Question
To kill, or not to kill?
That is the question.
Should I kill spiders in my home? by Matt Bertone
The Problem:
People often find spiders in or around their homes. To those with arachnophobia, one tiny spider can strike terror in the bravest of men. It may seem natural to kill the creature at all costs, but scientists believe there is more harm in killing the arachnids than there is in keeping your tiny roommates. Using the sources provided, you must take a stance on this issue and support your opinion with evidence from the text. Should you kill or cohabitate with these eight-legged friends?
Video Sources: Quote at least two of these sources in your work.
"Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Kill Spiders In Your Home”
Do Spiders have a purpose? Are they more helpful than harmful? Watch this video to see what you think.
“You’re Wrong About the Brown Recluse Spider”
Is the brown recluse really a threat? Watch this video to find out.
“Woman survives brown recluse spider bites after walking into shed in Georgia”
Is this a case of carelessness, or aggression?
Written Sources: Quote at least two of these sources in your work.
1. American Pest Control, Inc.
“Are House Spiders in Georgia Dangerous?”
2. UGA Today
“Joro Spiders Likely to Spread Beyond Georgia”
3. Savannah Morning News
“Natural Georgia: Hard to sleep with venomous brown recluse nearby”
4. Mayo Clinic
“Spider Bites”
The Task:
Now that you’re aware of the arguments for and against killing the spiders in your domicile, you must convince others to agree with your opinion. You will choose a role, audience, format, and topic to write about. This type of writing is called a RAFT, and you can find more information about RAFTs Here.
While this is a creative writing activity, you must still use quotes and examples from the texts to support your topic/opinion.
Here is an example:
Role: I will write as a precocious and intelligent child
Audience: My audience will be my mother who is scared of ALL bugs
Format: I will create a powerpoint presentation that includes images and paragraphs of persuasive writing to convince her to think logically about the bug population.
Topic: I will convince my mom to let all spiders live, because they will actually kill the other insects that are more harmful (like mosquitos).
“Every Spider in Your House- and What They’re Doing There”
Which spiders are friends, and which ones are dangerous. Is there time to determine type before squashing the bug in your bedroom?
Things to Consider about Informational Texts:
Purpose and Audience:
Tone and Style:
Use of Detail:
Use of Supporting Evidence :
Impact of the Text:
RAFT IDEAS
Role: Pretend to be a scientist, concerned roommate, doctor, arachnophobic person, time traveler who has seen the results of killing or keeping spiders. Just pick a character to play and use vocabulary that is appropriate for that person in your creative writing piece.
Format: You can write a scientific journal article, a rap, a letter, a portion of a book chapter, a speech, a monologue for a play, and anything in between. Your primary requirement is to include quotes from the text to support your opinion, and to follow any formatting guidelines for the type of writing you choose to submit.
Topic: Your topic must be for or against killing house spiders. Please don’t argue for a hybrid “kill some, keep others” for this specific assignment. Make a strong stance and defend it proudly!
Project Rubric:
Project clearly and creatively integrates role, audience, format, and topic. Demonstrates a deep understanding of RAFT elements.
Project demonstrates a high level of originality and inventiveness. Student was willing to take chances and engage in creative exploration.
Presents a compelling argument with clear, logical reasoning. Utilizes quotes from two articles and two videos.
Project demonstrates strong use of critical thinking skills, such as identifying and asking significant questions, interpreting information, and drawing conclusions.
RAFT Example:
R: point
A: teacher
F: letter
T: convince the teacher that you have an important function
Dear Mrs. Havens
I am Pete, the point. I am on point of an endless number of points in space. I want to ask you if you will teach your students about us points and explain how every single geometric figure is made up of us. It is very important to me because it seems that many people think of the point as a small part of geometry since we are so little. Through we are little, we are one of the most important factors of our world of geometry. Without me and all other point, there would be no geometric figures. We are their building blocks. Through all lines are drawn with one solif mark, in reality, a line is an endless set of points going in opposite directions. A sphere is a figure with all points at an equal distance from a center point like me. So please, tell your students all about us points. It troubles me when many think of us as unimportant specks in space. Please, spread the reality of our importance to the students you teach. My partners and I would appreciate it greatly. Thank you.
A point,
Pete
That is the question.
Should I kill spiders in my home? by Matt Bertone
The Problem:
People often find spiders in or around their homes. To those with arachnophobia, one tiny spider can strike terror in the bravest of men. It may seem natural to kill the creature at all costs, but scientists believe there is more harm in killing the arachnids than there is in keeping your tiny roommates. Using the sources provided, you must take a stance on this issue and support your opinion with evidence from the text. Should you kill or cohabitate with these eight-legged friends?
Video Sources: Quote at least two of these sources in your work.
"Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Kill Spiders In Your Home”
Do Spiders have a purpose? Are they more helpful than harmful? Watch this video to see what you think.
“You’re Wrong About the Brown Recluse Spider”
Is the brown recluse really a threat? Watch this video to find out.
“Woman survives brown recluse spider bites after walking into shed in Georgia”
Is this a case of carelessness, or aggression?
Written Sources: Quote at least two of these sources in your work.
1. American Pest Control, Inc.
“Are House Spiders in Georgia Dangerous?”
2. UGA Today
“Joro Spiders Likely to Spread Beyond Georgia”
3. Savannah Morning News
“Natural Georgia: Hard to sleep with venomous brown recluse nearby”
4. Mayo Clinic
“Spider Bites”
The Task:
Now that you’re aware of the arguments for and against killing the spiders in your domicile, you must convince others to agree with your opinion. You will choose a role, audience, format, and topic to write about. This type of writing is called a RAFT, and you can find more information about RAFTs Here.
While this is a creative writing activity, you must still use quotes and examples from the texts to support your topic/opinion.
Here is an example:
Role: I will write as a precocious and intelligent child
Audience: My audience will be my mother who is scared of ALL bugs
Format: I will create a powerpoint presentation that includes images and paragraphs of persuasive writing to convince her to think logically about the bug population.
Topic: I will convince my mom to let all spiders live, because they will actually kill the other insects that are more harmful (like mosquitos).
“Every Spider in Your House- and What They’re Doing There”
Which spiders are friends, and which ones are dangerous. Is there time to determine type before squashing the bug in your bedroom?
Things to Consider about Informational Texts:
Purpose and Audience:
Tone and Style:
Use of Detail:
Use of Supporting Evidence :
Impact of the Text:
RAFT IDEAS
Role: Pretend to be a scientist, concerned roommate, doctor, arachnophobic person, time traveler who has seen the results of killing or keeping spiders. Just pick a character to play and use vocabulary that is appropriate for that person in your creative writing piece.
Format: You can write a scientific journal article, a rap, a letter, a portion of a book chapter, a speech, a monologue for a play, and anything in between. Your primary requirement is to include quotes from the text to support your opinion, and to follow any formatting guidelines for the type of writing you choose to submit.
Topic: Your topic must be for or against killing house spiders. Please don’t argue for a hybrid “kill some, keep others” for this specific assignment. Make a strong stance and defend it proudly!
Project Rubric:
Project clearly and creatively integrates role, audience, format, and topic. Demonstrates a deep understanding of RAFT elements.
Project demonstrates a high level of originality and inventiveness. Student was willing to take chances and engage in creative exploration.
Presents a compelling argument with clear, logical reasoning. Utilizes quotes from two articles and two videos.
Project demonstrates strong use of critical thinking skills, such as identifying and asking significant questions, interpreting information, and drawing conclusions.
RAFT Example:
R: point
A: teacher
F: letter
T: convince the teacher that you have an important function
Dear Mrs. Havens
I am Pete, the point. I am on point of an endless number of points in space. I want to ask you if you will teach your students about us points and explain how every single geometric figure is made up of us. It is very important to me because it seems that many people think of the point as a small part of geometry since we are so little. Through we are little, we are one of the most important factors of our world of geometry. Without me and all other point, there would be no geometric figures. We are their building blocks. Through all lines are drawn with one solif mark, in reality, a line is an endless set of points going in opposite directions. A sphere is a figure with all points at an equal distance from a center point like me. So please, tell your students all about us points. It troubles me when many think of us as unimportant specks in space. Please, spread the reality of our importance to the students you teach. My partners and I would appreciate it greatly. Thank you.
A point,
Pete
Answers
GPT-4o mini
**Role:** Concerned Scientist
**Audience:** Homeowners who fear spiders
**Format:** Informative Speech
**Topic:** We should cohabitate with spiders because they are helpful and necessary for a balanced ecosystem.
---
**Ladies and Gentlemen,**
Thank you for gathering today to discuss an important yet often misunderstood aspect of our home environment—our eight-legged roommates, the spiders. As a concerned scientist and entomologist, I stand before you to advocate for cohabitation with these fascinating creatures, rather than resorting to the instinctive urge to kill them.
First and foremost, we must understand the pivotal role spiders play in our ecosystem. As noted in the video “Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Kill Spiders In Your Home,” spiders are natural predators of many household pests, including the much-dreaded mosquitoes. By sharing your living space with spiders, you’re effectively reducing the population of these unwanted insects in your home, which can harbor diseases and irritate our lives.
In addition to their pest control abilities, spiders are ultimately harmless to humans. According to the article “Are House Spiders in Georgia Dangerous?” published by American Pest Control, Inc., most house spiders are not harmful and actually pose little threat to our well-being. In fact, out of the myriad species, only a handful are venomous or capable of delivering a dangerous bite. In most cases, spiders would rather avoid confrontation with humans entirely.
I know many of you may have concerns about potentially dangerous species, particularly the infamous brown recluse. However, let’s take a closer look at the video “You’re Wrong About the Brown Recluse Spider.” Many bites attributed to this spider are often misdiagnosed. In reality, the brown recluse is not as aggressive as many believe. Bites typically occur only when the spider is inadvertently harmed or trapped—so unless you’re planning a wrestling match with one, simply cohabitating peacefully is an option worth considering.
Furthermore, I want to stress that killing spiders may cause more harm than good, leading to imbalances in our ecosystem. As indicated in “Natural Georgia: Hard to sleep with venomous brown recluse nearby” from Savannah Morning News, the removal of spiders can inadvertently lead to an increase in their prey populations, creating an environment in which other pests thrive.
By reducing the spider population in our homes, we risk unintentionally opening the floodgates to larger and more bothersome pest problems. Cohabitation could lead to less harmful insect populations and an overall healthier home environment.
In conclusion, I urge you to rethink your reactions when you encounter a spider in your home. Instead of reaching for the nearest shoe or can of bug spray, consider the benefits these tiny creatures bring. They are not only our allies in pest control but also an essential part of our natural ecosystem.
Let us choose understanding over fear and coexistence over extermination.
Thank you.
**Audience:** Homeowners who fear spiders
**Format:** Informative Speech
**Topic:** We should cohabitate with spiders because they are helpful and necessary for a balanced ecosystem.
---
**Ladies and Gentlemen,**
Thank you for gathering today to discuss an important yet often misunderstood aspect of our home environment—our eight-legged roommates, the spiders. As a concerned scientist and entomologist, I stand before you to advocate for cohabitation with these fascinating creatures, rather than resorting to the instinctive urge to kill them.
First and foremost, we must understand the pivotal role spiders play in our ecosystem. As noted in the video “Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Kill Spiders In Your Home,” spiders are natural predators of many household pests, including the much-dreaded mosquitoes. By sharing your living space with spiders, you’re effectively reducing the population of these unwanted insects in your home, which can harbor diseases and irritate our lives.
In addition to their pest control abilities, spiders are ultimately harmless to humans. According to the article “Are House Spiders in Georgia Dangerous?” published by American Pest Control, Inc., most house spiders are not harmful and actually pose little threat to our well-being. In fact, out of the myriad species, only a handful are venomous or capable of delivering a dangerous bite. In most cases, spiders would rather avoid confrontation with humans entirely.
I know many of you may have concerns about potentially dangerous species, particularly the infamous brown recluse. However, let’s take a closer look at the video “You’re Wrong About the Brown Recluse Spider.” Many bites attributed to this spider are often misdiagnosed. In reality, the brown recluse is not as aggressive as many believe. Bites typically occur only when the spider is inadvertently harmed or trapped—so unless you’re planning a wrestling match with one, simply cohabitating peacefully is an option worth considering.
Furthermore, I want to stress that killing spiders may cause more harm than good, leading to imbalances in our ecosystem. As indicated in “Natural Georgia: Hard to sleep with venomous brown recluse nearby” from Savannah Morning News, the removal of spiders can inadvertently lead to an increase in their prey populations, creating an environment in which other pests thrive.
By reducing the spider population in our homes, we risk unintentionally opening the floodgates to larger and more bothersome pest problems. Cohabitation could lead to less harmful insect populations and an overall healthier home environment.
In conclusion, I urge you to rethink your reactions when you encounter a spider in your home. Instead of reaching for the nearest shoe or can of bug spray, consider the benefits these tiny creatures bring. They are not only our allies in pest control but also an essential part of our natural ecosystem.
Let us choose understanding over fear and coexistence over extermination.
Thank you.