a fact and O if it is an opinion.

_____1. This is my neighbor.

_____2. Nice lady.

_____3. Tries opening the front door without unlocking it.

_____4. Spiders. Amazing creatures.

_____5. Been around maybe 350 million years.

B. DIRECTIONS: Each statement below contains an error. Name the resource you would

consult to check the statement. (If you would consult a Web site, write the name of the site.) Then, look up the statement in that resource, and rewrite it correctly.

1. A spider has six legs.

Fact-checking resource: ________________________________________

Correction: ___________________________________________________

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2. Spiders eat only gnats.

Fact-checking resource: ________________________________________

Correction: __________________________________________________

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3. The scientific word describing the class that includes spiders is spelled aracknid.

Fact-checking resource: ________________________________________

Correction: ___________________________________________________

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4. In temperate climates, 20 species of spiders are dangerous to human beings.

Fact-checking resource: ________________________________________

Correction: __________________________________________________

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“The Lady and the Spider” by Robert Fulghum

Writing About the Big Question

The Big Question: How do we decide what is true?

Big Question Vocabulary

confirm decision determine evidence fact

fantasy fiction investigate opinion prove

realistic study test true unbelievable

A. Use one or more words from the list above to complete each sentence.

1. Sometimes people think that their ____________________ are facts.

2. If someone is an expert on a subject, he or she has probably worked hard to ____________________ the facts.

3. To become an expert on something, you must ____________________ hard.

4. If you are a scientist with a new theory, you will have to ____________________ the theory in order to ____________________ it.

B. Respond to each item. Use at least one Biq Question vocabulary word in each answer.

1. Tell how you distinguish between fact and fiction when you are reading something.

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2. What words are a clue that you are reading or listening to an opinion as opposed to a fact?

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C. Complete the sentence below. Then, write a short paragraph connecting this situation to the Big Question.

An important truth about spiders is ___________________________________________

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