The Process

First, you have to divide in groups of four and choose the role you want to assume. If you don’t agree with your partners, the teacher will help to decide the roles for each one.

Then you have to prepare for the task. Every member has to read information on the web about his/her topic and do some activities to help you organize your contents. Remember your final task is an oral presentation about the Groundhog’s Day using Power Point, telling your classmates what you have learnt .

If you are the Biologist:

Prepare yourself! It’s cold outside in the forest. Wear your best coat and put on your boots .Don’t forget your pencils and your scrapbook to take notes on the animals and the habitats you are going to visit.

First you have to investigate everything about hibernation. Think what you already know about hibernating animals:

1. Which animals hibernate?
2. Where do they hibernate?
3. Why do they hibernate?
4. When do they hibernate?
5. What happens to animals during hibernation?

• Use the following links to learn more about it and answer the questionnaire.

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/animals.html#LEARNMORE

http://library.thinkquest.org/25553/english/animals/how/sleeplike.shtml?tqskip1=1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/reallywild/features/tts_index.shtml

Your second investigation is about our special guest: the groundhog !!!. It’s a funny, furry animal which spends winter in its burrow. (Your peers will give you information about the legend). Find as much information as possible about it and prepare an oral explanation for your classmates with graphics and pictures. You have to tell about:

1. Its physical characteristics.
2. Its habitat and range.
3. Its food habits.
4. Hibernation conditions

http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/content/animals/

http://library.thinkquest.org/25553/english/animals/how/sleeplike.shtml?tqskip1=1

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/coloring/Hibernate.shtml

OFF YOU GO!!!

If you are the Historian:

Your favourite book is Lord of the Rings and your favourite writer is Tolkien. So, you are collecting information about ancient legends because you want to write a book. So, take your pen, notebooks, old books and your tape recorder and find the origins of the Groundhog’s Day legend and some poems, rhymes or songs about this tradition.

To do this, you have to read information on the web and complete a text about the Groundhog celebration. It will be very useful for you.

Then you have to copy two rhymes or short poems, learn them by heart and draw pictures illustrating them.

· These links can help you:

http://www.groundhog.org/

http://www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm

http://www.theholidayspot.com/groundhogday/theday.htm

http://www.theholidayspot.com/groundhogday/tradition.htm

http://wilstar.com/holidays/grndhog.htm

Good luck!!!

If you are the Reporter:

You are working for an important newspaper. You have to find information about the celebration of Groundhog’s Day and take photos of all the events that happen in this town.

To do this, you have to read information on the web and fill in two questionnaires: one quiz about the celebration and one about the town. The last questionnaire has very useful information about the transport and the most interesting places to go.

Now, prepare your camera and take photos of the celebration. Once you have developed the pictures, you have to comment the most interesting ones and make an album.

· Visit these websites:

http://www.groundhog.org/

http://www.gojp.com/groundhog/

http://www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm

http://www.punxsutawneyphil.com/guide/

http://www.ontv.com/bulletin/jan2996/groundpix.htm

ENJOY YOUR TRIP!!!

If you are the Meteorologist:

You have seen the Groundhog Day movie and you are interested on the Groundhog’s prediction. Is this true?

As a scientist you need a method to predict weather: you need to observe and use technology to elaborate your forecasts.

• To do this, follow these steps and visit the links:

ü First, you have to explain how meteorologists predict weather: instruments and procedure.

http://www.wxdude.com/page21.html

ü Second, analyse the Groundhog’s predictions for the last fifty years.

http://www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm

http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/TM/WS_groundhog_predict.shtml

ü Third, find how precise the Groundhog’s predictions are.

http://www.edhelper.com/AnimalReadingComprehension_55_1.html

http://snrs.unl.edu/amet351/edwards/compare.html

Finally, the most important task in your investigation:

you have to complete a weather watch chart to check if the prediction for this year comes true. You have to observe the weather from February 2^nd (Groundhog’s day) during the following six weeks. In the end you have to explain the results to your partners in the group.

GO AHEAD !!!