SIUSLAW NEWS z WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015
© 2015 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 31, No. 7
Groundhogs hibernate
all winter long in
burrows they dig.
Excrement
chamber
On February 2, weather forecasters all over the
United States look to the town of Punxsutawney,
Pennsylvania for a little advice. Legend says that
the groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil can
foretell the weather!
As the sun rises, I get
y
ready to emerge from m e!
m
on
e
ar
stump. All eyes
On February
Punxsutawn 2, the town of
ey
big Groundh begins the
og Day
celebration
before sunri
se.
Spy hole
Main entrance
Nest
Once my prediction ha
s
been made, the crowd
cheers for me. Then I
back to sleep until sprin go
g!
,
’t shining be
n
is
n
u
s
e
to
... but if th are no shadows food,
r
e
r
fo
then the tay out looking y soon!
seen. I s g will arrive ver
and sprin
Find the shadow that matches
Phil exactly.
The legend
says that if
the sun is
out, I see my
shadow, get
scared, and
hide back in
my burrow,
and spring
will not arrive
for another
six weeks ...
Robert Louis Stevenson said a shadow is like a rubber ball
because it grows and shrinks throughout a day. Try this
experiment to find out why shadows change size.
cup
Hold the
flashlight
almost
directly above
the cup. Draw
the shadow
you see.
pencil
flashlight
paper
Hold the
flashlight near
the bottom of
the cup. Draw
the shadow
you see.
Think About It: What time of day would Punxsutawney
Phil have his long shadow?
Early Morning
Noon
Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Follow multiple-step directions.
Spell a message to Punxsutawney Phil by solving these math
problems. Use the number code to see what letter belongs
under each answer.
1,190
+ 530
1,697
+ 234
169
+ 362
2,763
+ 1,226
2,222
+ 1,211
521
+ 213
531 = A 3,989 = P
734 = E 1,931 = U
3,433 = K 1,720 = W
Standards Link: Math/Number Sense: Find the sum of whole numbers to 10,000.
One important thing to
understand when you read is
cause and effect.
For example,
in the legend
of Groundhog
Day, when the
groundhog sees his shadow,
he goes back in his burrow.
In this case, the effect is that
the groundhog goes back in
his burrow. That is what
happens. What causes him to
go back in his burrow?
Getting frightened by his
shadow.
1. With a parent or learning
buddy at home, select an
article from today’s
newspaper. Read the
headline. Discuss what you
think caused the news
reported in the headline.
2. The headline usually tells
what happened. This is called
an effect. Read aloud to your
learning buddy the first
paragraph of the article. Does
this tell you the cause? Read
the rest of the article aloud.
After each paragraph, stop
and discuss what you have
learned about what caused
the news reported in the
headline.
Complete the following:
HEADLINE (effect):
Here is a guessing
game to play with
one or more friends.
Each player cuts out
shapes and pictures
of objects from the
newspaper and
holds them up, one
at a time, in front of
a light source. Take
turns guessing what
kind of shape or
object is casting
the shadow.
Standards Link: Physical
Science: Objects can be
described in terms of their
physical properties (shape).
Find the words in the puzzle,
GROUNDHOG
then in this week’s Kid Scoop
WEATHER
stories and activities.
SHADOWS
L I H P F X S K G G
BURROW
E K A W O W P N R C
BROWN
LOUIS
C S I U O L I O N H
CHAMBER
R X I D D R U M W A
SPRING
U C A X P N R G O M
SOURCE
O H B S D Y X U R B
FOOD
S R E H T A E W B E
WEEKS
PHIL
Y S O W E E K S X R
FEBRUARY
F G Y R A U R B E F
SIX
Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognized identical
WAKE
words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.
CAUSE(s):
NAME:
NAME OF LEARNING
BUDDY:
Standards Link: Reading Comprehension:
Distinguish between cause and effect in text.
BURROW
The noun burrow means a
hole or tunnel that animals dig
for use as a home or shelter.
Climbing out of its burrow,
the groundhog yawned.
Use the word burrow in
a sentence today when
talking with your friends
and family.
Weather Adjectives
Look through the newspaper and choose
five adjectives that describe weather. Then
look through the newspaper for a picture or
cartoon to illustrate each of these adjectives.
ANSWER: A B (bee) comes after it!
Standards Link: Grammar: Identify and use adjectives in writing.
How do you know when
winter is over and spring
has begun? Write a
paragraph to explain.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
2 B