Flipping Over Groundhog Day!

I am, that's who.

And, actually, I never cared until I moved out of Florida. Floridians welcome winter. It's a temporary break from the oppressive heat and humidity. It's the one week of the year when your hair does what you always knew it could. And, if you happen to have a coat and a cute scarf, you can finally wear them.

But now I live where it's cold. And I'm cold.

I'm ready for spring!

And I'm counting on Phil to bring it.

If you're planning lessons for Groundhog Day, check out these two resources. I love this student reader, What Is Groundhog Day?. It explains when the holiday occurs, who Punxsutawney Phil is, and what happens if he sees his shadow.  

The children can assemble the book by themselves... they simply cut the pages in half, put them in order, and staple inside the margin. We read them together, tracing the sight words, highlighting and discussing key vocabulary, and asking relevant questions. (Sometimes, we keep them in class for a few extra days and continue to work in them during small group instruction.)

In the photo above, you can see an example of how we use the book. Not only do we practice spelling simple sight words, but we highlight important key words and write questions we have about groundhogs, like What do they eat?

I love the question. It's perfect and it leads me right into another resource I have for them: Flipping Over Groundhogs {An Informational Flip Book}.

Although the first book explains the holiday, this book contains informational text, which my kids always love. (They love science and nature!) The flip book is also simple for the children to assemble on their own... all they need is a pair of scissors and a glue stick or stapler.

Here, they learn about the groundhog's body parts and about some foods groundhogs typically eat. Throw in a few "Fun Facts" and suddenly the kids are groundhog experts!

Here's to hoping Phil does not see his shadow!

Happy teaching!