Spiders in My Stomach
Title
Writing
About the Text
Comprehension
Spiders in My Stomach
Laura and Lizzie are twins and
people expect them to be
exactly alike. However, they
have different personalities,
likes and dislikes. When Lizzie
breaks her leg just before
starring in the school play,
Laura is asked to stand in. To
do this, she has to somehow
get over her stage fright.
Genre
Fiction
Running Words
4934
Content Words
drama, audience(s), narrators,
stage, stage fright, auditions,
rehearsal, performance
Phonics
Recognise point of view
Recognise point of view
Vocabulary
Understand/explain the
meaning of idiomatic
expressions
Fluency
Perform a reader’s theatre script
Visual Literacy
Express ideas through art
Technology
Record information using
drawing tools
Use font attributes to enhance
presentation
Online
The Great Word Game
Book Cover Maker
Identify suffixes
© 2011 Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd
Session 1
Guided Learning
Guided Reading of Spiders in My Stomach
read a fiction text
Read the Book
Activate Background
• Provide time for the students to read Chapter 1–3 and
ask them to retell the important ideas.
– What does identical twins mean? What things are
the same or different about Lizzie and Laura?
– What does the saying two peas in a pod mean?
– What does sneaky suspicion mean on page 7?
– What does haywire mean? (page 9)
– What was Laura’s first experience of stage fright?
– What does full of spiders mean?
• Ask students if they have ever wanted to do
anything that they were nervous about or
afraid to do.
– What was it?
– Did you overcome your fear? How?
• Look at the front cover and read the title of the
text together. Ask students what they think the
title means.
Phonics
Use the Suffix -ly
identify suffixes
TEACH • Display pages 4–5 using the online version and read the first sentence. Ask students to identify the words that
end in -ly and record them on the board (closely, slightly). Have a volunteer circle the -ly suffix.
• Ask students to find other words on the two pages that end in the suffix -ly (completely, definitely, probably) and
add them to the list.
• Examine each word and discuss its structure.
– What is the base word?
– What is the suffix?
– How do you pronounce the suffix –ly?
– What vowel does the y in the suffix sound like?
• Create a grid with the words below and provide each student with a copy or have them copy it.
actually closely
completelydefinitely especially exactly
likely
obviouslypossibly probably quietly
slightly
sparkly
suddenly
• Have students reread Chapters 1–5 with a partner. Each time they come across one of the words on their grid, they
mark it off.
Independent and Small Group Tasks
Use Suffix -ly
Connect to a Character
identify suffixes
make a personal response
Students create a grid with –ly words they find
in the book. They sort the –ly words using a
self-generated sorting rule. They can say or
write cloze sentences using –ly words and have
a partner fill in the missing word.
Students write about whether they
think they are more like Laura or
more like Lizzie. Encourage them to
give reasons and details to support
their choice.
Illustrate the Main Characters
record information using drawing tools
Students use a drawing application to create an illustration of the main characters,
Laura and Lizzie. They use details from the text to guide their drawing.
© 2011 Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd
Session 2
Guided Reading
read a fiction text
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Students read on to the end of Chapter 5.
Review story events and discuss Lizzie’s problem.
Do you think Lizzie is going to drop out of the play or stay in it?
What do you think her alternative plan might be?
Do you think it has anything to do with Laura?
Ask students what they would like to find out in the remaining chapters.
Use questions such as the following to guide a text discussion.
What do these expressions mean?
“those who like the sunlight and those who prefer the shade” (page 14)
“larger than life” (page 16)
“cutting edge” (page 16)
“nerve racking” (page 17)
“fragile ego” (page 19)
Comprehension
Recognise First Person
recognise point of view
TEACH
• Display page 3 using the online version and read the first paragraph. Discuss the narrator.
– Who is talking? Who is I?
• Ask questions to help students reflect on the voice of the narrator. Laura says I know what you’re
thinking.
– Who is you? Who is Laura talking to?
– Were you really thinking that?
– Could she know what you’re thinking?
– How does it make you feel to read a text where the narrator is talking directly to you?
• Read on in the text, pausing after the sentence beginning with OK.
– Do you usually come across a sentence beginning with OK in writing or when someone is talking?
– Why do you think the author used it here?
– Do you think this is another example of where the author was trying to make it sound like Laura
is talking directly to the reader?
Independent and Small Group Tasks
Choose an Option
make a connection to the text
itself
• Students reread pages 9-10 of the text
to find out what options are offered.
They write about which of the options
described they think they would
choose and explain why.
• Students can use art media or
computer drawing tools to create an
illustration of themselves engaging in
their chosen activity.
The Great Word Game
spell content words
build vocabulary informally through
classroom experiences
Students work on The Great Word Game,
spelling words from Spiders in My Stomach.
Use the First Person Point
of View
recognise point of view
Students could write a story using the first
person point of view.
© 2011 Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd
Session 3
Guided Learning
Guided Reading
read a fiction text
• Have students review what they wanted to find out in the last part of the text. Encourage them to read
on for that purpose.
• Have students read Chapters 6 – 8. Ask volunteers to share what they wanted to know and what they
found out. For those who didn’t find out the answer to their question, talk about why that might have happened.
• Ask volunteers to find the parts in the text that show the ways Lizzie tried to convince Laura to help her on stage.
• Use questions such as the following to guide a text discussion.
– What do these phrases mean?
“my stomach hatches spiders” page 30
“it’ll be a piece of cake” page 34
– What does the article Mrs Ryan found say to do if you’re scared of something?
Vocabulary
Explain Expressions
understand/explain the meaning of idiomatic expressions
TEACH
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Read the title of the book and discuss its meaning in the context of the story.
Did anyone really have spiders in their stomach? Who?
Display page 37 using the online version and read the first paragraph.
Why did Laura feel like her stomach was filled with spiders?
Help students make connections between this expression and a similar expression.
Have you ever heard of something else being in someone’s stomach when they were nervous?
(butterflies)
– Why do you think Laura said she felt spiders instead of butterflies?
Independent and Small Group Tasks
Explain Expressions
understand/explain the meaning of
idiomatic expressions
Students draw a picture of Laura on stage and
write a caption that includes the expression
spiders in my stomach. They work in pairs to
read and explain another idiomatic expression
from the text, such as:
– two peas in a pod (page 3)
– cutting edge (page 16)
– got her nose in a book (page 20)
– like clockwork (page 24)
– piece of cake (page 34)
– fall flat on my face (page 39)
– in the nick of time (page 44)
– pleased as punch (page 45).
© 2011 Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd
Book Cover Maker
use font attributes to enhance
presentation
appreciate the power/impact of
visuals
Students use the Book Cover Maker
online task to design a book cover
for Spiders in My Stomach.
Make a Clay Creation
express ideas through art: create
models
Students use modelling clay to make a
pinch pot or other creation. They talk with
a partner about how they felt about the
experience.
Session 4
Guided Reading
read a fiction text
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Recall the story so far. Predict the ending.
Provide time for the students to read chapters 9 and 10. Compare the story with their predictions.
Were your predictions for the end of the story correct?
Did Laura overcome her stage fright?
What helped her?
How does Laura know Marco? How did he help?
Ask volunteers to find different ways to overcome stage fright in the text and read them.
What is the text about? Identical twins? Stage fright? How do you know?
Is the text fair to Lizzie? to Laura? to Mrs Ryan?
From whose point of view is the text written?
How would the text differ if it were told by Lizzie or by Mrs Ryan?
Fluency
Perform a Fairy Tale
perform a reader’s theatre script
TEACH
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Students could read a Reader’s theatre or play of a fairy tale, traditional or modern.
Students choose a text to read together. They decide who will read each part.
They use actions or props, such as headbands with the characters’ names, if they wish.
They rehearse the parts so that everyone reads smoothly and with expression.
Independent and Small Group Tasks
Put on a Performance
perform a reader’s theatre script
Students rehearse the parts for a readers theatre
presentation of a fairy tale and perform the
reader’s theatre script in front of an audience, e.g.
the rest of the class, or another class.
Write About Being Nervous
use a personal voice
Students write a story about something
they were nervous about but did
anyway. They include details about the
event and its outcome.
Create a Play Program
use font attributes to enhance presentation
• Students design a program for the play Cinderella,
the Modern Version. They include the title, location
and times of performances, and any other
important information.
• Students choose font size, colour and style to
enhance the visual appearance of the program.
© 2011 Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd