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Groundhog Day Word Search (free printable)

A free Groundhog Day word search with sixteen words (groundhog, shadow, burrow, Punxsutawney, forecast), a word bank and an answer key, for February 2.

16 words. “Polar bear” becomes POLARBEAR. Add a clue after a colon (“snow: white flakes”) to put clues in the bank.
Grid size
Difficulty
Up to 40 letters. They fill the first leftover squares, so the letters nobody circles spell it. On the board it flies into place when the last word is found.
Sort and find: the look-alikes hide in the grid and the word bank too, so children decide which to circle.

Use this list in: bingo cards

Groundhog Day Word SearchGroundhog Day Word SearchNameDateTCLOUDYPHILSSHADOWEFRAHUGWOODCHUCKINCYWINTERNTBNPUNXSUTAWNEYPREDICTIONRETUNNELSPRINGWEATHEREKQANMVZFORECASTIOUWVBURROWEHGROUNDHOGERDPENNSYLVANIAFIND THESE WORDSGROUNDHOGSHADOWBURROWPUNXSUTAWNEYPHILWINTERSPRINGFORECASTHIBERNATETUNNELSUNNYCLOUDYWOODCHUCKWEATHERPENNSYLVANIAPREDICTIONPuzzle 66103Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
Groundhog Day Word Search: answer keyGroundhog Day Word Search: answer keyEvery word to find is circled.TCLOUDYPHILSSHADOWEFRAHUGWOODCHUCKINCYWINTERNTBNPUNXSUTAWNEYPREDICTIONRETUNNELSPRINGWEATHEREKQANMVZFORECASTIOUWVBURROWEHGROUNDHOGERDPENNSYLVANIAPuzzle 66103Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key ·

To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.

All 16 words are in the grid, and each one appears once.

About this set

A short, easy puzzle for a short school week. The sixteen words cover the story of Punxsutawney Phil, who each February 2 is said to predict six more weeks of winter if he sees his shadow, and the science behind it: the animal (groundhog, woodchuck, burrow, tunnel, hibernate), the weather (shadow, sunny, cloudy, forecast, winter, spring) and the place (Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney). The grid is 12 by 12 with words only across and down, so first and second graders can finish it, and a Medium or Hard setting is there for older students.

Grades: 1st to 4th grade. Best in: February.

The words to find

Groundhog · Shadow · Burrow · Punxsutawney · Phil · Winter · Spring · Forecast · Hibernate · Tunnel · Sunny · Cloudy · Woodchuck · Weather · Pennsylvania · Prediction

How to use it: five ideas

  1. Before the puzzle, read a picture book about Groundhog Day and ask students to listen for the words.
  2. After solving, students predict whether the groundhog will see his shadow, and graph the class vote.
  3. Seasons link: students sort the words into winter, spring and groundhog words.
  4. Spelling check: students find Punxsutawney and write it three times without looking.
  5. Faster finishers: write a forecast for tomorrow using two words from the puzzle.

Related

Questions

How do I say Punxsutawney?

It sounds like punk-suh-TAW-nee. The town in western Pennsylvania has held the celebration since 1887.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. Page two shows every word circled.

Can I change the words or the difficulty?

Yes. Edit the 16 words in the box, choose Easy, Medium or Hard, pick a grid size from 8 to 25 and a shape, and add a secret message if you like. The puzzle rebuilds as you change it, and any word that cannot fit is listed.

Can we play it on the board?

Yes. Press “Play on the board”: the class finds words by dragging across them or tapping the first and last letters, each find plays a note, and H gives a hint. Press F to fill the projector.

How do I save it as a PDF?

Press Print and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. The puzzle is page one and the answer key is page two.

How do I get a different layout?

Press “Make another”. The same words are placed in a new arrangement, which is handy when neighbors should not have the same puzzle.

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