Every year on February 2, people visit Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to see a weather prediction from a beloved woodland creature: Phil the Groundhog. While students eagerly await to find out if there’s going to be an early spring or six more weeks of winter, keep them occupied with timely Groundhog Day activities.

• Try a Groundhog Day creative writing activity in ELA
• Discover the history of Groundhog Day in social studies
• Debate if a groundhog’s shadow can really predict the weather in science

[Try a Groundhog Day creative writing activity in ELA](id-ela)

How much do your students know about the star of Groundhog Day,  Punxsutawney Phil? This creative writing lesson can help them learn more about him and sharpen their descriptive writing skills at the same time. 

• Assign the article about Phil, and other traditions that involve using animals to predict the weather.
• Next, share a how-to video about descriptive writing.
• Finally, ask students to write a short scene from Phil’s perspective to describe what he thinks, feels, sees, or hears during the festivities on Groundhog Day.

[Discover the history of Groundhog Day in social studies](id-ss)

How did Groundhog Day become a holiday, and why is this animal supposed to predict early spring or more winter? Dive into the history of the holiday in your social studies classes with these activity ideas:

• Brush up on facts about Groundhog Day, like how Germans brought the custom of groundhog weather predictions to Pennsylvania!
• After reading about the customs of the holiday, students can test their knowledge with a Groundhog Day Challenge on Formative.
• For your youngest students, try the Groundhog Day elementary history lesson with the same great content and more age-appropriate activities.

[Debate if a groundhog’s shadow can really predict the weather in science](id-sci)

Are the weather predictions on Groundhog Day based on science or myth? Students can uncover the truth for themselves with this science activity:

• Assign an article about the groundhog’s hibernation period and other facts about the animal.
• Have students complete a Notice, Wonder, Connect worksheet to record their observations while reading the article.
• Add a writing activity to your lesson by asking students to create news headlines that share important information they’ve learned about groundhogs and weather throughout the lesson.

Punxsutawney Phil predicts a whole school year of educational activities

We hope these Groundhog Day activities teach your students more about this quirky holiday and keep them engaged in their core subjects. Newsela’s suite of subject products has a variety of content and resources—like news articles, primary sources, literature selections, and interactive videos—to help you teach about any holiday or event throughout the year.

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