This lesson is built around a suspenseful short story that explores fear, memory, and the boundary between dreams and reality.
A Fear of Spiders follows a man named Nigel who wakes from what seems to be a terrifying dream — or is it something more?
The story is rich in atmospheric detail and emotional tension, making it ideal for English learners who enjoy reading fiction that sparks discussion and imagination.
Throughout the lesson, students will develop their reading comprehension, expand their vocabulary, and explore personal responses to fear through structured activities and creative exercises.
The lesson includes:
Vocabulary-building tasks
Reading comprehension questions
Speaking and discussion activities
Writing prompts and role plays
A range of optional extension exercises
This flexible lesson is suitable for B1 to C1 level learners and can be used in group classes, 1-to-1 sessions, or online learning environments.
What are you most afraid of — and why?
(You can include common fears like spiders, heights, public speaking, etc.)
Do you think most fears come from personal experience, or are they learned from other people?
(For example, from parents, media, or friends.)
Have you ever had a nightmare that felt completely real?
(What was it about? How did you feel when you woke up?)
Why do you think so many people are afraid of spiders?
(Is it logical or irrational?)
A Fear of Spiders
Nigel awoke to a weight on his chest.
Not the pressure of a blanket or a lingering dream. No, this was something heavy. Something alive.
He opened his eyes — and froze.
A spider. But not like any spider he had seen before.
Its eight legs arched above him like mechanical cranes, gripping the sides of the bed. Its body hovered inches from his face. And those eyes. Eight black, expressionless mirrors, all fixed on him. Unmoving. Unblinking.
Nigel couldn’t breathe.
Thick black hairs sprouted from its swollen body. Two grotesque fangs jutted from its mouth, gleaming with saliva that dripped — one cold, sticky drop — onto his bare chest.
A nightmare. It had to be.
But he could feel it. The hairs brushing his skin. A coldness emanating from its fanged mouth. The pinprick sting of terror in every nerve ending.
He tried to move.
The spider moved faster.
One leg shot down and gripped his wrist, pinning it to the bed with terrifying strength.
His mother’s voice echoed in his mind.
They’re strong.
Stronger than you’d think.
When he was five years old, Nigel heard his mother scream for the first time. A scream so shrill it made the windows shudder.
He ran to her room. She was standing on the bed, fists tight against her throat, shaking. Her eyes were wide, wild with fear.
“Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!” she shrieked.
On the dressing table, a tiny spider — no bigger than a coin — scuttling across the glass. Looking for a way out.
His father walked in with a sigh. “For god’s sake,” he muttered, reaching for a tissue.
His mother pointed, still trembling. “Don’t let it go. Kill it. That’s the only way. You have to kill it.”
Later that night, she tucked Nigel into bed. A cigarette in one hand, wine glass in the other.
“Spiders can kill you, my love,” she whispered, brushing his hair back. “They catch you in their webs and keep you there… to feed to their babies.”
She kissed him on the forehead, the smell of smoke and wine clinging to her.
Nigel didn’t sleep that night.
Now, decades later, the spider was here. Real or not, it didn’t matter.
Its jaws opened, and Nigel could see the darkness inside its mouth. A mouth big enough to bite off his head.
He tried to scream. Nothing came out.
His eyes locked on the spider’s. Eight black voids reflecting his pale face — frozen, horrified, helpless.
His body shook with tension. Every muscle tight, buzzing, waiting to explode.
And then—
Light.
The bedroom door opened. A switch clicked. His wife’s voice.
“Nigel?”
The spider vanished.
Gone.
Nigel gasped, his lungs flooding with air. His body sagged into the mattress, drenched in sweat.
It wasn’t real.
Just another dream.
His wife sat beside him on the bed, brushing hair from his forehead. “Another one?”
He nodded, forcing a sheepish smile. “Yeah. Stupid.”
She smiled warmly. “Come downstairs. I’ll make you breakfast. You need to eat more. Get some meat on those bones.”
Nigel slid out of bed, still shaking. He pulled on his dressing gown and followed her to the kitchen.
The kitchen was bright. Warm. Safe.
He sat at the table while his wife busied herself at the stove. Eggs, bacon. Coffee already waiting in his favourite mug.
He took a sip. The heat helped.
“I have to do something about this,” he said quietly. “I can’t go on like this. It’s ridiculous.”
His wife turned and smiled. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
She placed the plate in front of him. “Eat up.”
Nigel looked at the food, then up at her.
“Thank you, darling,” he said.
She leaned down and kissed the top of his head.
And that’s when he saw it.
At the corner of her mouth — just a thread.
White. Glistening. Fine as silk.
Like a spider’s web.
Reading Comprehension Questions
Below is a list of reading comprehension questions.
Try to answer each question based on the details in the story.
You can check your answers with the model responses provided at the end of the lesson plan.
What woke Nigel up?
How is the spider described in this section?
What physical reaction does Nigel have?
What detail makes the spider especially terrifying?
Why does Nigel think it might be a dream?
What physical sensations confirm to Nigel that it might not be a dream?
How does the spider react when Nigel tries to move?
What memory comes to Nigel’s mind?
What does this memory suggest about spiders?
What does the spider’s strength tell us about its nature?
How old was Nigel during this memory?
What caused his mother to scream?
How did she react to the spider?
What was his father’s attitude toward the situation?
How is the spider in this memory different from the one in the dream?
What does Nigel’s mother insist must be done to the spider?
What was she holding when she put Nigel to bed?
What did she tell him about spiders?
How do her words reflect her fears?
What effect did her bedtime story have on Nigel?
How long ago was the childhood memory?
What does Nigel see inside the spider’s mouth?
Why can’t Nigel scream?
What finally interrupts the dream?
What happens to the spider when the light is turned on?
How does Nigel react after the dream ends?
What does his wife do to comfort him?
What does she suggest to help him feel better?
How does Nigel feel physically after the dream?
What is his emotional reaction to his wife’s kindness?
How does the kitchen contrast with the dream?
What meal is being prepared?
What does Nigel say about his situation?
How does his wife respond?
What detail does Nigel notice at the end of the story?
Essential Vocabulary
awoke | nightmare | frozen |
weight | emanating | helpless |
pressure | pinprick | buzzing |
lingering | terror | switch |
alive | nerve | vanished |
froze | wrist | gasped |
arched | gripped | lungs |
mechanical | terrifying | flooding |
cranes | strength | sagged |
gripping | echoed | drenched |
hovered | shudder | sweat |
expressionless | fists | sheepish |
mirrors | trembling | smiled |
unmoving | shrieked | shaking |
unblinking | scuttling | dressing gown |
breathe | dressing table | busied |
sprouted | tissue | stove |
swollen | muttered | sip |
grotesque | clinging | ridiculous |
fangs | decades | reassured |
gleaming | darkness | thread |
saliva | voids | glistening |
sticky | reflecting | silk |
Vocabulary Practice Exercise
Follow the steps below to help you learn and remember new words and phrases more effectively:
1. Write each new word or phrase in your vocabulary notebook.
2. Look up the meaning of each word in your dictionary. Write a clear and simple definition next to the word.
3. Create your own sentence using the word or phrase correctly. Try to make the sentence meaningful and connected to your own life or experiences.
Examples
Awoke – to stop sleeping; to wake up.
Example sentence: I awoke suddenly in the middle of the night after hearing a strange noise outside.
Emanating – coming out or spreading from a source.
Example sentence: A delicious smell was emanating from the kitchen as my grandmother cooked dinner.
Why do this?
Doing this regularly will help you improve all areas of your English — reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By writing definitions and making your own examples, you are actively using the language, which helps it stick in your memory.
Discussion Questions
This is a list of discussion questions.
Remember: There is no right or correct answer to many of these questions.
Each answer is based on the opinion or thoughts of the person answering.
Go round the class and ask each other the questions.
How did the story make you feel while you were reading it?
Have you ever had a nightmare that felt real? What was it about?
Why do you think Nigel has such a strong fear of spiders?
Do you think fears like this are learned from parents? Why or why not?
What would you do if you woke up and saw a giant spider on your chest?
Do you think Nigel’s wife was helpful and supportive? Why or why not?
Have you ever been comforted by someone after a bad dream or frightening experience?
How would you feel if you saw a thread of spider’s web on someone’s mouth, like Nigel did at the end?
Do you think the spider in the story was real or just part of Nigel’s imagination? Explain your answer.
What message or theme do you think this story is trying to express?
Can childhood experiences really affect people for the rest of their lives? Why or why not?
How did the writer build suspense and fear in the story? Give examples.
Do you think Nigel will continue to have these nightmares? Why or why not?
What details in the story made the spider seem terrifying?
Would the story have been more or less effective if the spider had been real? Why?
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