Groundhogs Day and the Superbowl: predicting outcomes

On January 31st we completed a project on Groundhogs Day. We first read a book about groundhogs from which we learned that groundhogs eat fruits and vegetables, they whistle when they are scared, and that they are similar to squirrels. This book was created by the blog Growing Kinders at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Groundhog-Book.

After learning about groundhogs and the history of Groundhogs Day we made our own predictions about whether we thought the groundhog would see his shadow or not. It was exciting for students to see what their classmates thought and it opened the class up to a great discussion on making predictions. Once everyone made their predictions we looked at the chart we had created and we recorded that data onto a small graph. From there we compared the results and concluded that most students in the class thought that the groundhog would not see his shadow.

We all thought it was funny that a groundhog could whistle. This lead to students wondering who could whistle and who could not. So the last thing we did was graph this. It was great! Everyone answered with a yes or no, and some who said yes proved they could whistle. The best part for me was when I asked one of the boys if he could whistle and he replied "well...once every five years I can". Oh, the mind of a five year old! This was one of the highlights of this groundhog activity and it was a wonderful way to end the day!

To go along with our lessons on making predictions each student was able to make their own prediction about the outcome of the Superbowl. Unfortunately most students felt that the 49ers would win (sad face) but it was great to hear why each student thought their chosen team would win. Most student said they just liked the color of the uniform the best. It was also exciting to see how much progress each student has made in regards to writing! Here is a picture of our Superbowl predictions in the form of football players!