Project Groundhog 2009
Is the Groundhog a Good Predictor of the Weather?
The legend of the groundhog claims:
If the groundhog sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. 
If the groundhog does not see its shadow, we will have an early spring.

    Over the next six weeks, each member of our class will be checking the weather on the Internet on a daily basis. Our weather information will be shared with other 5th/6th grade classes from around the world, and we will try to determine the answer to this question; is the groundhog a good predictor of the weather? 

A number of exciting activities have been planned, in addition to our daily weather-checking. We hope you will check this page often to follow our progress through this year's Project Groundhog. 
Team Members 
Community Descriptions
Project Groundhog 2009
Team Members 
Weather Data
Project Groundhog 2009
Our Team Members 
Project Groundhog 2009
Germany 
Did the groundhog see its shadow?
YES
Pennsylvania
Did the groundhog see its shadow? 
NO
New York  
Did the groundhog see its shadow? 
Missouri
Did the groundhog see its shadow?
YES
Missouri
New York
This page was last updated: October 22, 2015
Pennsylvania 
Community Description
Project Groundhog 2009
Have you ever wondered what a school in Pennsylvania might be like? Our school has Promethean Boards and we feel lucky to have them. Our school has a lot of extra-curricular activities like band, orchestra, chorus and children’s choir, girl scouts, media club, Odyssey of the Mind, Student Council, Running Club, and after-school ballet. We feel energized and ecstatic to have so many choices for things to do after school.
In our school we have 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes. Our building has numerous lavatories, a stage in our gymnasium and cafeteria, a roof over our walkway to protect us from hail, rain, or snow, no stairs or elevators, and lots of bulletin boards to showcase our work. Our 5th grade feels especially lucky to have lockers in some of our hallways.  
Our community has deer, squirrels, and the occasional bear. Some communities near our school have a trampoline and a slide at their lakes. We have baseball fields and skateboarding parks. We have 2 other schools on our campus and parks close by for us to enjoy. There also are skating rinks in the winter for recreation fun. Near our school we have a pet store that has all kinds of species, like mice, tarantulas, snakes, and birds. Most of us live near lakes or rivers. 
Our landscape is full of trees and is rocky. In the summer, we can hear frogs croaking, and see beavers and bald eagles. Bears and raccoons may make a visit to trash left outside. In most places, lots of mountains can be seen. We have many hills that are very fun for sledding in winter. Lots of snow, freezing rain, and sleet falls in the winter here, giving us some unexpected days off from school. 

Germany
Community Description
Project Groundhog 2009
Written by:
Dylan and Noah

We have 235 kids in our school.  We have four grades:  fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth.  There are sixty-eight kids in 5th grade, twenty boys and forty girls.  Most kids live in houses.  
Our community is an air force base and the towns around Spangdahlem and Bitburg, Germany.  We don’t have any real important buildings in our community, except all the stuff that goes with the Air Force Base like runways and hangars.  Most services are about 5 minutes away from our community, and just about everyone works in the military.  
The landscape of our community is mostly hilly, and there are a lot of trees.  Most of the animals we see are deer, squirrels, rabbits, and different types of birds.  There are a lot of farms too because our community is very rural compared to other parts of Germany.
The whole fifth grade is taking part in Project Groundhog.  We named our groundhog “Scooby” after Scooby Doo.  We are looking forward to hearing from other schools to see what their communities are like.


Team Members 
Valentine Greetings
Project Groundhog 2009