Groundhog Day in Kindergarten and First Grade FREEBIE
I am SO excited for Groundhog Day this year!
To be honest, I haven’t taught anything super fun or special on this holiday in the past, but this year is different.
I have learned over the years that using kiddos excitement for special holidays or what naturally interests them is the best way to teach. They are so engaged with what we are doing, and this makes my job ten times easier.
So I finally took the time to put together a complete unit for Groundhog Day, and I can’t wait to get started!
I am sharing a fun FREEBIE with you right here on this blog post.
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Let’s learn about Groundhog Day!
I am showing you all of the resources on this blog post, and I separate them into easy to use lessons for you.
You can also use the materials as you need to create your own lesson plans.
Many students will have no idea what a groundhog is, what a shadow is, where Pennsylvania is, or why we even are celebrating this holiday.
I always start by building background information and connecting new information to what they already know.
You can show the students each slide and read it to them, or I also include a presentation that has a video on each slide where I read it to them!
For lesson two, we quickly review the slideshow/videos and I clarify any questions. Then we complete this activity together.
Here is a great video to show as well to continue building their background knowledge.
I couldn’t believe how many misconceptions students had about what a shadow is, and how shadows are made.
This super easy experiment helps students understand shadows, and they make so many connections to seeing shadows outside.
They will be running to you to tell you every time they see a shadow for the next week.
It is so fun seeing their excitement!
Show this video AFTER your experiment!
He goes into more detail about what makes a shadow and different kinds of shadows.
THIS is a super cute, quick read aloud for learning more about shadows.
Most libraries have it available too.
Have you used my animal reports before?
You will love how easy it is for students to read about, learn, take notes and WRITE their own little reports.
The graphic organizers match the sentences perfectly - focusing on the same six keywords: are, can, have, eat, live, like
Students read the passage and then they can take notes.
You can do this whole group, in small groups or your higher students can complete these on their own.
Students love learning all of these facts about groundhogs. After they have their sentences completed, they now have all the information they need to make a bulletin board craft and a mini book to display what they know.
Everything is planned for you… you can simply print and teach!
I spread these activities over several days leading up to Groundhog Day.
Now that we have learned the basics about groundhogs, we are going to dive into learning about the lifecycle of a groundhog.
I made a poster that shows the changes a groundhog goes through, and then a coordinating cut and paste activity with more information. This is the perfect lesson before students get their very own mini book about the lifecycle of a groundhog.
Display the posters and review the vocabulary before reading. Each student can get their very own mini book!
They come in both color and black and white.
Students absolutely love labeling, and this makes an easy lesson or they are perfect for fast finishers.
Now it is almost Groundhog Day!
We have learned so much in this unit, and now students have so much fun pretending that they are a groundhog.
They make a cute craft and then you can display this on your February bulletin board.
Three differentiated versions of the writing paper are included, as well as step by step instructions for the cute groundhog craft.
Display these steps as you are making the little groundhog to make it easy for you and students!
I love having visuals so I do not have to repeat myself and to help kiddos be more independent.
I made the cut outs two different ways:
All shapes are on one page and students can color each shape.
Shapes are separated and grouped together so you can print them on colored paper.
It is now the morning of Groundhog Day!
We have been learning so much, and the kiddos are absolutely over the moon excited.
It is time to make a prediction! Will the groundhog see his shadow today?
I have these lessons spread out over about two weeks, but you can definitely use these resources in just a few days if you prefer.
Plus, I added 10 BONUS no prep worksheets for students who finish their project quickly, or to fill those extra spaces in your day.
I hope you love these activities as much as we do!
“There were so many great resources with this unit! I actually had the Vice Principal come in while we were making our groundhogs and rave about how cute they were!! This was a really fun unit for my Kinders!”
“I can’t say enough about how much of an asset this activity pack has been to my class. It makes learning about Groundhog Day fun and interactive.”
“We use this activity pack for the whole week.”
“This was an excellent resource and a fantastic teaching tool.”
