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During those first few months following the holidays, teachers and students can find themselves stuck in the winter blues. When February 2nd rolls around, I am always excited to implement a few easy-to-use activities for Groundhog Day to spice things up a bit in the classroom. This post will share free Groundhog Day activities for reading skills and comprehension. Students can celebrate and learn more about the holiday while still practicing key reading skills.
About the Free Groundhog Day Reading Activities
This free 4th and 5th grade Groundhog Day reading resource includes 3 Groundhog Day-related reading passages (2 nonfiction and 1 fiction) and related activities for each – comprehension questions and skill activities. This way you can “celebrate” Groundhog Day in your classroom and focus on your reading instruction and practice at the same time!
Below is a preview of each text and the activities it is paired with.
Nonfiction Passage – What is Groundhog Day?
This nonfiction text is about the celebration of Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on February 2nd. The text discusses the traditions of using a groundhog and how the tradition came to be. The text also talks about the different traditions that take place during the festival.
After reading the text, students can respond to what they read by completing any or all of the included activities:
- Comprehension questions – students will answer short comprehension questions related to the text
- True or False – students will cut and paste statements into columns to identify if each statement is either true or false
- Main idea – students will summarize the main idea of each paragraph and the entire passage
Nonfiction Passage – All About Punxsutawney Phil
This nonfiction text is focused on Punxsutawney Phil. It describes how locals, tourists, and a group called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle gather to observe Phil’s emergence from his burrow and how his behavior is used to predict the duration of winter. The text also mentions Phil’s accuracy rate as a weather predictor, the Inner Circle’s interpretation of his behavior, and how the groundhog spends his time when he is not predicting the weather.
This Groundhog Day text includes these activities:
- Comprehension questions – students will answer short comprehension questions related to the text
- Context clues – students will determine the definitions of given words using context clues from the passage
- Main Idea – students will summarize the main idea of each paragraph
Fiction Story – Rex to the Rescue
The story is about Rex, who is the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, as he prepares for the annual Groundhog Day event. He is worried about many things and is stressed about how he will interpret Phil’s message about how long winter will last. However, the biggest worry is that Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog weather predictor is missing.
This cute Groundhog Day story includes these activities:
- Comprehension questions – students will answer questions related to the reading
- Context clues – students will determine the definitions of given words using context clues from the passage
- Problem and solution – students will identify the problem and solution of the text as well as actions taken to solve the problem
- Evaluating summaries – students will analyze given summaries of the text and identify errors in each summary
About the Digital Groundhog Day Activities
The free activities are also available digitally via Google Slides. You can assign the passages and activities to students individually and have them use the provided text boxes on each slide (or moveable pieces) to complete each activity.
Another option is to project the digital passages if you plan to use this as a whole group reading activity or read aloud.
Ways to Use the Activity
These reading passages and comprehension activities can be used for:
- small group reading instruction
- reading centers or literacy station
- independent reading practice
- reading homework
- early finisher activities
Another idea is to allow for student choice with the passages and activities. You can give students a choice of which passage to read OR assign a specific passage and let them choose which activity they wish to complete.
Get the FREE Groundhog Day Reading Here
To get these free Groundhog Day Reading activities, simply click here or on the image below. In the download, you will find a PDF containing the printable version. Digital access links are on page 4 & 5 of the PDF.
Want More Holiday & Seasonal Reading Comprehension Activities?
If you love the variety of topics and skills included in this free set, you will love this bundle that includes all of the major holidays and seasons.
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Holiday Reading Comprehension Passages and Activities
Holiday Reading Comprehension Passages and Activities for the ENTIRE year! You and your students will love these reading comprehension passages and activities with fun holiday and seasonal themes. Digital + printable versions included!
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