Groundhog Day is celebrated every February 2 in the United States. Legend has it that on this day, the groundhog comes out of its hole after a long winter of hibernation and looks for its shadow. If it sees the shadow, it is a sign that there will be six more weeks of cold, winter weather. If the groundhog does not see its shadow, it is a sign that winter is over and warm, spring weather is on the way.
Children's literature on the topic of Groundhog Day is a great place to start with your students. Reading a story about the holiday will create background knowledge for your students and peak their interest in the subject. Children's books on the subject range from informational books about groundhogs and hibernation, to fiction books that tell fanciful stories from the groundhog's point of view. Read both types of books and use these as a learning opportunity to discuss fiction verses non-fiction text. Define and discuss the term myth as you learn about this topic.
Teach predictions by asking older students to predict if the groundhog will see its shadow and what will happen if it does or does not. Be sure to encourage them to give reasons to support their predictions. After six weeks, have them revisit their predictions and discuss if they turned out to be true or not. Modify this activity for younger students by having them draw pictures of their predictions.
Groundhog Day has been celebrated in different forms for thousands of years. Traditionally, it was celebrated through poetry. Share this background knowledge with your students, and use Groundhog Day as inspiration for your students to write their own poems on the subject. For younger students, start by charting rhyming words they might use in their poems. For older students, read examples of traditional Groundhog Day poems to give them ideas.