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GENERAL ENGLISH · SPECIAL REPORT · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

THE GREAT
GROUNDHOG

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1 Warm up

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Do you consider yourself an animal lover? Are you a fan of big ones or small ones?
2. When was the last time you went for a walk around a forest? Did you catch a sight of any animals
there?
3. Which time of year is your favourite? Why?
4. Do you think it is possible to predict when the seasons are going to change?

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2 Visual guide

Look at the images related to groundhogs. Match the names to the correct pictures.

acorn bobcat bugs burrow

great horned owl rodent squirrel weasel

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8.

Answer the following questions.

1. Which of the animals above do you like the most? Why?

2. Do you know any interesting facts about these animals?
3. How do you feel about bugs? Why do you think so many people hate them?
4. Do you know any food that can be made out of acorns? What’s your favourite type of nut?

3 Focus on vocabulary 1

You are going to listen to or watch a short video about the groundhog. Before you listen, match the
words to the definitions below.

1. habitat (n) a. animals that kill and eat other animals

2. meadows (n) b. mainly, essentially

3. spot (v) c. animals that only eat plants

4. primarily (adv.) d. a place where a particular animal is usually found

5. herbivores (n) e. fields covered in grass

6. predators (n) f. in danger, at risk of something bad happening

7. threatened (adj.) g. see or notice something, usually suddenly

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4 Listening for details

Audio Listen to or watch a short video about the groundhog and answer these questions.

1. Which continent do groundhogs come from originally?

Video
2. Where can you see populations of groundhogs?

3. What is a groundhog’s usual diet?

4. What are two other names for the groundhog?

5. How much time do groundhogs spend underground?

5 Practical English 1

Look at the expressions from the audio. With your partner, guess the meaning of each one from the
context. Then, to help you remember the expressions, have a chat with your partner, and use them
to talk about your life.

• "You probably think of a mouse, a rat or a lovely squirrel nibbling on a little acorn..."
• "... if they come across some bugs while eating their leaves, they will gobble them down..."

1. What is your favourite snack to nibble on?

2. When you are really hungry, what kind of food do you like to gobble down?

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6 Focus on vocabulary 2

Part A: Match the words and phrases in bold to their correct definitions.

1. Learning about different cultures can open someone’s eyes to the diversity in the world.

2. I was impressed by the array of cakes they had at the bakery.

3. There was a huge amount of emigration from Europe to the USA.

4. We were settled in our current house and couldn’t imagine moving somewhere else.

5. Our idea for a company had evolved over five years and was now quite complex.

6. He gave his interview to a journalist from the press.

7. They were predicting a period of prolonged rain this spring.

8. The safety of the meals at the fast-food place has been questioned recently.

a. (adj.) continuing for a long time

b. (v) made a place your permanent home

c. (v) develop slowly from something simple to something more complicated

d. (phr. v) make someone realise something

e. (n) the act of leaving your country to go and live permanently in another one

f. (v) expressed doubts about something

g. (n) the newspaper or radio and television news broadcasting

h. (n) a group or collection of things

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Part B: Put the words from above into the conversation questions below and then discuss them with
your partner. The form of the word might need to be changed.

1. Has travelling abroad ever your eyes to new perspectives?

2. Are you in your current location, or would you like to move?

3. Would you like to work as a reporter in the or on TV?

4. Do you think it would be a good idea to study English for a period?

5. Are politicians in your country ever by the public?

7 Skimming for general understanding

Read the following paragraph titles for the article on page six and match them to the correct paragraph.
One title is not needed.

1. Follow the leader

2. Disputed data
3. Usually longer winters
4. Filming tradition
5. Predictions of the Germans
6. A creature change
7. Newspaper stories
8. The birth of Groundhog Day
9. Groundhog versus beaver

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THE GREAT GROUNDHOG

The day of the groundhog

The story behind an American tradition

A. In 1993 the film Groundhog Day was released and became a box-office smash, and while the
movie gave everyone who watched it a good laugh, it also opened up a lot of eyes to one of the most charming,
unique and longest-running traditions in the USA.

B. To go back to the very beginning, it is believed that the ceremony goes as far back as 16th
century Germany and was performed to discover when winter would be ending. The Germans would select a
creature from an array of forestland beauties like a badger or a hedgehog and if the sun was bright enough to be
able to see the animals shadow it meant there would be 40 more days of winter. Luckily, if the animal couldn’t see
its shadow, it would mean that winter was coming to an end.

C. Upon emigration to America in the 18th century a few hundred followers of Jakob Ammann, a
Swiss religious leader settled in Pennsylvania set up a group which would evolve into what we now know as the
Amish. Over the years people who shared many cultural beliefs with the Amish but perhaps not the same religious
ones were to be known as the Pennsylvania Dutch or the Pennsylvania Germans.

D. The Pennsylvania Dutch were and are very proud of where they came from and wanted to
celebrate and honour a number of their old traditions from Europe. This is how Grundsaudaag was born.

E. Grundsaudaag was a mirror of the settlers’ spring predicting ceremony but it evolved to involve
an animal which wasn’t present back in Germany. It was time for a new animal to take centre stage and that is
how the groundhog got its chance to shine.

F. Groundhog Day is now unmistakably linked to the charming little town of Punxsutawney in
Pennsylvania. The significance of this town in relation to Groundhog Day is probably due to the fact that the first
reporting of the event was in the Punxsutawney Spirit in 1886. The local newspaper printed a story about the
event including the line "up to the time of going to press, the beast has not seen its shadow".

G. These days the pressure of predicting an early spring is put on the shoulders of one sole groundhog-
Punxsutawney Phil. Every year on the 2nd of February Phil emerges to an audience of hundreds hoping to hear
that winter is coming to an end soon. Records show that over the years the groundhog has seen his shadow 107
times and not seen his shadow 20 times, meaning that winter has been prolonged a lot more than it has been
shortened.

H. Unsurprisingly the accuracy of Phil and his mates has been questioned over the years and it
seems he isn’t as accurate as might be hoped. Data shows that his predictions only come with an accuracy of 39%
However, there might be some hope as over the last decade accuracy has creeped up to a mighty 40%.

sources: wikipedia.org, bbc.com, pressherald.com, usatoday.com, thenewstribune.com

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8 Reading for comprehension

Read the following statements and decide if they are true (T) or false (F).

1. In terms of genre, Groundhog Day was a comedy.

2. If they could see the animals shadow, it meant spring was coming earlier.

3. Less than a 1000 people came with Jakob Ammann to the USA.

4. The Pennsylvania Dutch didn’t want to remember their traditions from Europe.

5. They chose to use a groundhog because there had been lots of them in Germany.

6. Punxsutawney has a strong connection to groundhogs.

7. Phil’s prediction happens in the first half of the year.

8. Over the years Phil’s predictions have been shown to be wrong.

9 Practical English 2

Look at the expressions from the article on page five. With your partner, guess the meaning of each
one from the context. Then, to help you remember the expressions, have a chat with your partner.
Use them to talk about your life.

• "...and that is how the groundhog got its chance to shine..."

• "...be some hope as over the last decade accuracy has crept up to a mighty 40%..."

1. Do you think that it is important for children to get a chance to shine?

2. How do you feel when the temperatures in your country start to creep up?

10 Talking point

Look at the questions below and discuss them with your partner.

1. Do you think there is any possibility that an animal could predict the weather?
2. Why do you think it was important for the Pennsylvania Dutch to remember their traditions from
Europe?
3. Are there any traditions involving animals in your country? Can you describe them?

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THE GREAT GROUNDHOG

Transcripts

4. Listening for details

Speaker: A quick guide to the groundhog

Speaker: When you think of the word rodent, I am guessing that the groundhog is not the first animal
to pop into your mind. You probably think of a mouse, a rat or a lovely squirrel nibbling on
a little acorn, but please don’t forget about the groundhog as it is a fascinating creature in
its own right.

Speaker: Fully grown groundhogs weigh about 6kg, stretch to around 50cm, and have a 17cm tail
to add on to that. Native to North America, the groundhog is most commonly found in the
eastern part of the USA and throughout Canada preferring a habitat of meadows and open
fields. If you are looking to spot one, then you can see some populations dotted around
the edges of forests.

Speaker: In terms of diet, groundhogs are primarily vegetarians, or to give them the technical
name, herbivores and they live on a diet of grasses and flowers. However, if they come
across some bugs while eating their leaves, they will gobble them down as an extra treat.
Unfortunately for the groundhog there are also several predators that want to eat it for
their own dinner, these include coyotes, bobcats, weasels and great horned owls.

Speaker: Quite interestingly the groundhogs go by many other names including- woodchucks and
whistle-pigs, the whistle coming from the fact that they emit a high-pitched noise when
they feel threatened. They spend around 80% of their lives underground in their burrows
which upon discovery have been revealed to be quite complex structures. The burrows
can often be as long as 13 metres and luckily for privacy’s sake they also come with their
own separate bathrooms.

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Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
This gives the teacher an opportunity to set the context and allows the students time to share their previous
knowledge and their opinions in related to animals and the seasons. Monitor and provide on-the-spot feedback
when appropriate.

2. Visual guide

10 mins.
This stage provides students with images related to the groundhog listening. Ask the students to match the words
to the pictures and then have them discuss the questions below.

1. burrow 2. great horned owl 3. weasel 4. bobcat

5. bugs 6. acorn 7. squirrel 8. rodent

3. Focus on vocabulary 1

5 mins.
Ensure students can correctly pronounce the target vocabulary. Ask them to complete the task by themselves
first, and then compare answers with a partner.

1. → d. 2. → e. 3. → g. 4. → b.
5. → c. 6. → a. 7. → f.

4. Listening for details

5 mins.
Tell students to read through the questions, watch or listen to the audio and then answer the questions. Afterwards,
they should compare their answers with their partners.

1. "...Native to North America..."

2. "...then you can see some populations dotted around the edges of forests..."
3. "... they live on a diet of grasses and flowers..."
4. "...many other names including- woodchucks and whistle-pigs..."
5. "...They spend around 80% of their lives underground..."
Audio sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/groundhog
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/groundhogs-facts
https://now.tufts.edu/2019/01/28/five-things-you-didnt-know-about-groundhogs
https://animalia.bio/groundhog
https://www.havahart.com/groundhog-facts
https://donnallong.com/fascinating-groundhog-facts

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5. Practical English 1

5 mins.
Ask students to look through the sentences together and try to guess the meaning, monitor to support and then
allow them to personalise the vocabulary with a quick discussion.
nibbling on - taking small bites of something
gobble them down – eat quickly with a lot of noise

6. Focus on vocabulary 2

Part A
5 mins.
Make sure students can correctly pronounce the target vocabulary. Ask them to complete the task by themselves
first, and then compare answers with a partner.

1. → d. 2. → h. 3. → e. 4. → b.
5. → c. 6. → g. 7. → a. 8. → f.
Part B
5 mins.
Students match the words from above to the questions and then they use them to have a conversation with each
other.

1. opened 2. settled
3. press 4. prolonged
5. questioned

7. Skimming for general understanding

5 mins.
You may want to set a time limit and highlight the differences between skimming and scanning at this point.
Students read the paragraph titles for the article on page six and match them to the correct paragraph. Note that
one title is not needed (Groundhog versus beaver).

A. Filming tradition B. Predictions of the Germans

C. Follow the leader D. The birth of Groundhog Day
E. A creature change F. Newspaper stories
G. Usually longer winters H. Disputed data
Article sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day_(film)
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240131-how-the-pennsylvania-dutch-created-groundhog-day
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/02/07/intertidal-the-history-of-groundhog-day-and-a-modern-take
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_Ammann
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/02/02/groundhog-day-2024-shadow-results/72409638007/’

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/weather-news/article285101802.html

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8. Reading for comprehension

5 mins.
Students read the statements and decide if they are true (T) or false (F). Ask students to read in more detail and
complete the exercise. Ask them to underline where they find the answer, and then compare with their partner.

1. True "...made everyone who watched it laugh..."

2. False. "...be able to see the animals shadow it meant there would be 40 more days of winter..."
3. True "...a few hundred people from Germany followed Jakob Ammann..."
4. False "...wanted to celebrate and honour a number of their old traditions from Europe..."
5. False "...involve an animal which wasn’t present back in Germany..."
6. True "...unmistakably linked to the charming little town of Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania..."
7. True "...Every year on the 2nd of February Phil emerges to an audience ..."
8. True "...Data shows that his predictions only come with an accuracy of 39%..."

9. Practical English 2

5 mins.
Ask students to look through the sentences together and try to guess the meaning. Monitor to support and then
allow them to personalise the vocabulary with a quick discussion.
chance to shine - opportunity to show your skills or talent
creep up - increase slowly but steadily

10. Talking point

5 mins.
Students discuss talking points from the article and share their opinions. Perform both content feedback and error
correction afterwards.

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