Holidays & Events

Groundhog
Day
Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. How long does winter last in your country?

2. What types of holidays are there in February?

3. D
 o you like the weather in February?
Why or why not?

4. A
 re you superstitious?
(Can you say this word properly?)

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match up as many words and meanings as you can.

Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page 2.

1. last a)  very soon or very close

2. fed up with b)  to be frustrated with, to have no more patience for something

3. the blues c)  to rest or sleep for a long time (usually during winter months)

4. rodent d)  to exist or survive

e)  a feeling of sadness or depression

5. hibernate
f)  a small animal (such as a mouse or squirrel)
6. emerge
with special teeth for gnawing
7. burrow g)  a hole or tunnel in the ground where an animal rests
8. signify h)  something people believe that is not based on reason
9. around the corner i)  to become visible

10. superstition j)  to mean or symbolize

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 Groundhog Day
Holidays & Events

Reading
1. Is winter over yet? In many parts of North America, winter weather
can start as early as October and last up to half a year. By February,
many people are fed up with the ice and snow. Groundhog Day is
a tradition related to the winter blues. It started in Punxsutawney,
Pennsylvania, in the 1800s and spread throughout the US and Canada.
On February 2, people wait to hear if the groundhog, a rodent that
hibernates in the winter, emerges from its burrow and sees its
shadow. A sunny day signifies there will be six more weeks of winter!
If it’s a cloudy day and the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow, spring
is just around the corner.

2. This superstition was borrowed from the European Candlemas

Day, which suggested that if the weather was sunny at the midpoint
between winter and spring, winter would last for six more weeks.

3. O
 ther countries have similar traditions to Groundhog Day.
In Serbia, if a bear gets scared by its own shadow after coming
out of hibernation in February, it will go back to sleep for 40 more
days of winter. In Portugal, if the heavens are crying on February 2,
winter is over. Are your fingers crossed for an early spring?

Comprehension
A. Ask & Answer

Take turns asking these questions with a partner.

Try to respond without looking back at the reading.

1. What is a groundhog?

2. W
 hy do you think Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania,
calls itself “the Weather Capital of the World”?

3. What is the weather prediction if a groundhog sees its shadow?

4. How do Serbians determine how long winter will last?

5. How do Portuguese people determine how long winter will last?

6. What does “cross your fingers” mean?

Copyright 2018, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T / V E R S I O N 2 . 0) 2
 Groundhog Day
Holidays & Events

Comprehension cont.
B. Questions

Write an appropriate question for each answer.

1.

   Groundhog Day originated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

2.

   A groundhog is a type of rodent that hibernates in the winter.

3.

   People wait to see if the groundhog will see its shadow.

4.

   Candlemas is a European tradition that inspired Groundhog Day.

5.

   Portugal and Serbia have similar traditions in February.

Vocabulary Review
Complete each sentence with one of the
words from the vocabulary list on page 1.

1. I always get                in the winter.

2. The groundhog’s shadow                that winter will last for another six weeks.

3. Many rodents                in burrows.

4. The sun is about to                from the clouds.

5. My dad is                driving in the snow.

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 Groundhog Day
Holidays & Events

Making & Sharing Weather Predictions

A. It will... / It’s going to... B. It’s supposed to...

Here are some common English verbs that are used In English, we often use “supposed to”
with “will” or “be going to” for making and sharing predictions to report weather predictions that
about future weather: bet, think, doubt, hear, assume someone else has made.

verb + it will /it is going to + weather verb + future time • It’s supposed to rain tomorrow.
• It’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow.
• I bet it will snow tomorrow.
• I hear it’s going to snow tomorrow.
Practice using “it’s supposed to”
+ weather verb and “it’s supposed to
verb + it will/it is going to + be + weather adjective + future time
be” + weather adjective to talk about
• I think it’s going to be nice this afternoon. different kinds of weather.
• I doubt it will be nice this afternoon.

Work with a partner, and think of some dates in the future

(your birthday, next week, tomorrow, etc.). Then practice
making predictions about the weather for those dates.
Use bet, think, doubt, hear, and assume + it will/is going to.

Role-Play
Get into small groups. Pretend you are gathered together on Groundhog
Day waiting for the groundhog to emerge from its burrow. Create a short
skit about an imaginary groundhog. Make sure that each person in your
group gets at least two lines! Try to use vocabulary from this lesson.

Possible roles include a journalist or weather reporter, spectators

(one who loves winter, one who loves spring), and a mayor of a town
(to make the announcement when the groundhog appears).

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 Groundhog Day
Holidays & Events

Listening
 http://blog.esllibrary.com/2012/02/01/podcast-groundhog-day/

Fill in the blanks as you listen to the recording.

1. Is winter over yet? In many parts of North America, winter

weather can start as early as October and last up to half a year.
By              , many people are             
with the ice and snow. Groundhog Day is a tradition related to
the winter              . It started in Punxsutawney,
Pennsylvania, in the 1800s and spread throughout the US and
Canada. On February 2, people wait to hear if the groundhog,
a              that hibernates in the winter, emerges
from its burrow and sees its shadow. A sunny day signifies there will
be six more weeks of winter! If it’s a cloudy day and the groundhog
doesn’t see its shadow, spring is just around the corner.

2. This              was borrowed from the European

Candlemas Day, which suggested that if the             
was sunny at the midpoint between winter and spring, winter would
last for six more weeks.

3. O
 ther countries have similar             
to Groundhog Day. In Serbia, if a bear gets scared by its own
shadow after coming out of              in February,
it will go back to sleep for 40 more days of winter. In Portugal,
if the heavens are crying on February 2, winter is over.
Are your fingers              for an early spring?

Copyright 2018, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T / V E R S I O N 2 . 0) 5