LESSON DESCRIPTION

In this ESL lesson plan for adults and teens, students watch an educational video and do a listening exercise on the history, traditions, and facts about “Groundhog Day”, which takes place on February 2. It includes discussion questions and other speaking activities about groundhogs and Groundhog Day. Students also learn some important vocabulary terms and phrases from the video. The post-viewing section includes follow-up discussion and a grammar activity featuring the structures and usages of some conjunctions/linking phrases used in the video (While, However, Whether, After all). There is an additional plot description task about the film “Groundhog Day”, as well as a quiz and review section included.

VIDEO DESCRIPTION

On Groundhog Day, a bunch of men, wearing suits and top hats, pull a groundhog out of a hole in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. They then read a scroll the groundhog supposedly wrote, that states whether or not it saw its shadow. This determines if winter will last another six weeks, or if spring is coming soon. It’s a bit of an odd tradition, but a similar practice has been taking places for centuries.

LESSON ACTIVITIES

• SPEAKING: Groundhogs, Groundhog Day, Traditions
• VIEWING: Discussion, Short Answers, Matching Activity
• VOCABULARY: Nouns (matching)
• GRAMMAR: Conjunctions/Linking Phrases (While, However, Whether, After all)
• ADDITIONAL: Plot Description Task, Quiz & Review

LESSON TOPICS

Groundhog Day, Winter, Weather, Pennsylvania