PREVIEW ACTIVITY Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.

Groundhog Day, Explained (B2)

PAGE 1

Work with a partner, group, or your teacher. Do the activities below together.

PART 1 Discuss the questions below about groundhogs. a groundhog

1 What animals are similar to or remind you of a groundhog?

2 What parts of the world do you think groundhogs are native to?
3 Have you ever seen a groundhog in person? If so, where? If not, have you ever
seen a similar animal in person?

PART 2 Choose the correct nouns that you think match each definition below.

hypothermia hibernation mating season solstice equinox

1 The winter is considered the first day of winter in the

Northern hemisphere and the shortest day of the year.

2 The spring is considered the first day of spring in the

Northern hemisphere.

3 When the body experiences a significant and potentially dangerous drop in

temperature, this is called .

4 An inactive state or long sleep that animals go into in order to save energy
and survive the winter is called .

5 A period of time during the year when animals find a partner for sexual
reproduction is called .

The illustration below shows a tradition called Groundhog Day. Predict what this day
PART 3
is about. Use at least 2 of the terms from Part 2 to describe your prediction.

We will have 6 more

weeks of winter!
GROUNDHOG DAY, EXPLAINED
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.
Groundhog Day, Explained (B2)
PAGE 2

PREVIEW DISCUSSION: Read the discussion topic

below and discuss it with your partner or teacher.

Where in the world do you think (or know)

Groundhog Day is celebrated?

VIEWING ACTIVITY

PART 1 Watch the first 25 seconds of the video. Discuss the questions below.

1 What does it supposedly mean if a groundhog sees its shadow on February 2?

2 What does it supposedly mean if it doesn’t see its shadow on this day?
3 How close were your predictions about Groundhog Day from Preview, Part 3?

PART 2 Match the words/names below with the correct descriptions on the right.

0:01 1 Punxsutawney a. the name of the groundhog in the Pennsylvania tradition

0:01 2 Phil b. a town in Pennsylvania that hosts a Groundhog Day tradition

0:36 3 Candlemas c. an alternative name for a groundhog

0:36 4 a badger d. the name of the animal that was part of the German tradition

1:07 5 a woodchuck e. the name of an old religious holiday in Germany celebrated at

the midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox

PART 3 Discuss/Write short answers according to the information in the video.

1:27 1 What happens physiologically within a groundhog’s body during winter?

2:11 2 What is the real reason groundhogs come out of their burrows in early February?

2:33 3 How often is Punxsutawney Phil right about predicting the end of winter?
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.
Groundhog Day, Explained (B2)
PAGE 3

PART 1 Discuss the questions below.

1 Which adjective(s) below would you use to describe Groundhog Day?

Use a dictionary if necessary. Explain your choice(s).

intriguing silly pointless illogical unique

2 Are there any traditions in your culture that involve or are associated with
animals in some way? If so, explain what you know about these traditions.

Choose the correct conjunctions or linking phrases that fit the sentences from the
PART 2
video below. One is not used!

No matter After all While However Whether

A it may seem random, there is some logic to turning to the

groundhog for weather predictions.

B , the idea that groundhogs predict the weather when they

come out of hibernation may be a bit of a stretch.

C a groundhog see its shadow or not on February 2nd has more to

do with the weather that day than the groundhog itself.

D , Punxsutawney Phil has only been right about 30% of the time,
so we’re probably better off listening to meteorologists, or, just flipping a coin.

Match each function of the conjunctions/linking phrases (A, B, C, or D) in the

PART 3
sentences in Part 2 to the usages described below.

1 Used to express a surprising contrast (same as ‘although’ / ‘even though’)

2 Used to emphasize a fact to consider when making a point/conclusion

3 Used to make a contradictory or opposing view to a preceding point

4 Used to state one condition and its opposite

POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 2 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.
Groundhog Day, Explained (B2)
PAGE 4

PART 1 Study the functions and examples of the conjunctions/linking phrases below.

While + [clause] , [clause] = introduces a surprising contrast (same as ‘although’ / ‘even though’)
EXAMPLE While groundhogs are native to my area, I’ve actually never seen one in person.

[Clause] / However, + [clause] = makes a contradictory view to a preceding point

EXAMPLE Groundhog day is intriguing. However, I don’t see the point of celebrating it.

Whether + [clause] = used to state one condition and its opposite

EXAMPLE Whether the winter will be long or not is about global climate conditions.

[Clause] / After all, + [clause] = emphasizes a fact to consider when making a point/conclusion
EXAMPLE I think that it’s useless to try predicting the weather. After all, even meteorologists
are often wrong!

NOTE: While... and However, ... have similar functions, but different structures for use. For
example, you can say: While groundhog day is intriguing, I don’t see the point of celebrating it.

Rewrite the sentences using a conjunction or linking phrase above. In some

PART 2
sentences, there may be more than one correct answer.

EX. An animal can hibernate for days, weeks, or even months. This depends on the species,
temperature, time of year, and other factors.

Whether an animal hibernates for days, weeks, or even months depends on the
species, temperature, and time of year.

1 It’s no surprise that animals need to hibernate in the winter. Food is harder to find and
they need to conserve energy.

2 A groundhog may closely resemble a beaver. They’re very different animals.

3 The spring equinox occurs in March. There are often wintry conditions until May.

4 A person can die from hypothermia. This depends on how cold the temperatures are.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 3 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.
Groundhog Day, Explained (B2)
PAGE 5
READING TASK:

• Read the plot description below about a 1993 film titled “Groundhog Day”.
• Write a conjunction/linking phrase that fits each blank space.
• There are 2 examples of each conjunction/linking phrase missing in the description!

While Whether However, After all,

The film Groundhog Day is about a man named Phil Connors, who is a TV
meteorologist at a local weather station in Pittsburgh.
he thinks this job is a waste of his talent. He is very egoistic and narcissistic.
He has a negative attitude when his boss sends him to the small town of
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to report about the annual Groundhog Day tradition. 

Phil has a normal job and life, he is not appreciative of what he has and
starts to hate it. One day, when he tries to go back to Pittsburgh, a snow storm keeps him
in Punxsutawney, and so he has to spend the night there. when he wakes
up the next day, he finds that he has to live Groundhog Day, February 2, all over again.
And again. And again...and again.

Phil’s first reaction to reliving the same day over and over again is to use Groundhog Day
for his own selfish purposes. For example, he steals some money from a bank and tries to
manipulate women.

After a while, Phil realizes that he might never escape Groundhog Day. he
desperately wants it to end, he keeps waking up back in his bed at 6:00AM on February
2nd.  he will ever get back to his normal life or not is now his main fear.

Finally, he decides to dedicate himself to helping others. He even tries to save the life of
an old homeless man day after day, but eventually he finds that no matter what he does,
the homeless man is destined to die on Groundhog Day. there are some
things in life we just can’t change.

Eventually Phil realizes something. he will be stuck in Groundhog Day

forever is about fixing his ego and coming to accept the things he can’t change. So he
finally starts to change his behavior, become a better person, and in the end, he escapes
his imprisonment in Groundhog Day. 

if we are selfish, unappreciative, manipulative, never change the way we

behave, and have a negative attitude in life, we are more likely to experience negative
consequences!
QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.
Groundhog Day, Explained (B2)
PAGE 6
Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART 1 Questions. Discuss and answer the questions below about the video.

1 What happens on Groundhog Day? What is it about and what are its origins?
2 How was the Candlemas Day tradition transformed when it came to the USA?
3 What’s the real reason groundhogs come out of hibernation in early February?
4 How often does Punxsutawney Phil make accurate predictions?

PART 2 Vocabulary: Write the nouns that fit the sentences from the video below.

1 The Groundhog Day tradition comes from Germany. On “Candlemas Day”, the
Germans paid attention to the badger. Candlemas was the midpoint between
the and the . Around February 2nd, if the badger
saw its shadow, it meant that a second winter was coming.

2 When groundhogs emerge from hibernation, it means winter is almost over. In

winter months, their body temperature drops 62 degrees. Comparatively, if a
human body temperature drops just 4 degrees, it goes into .

3 is in March, so groundhogs wake up a little early to scope out

potential partners, and then return to their burrow to wait out the winter.

Grammar: Write sentences (or say sentences out loud) about groundhogs or Ground-
PART 3
hog Day starting with the conjunctions/linking phrases below.

1 While it may seem random, there is...

2 However, the idea that groundhogs...

3 Whether a groundhog sees...

4 After all, Punxsutawney Phil...

PART 4 Grammar: Explain the function of each conjunctions/linking phrase used above.