February is sneaking up on us! I can’t believe how quickly this semester is flying by! February 2nd is Groundhog Day. Are you celebrating Groundhog Day in your elementary classroom? If you haven’t started planning for this day, let me help you out!
Read Alouds
Build a little background knowledge with fun read alouds with your students on these furry creatures! Here are a few of my favorite Groundhog Day books.
- Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather – “Geoffrey Groundhog has become a local celebrity for successfully predicting how long winter will last. Everyone awaits his prediction each February 2, when he emerges from his burrow to look for his shadow. But Geoffrey’s fame has grown out of control – and so has the commotion surrounding his burrow! With television lights and cameras crowding him, he can’t even see the ground, much less his shadow. How will he make his spring prediction? How will anyone know if they should wax their surfboards or their skis?”
- It’s Groundhog Day! – “Worried that an early spring will ruin his ski lodge business, Roland Raccoon takes drastic steps to prevent Godfrey Groundhog from looking for his shadow on Groundhog Day.”
- Groundhog Day – “Will Phil the groundhog see his shadow? It is Groundhog Day! Will Phil, the groundhog, see his shadow? Or is spring on its way? Read this fun, colorful story to find out what happens to the adorable groundhog! “
- Gregory’s Shadow – “Gregory is a shy groundhog, and having his friend, Shadow, close by makes him feel brave. But, one day Gregory and Shadow go outside to look for food, and they get separated. Scared and lonely, they search and search for one another. To make matters worse, tomorrow is Groundhog Day, and everyone will be waiting to see if Gregory and his shadow leave their home together. Will the two friends find each other in time for Groundhog Day?”
Anchor Charts
After reading about Groundhog Day, do a little exploring on a few websites to learn about these woodchucks, aka groundhogs. Then, create a few anchor charts together.
Jot down a few facts that students remember on chart paper. I love using Mr. Sketch markers and Post-It chart paper to create mine. It doesn’t have to be perfect (#ranoutofroom – as you can see), but an anchor chart like this is perfect for helping with informational writing prompts or summarizing paragraphs.
Here is another example that can be used for teaching categorizing for younger students. The “are” column is a wonderful way to explore new vocabulary words and synonyms. All of these ideas and topics should be explored whole group either through nonfiction books or website exploration. Your kids will love this background knowledge of these furry animals that we don’t often see in person.
Poetry Lesson Freebie
I love using poetry to teach rhyming words and parts of speech. The poem Groundhog Day by Kathleen M. Hollenbeck is perfect to use with elementary learners.
I have a free pack for you to use with your students! This pack includes four pages of activities and two pages of standards that correlate with the pack for 1st and 2nd-grade students. To get this free download, all you have to do is enter your email and click DOWNLOAD PLEASE.
Groundhog Day Videos
Simply Kinder has made a collection of “The Very Best Groundhog Day Videos” that I love! You certainly should click on over, and check out her list! Click here or on the picture below.
I hope you and your students enjoy Groundhog Day this year!!! Share in the comments your favorite February 2nd activities! I would love to read about them!
P.S. This post contains a few affiliate links to Amazon. They throw a few pennies my way if you purchase through them to help with the up keep of this website.
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