By! Elizabeth!Pinotti!

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!!

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By!Elizabeth!Pinotti!

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Table&of&Contents&

Page!315:! It’s!Groundhog’s!Day!Reader’s!Theater!

Page!617:! Groundhog’s!Day!Poem!Reader’s!Theater!

Page!819:! Science!Literacy:!Fascinating!Facts!about!the!Groundhog!

Page!10:! Science!Literacy!Summary!Template!

Page!11:! Label!!(and!color)!the!Groundhog!With!Information!from!the!science!literacy!page!

Page!12:! Groundhog!Vocabulary!words!worksheet!

Page!13:! “Once!Upon!a!Time…”!Storytelling!Game!

Page!14116! Cut1out!Dice!for!the!Storytelling!Game!

Page!17:! Under!Groundhog!Math!–!word!problems!

Page!18:! Reader’s!Theater!Presentation!Rubric!

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Standards:&Third&Grade&

Key&Ideas&and&Details&

CCSS.ELA1Literacy.RI.3.1!Ask!and!answer!questions!to!demonstrate!understanding!of!a!text,!referring!explicitly!to!the!text!as!the!basis!for!the!answers.!CCSS.ELA1Literacy.RI.3.2!Determine!the!main!idea!of!a!text;!recount!the!key!details!and!explain!how!they!support!the!main!idea.!Craft&and&Structure&

CCSS.ELA1Literacy.RI.3.4!Determine!the!meaning!of!general!academic!and!domain1specific!words!and!phrases!in!a!text!relevant!to!a!grade&3&topic&or&subject&area.!Integration&of&Knowledge&and&Ideas&

CCSS.ELA1Literacy.RI.3.7!Use!information!gained!from!illustrations!(e.g.,!maps,!photographs)!and!the!words!in!a!text!to!demonstrate!understanding!of!the!text!(e.g.,!where,!when,!why,!and!how!key!events!occur).!Range!of!Reading!and!Level!of!Text!Complexity!CCSS.ELA1Literacy.RI.3.10!By!the!end!of!the!year,!read!and!comprehend!informational!texts,!including!history/social!studies,!science,!and!technical!texts,!at!the!high!end!of!the!grades!2–3!text!complexity!band!independently!and!proficiently.!!Fourth&Grade&

Key&Ideas&and&Details&

CCSS.ELA1Literacy.RI.4.1!Refer!to!details!and!examples!in!a!text!when!explaining!what!the!text!says!explicitly!and!when!drawing!inferences!from!the!text.!CCSS.ELA1Literacy.RI.4.2!Determine!the!main!idea!of!a!text!and!explain!how!it!is!supported!by!key!details;!summarize!the!text.!Craft&and&Structure&

CCSS.ELA1Literacy.RI.4.4!Determine!the!meaning!of!general!academic!and!domain1specific!words!or!phrases!in!a!text!relevant!to!a!grade&4&topic&or&subject&area.!CCSS.ELA1Literacy.RI.4.5!Describe!the!overall!structure!(e.g.,!chronology,!comparison,!cause/effect,!problem/solution)!of!events,!ideas,!concepts,!or!information!in!a!text!or!part!of!a!text.!Range!of!Reading!and!Level!of!Text!Complexity!CCSS.ELA1Literacy.RI.4.10!By!the!end!of!year,!read!and!comprehend!informational!texts,!including!history/social!studies,!science,!and!technical!texts,!in!the!grades!4–5!text!complexity!band!proficiently,!with!scaffolding!as!needed!at!the!high!end!of!the!range.!&

! 3!

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It’s&Groundhog’s&Day&Reader’s&Theater&

by&Elizabeth&ChapinBPinotti&&

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Reporter'1'(Robby)' 'Reporter'2'(Rebecca)' 'Mayor' ' 'Groundhog'Phil'' 'Groundhog'Greta'' 'Narrator' 'Woodchuck'Chet'!

Reporter&1:! Good!Morning!America.!!It’s!February!2.!

Reporter&2:! That!means!we’re!here!in!Punxsutawney,!Pennsylvania!waiting!for!our!famous!little!!! ! groundhog!to!pop!out!of!his!barrow.!

Reporter&1:! There!was!a!little!confusion!at!the!site!of!the!barrow!earlier!this!morning!Rebecca.!!!! ! Seems!the!town!of!Punxsutawney!has!a!new!Mayor.!

Reporter&2:! Mayor!Jack.!!!

Reporter&1:! That!would!be!him.!!Seems!he!was!confused!about!the!groundhog!and!his!shadow,!so!!! ! let’s!give!you,!the!good!people!of!America,!the!facts!of!the!day.!

Reporter&2:! If!Groundhog!Phil…!

Reporter&1:! …Punxsutawney!Phil…!

Reporter&2:! Yep,!Punxsutawney!Phil.!!If!Punxsutawney!Phil!sees!his!shadow!there!will!be!six!more!!! ! weeks!of!winter.!

Reporter&1:! And!if!he!doesn’t,!we’ll!have!an!early!spring.!

Reporter&2:! Looking!at!the!sky!Robby!and!that!thick!cloud!cover.!I’m!predicting!an!early!spring.!

Reporter&1:! Well,!Rebecca,!we’ll!see!what!Phil!has!to!say!about!that.!

Narrator:! Meanwhile,!back!at!the!barrow,!Punxsutawney!Phil!is!getting!ready!for!his!yearly!!! ! performance.!

Phil:! ! I!don’t!know!Greta,!I!think!I’m!getting!too!old!to!get!up!this!early.!

Greta:& ! You’ve!been!saying!that!for!fifty!years!Phil.!!Now,!fix!your!fur!so!you!look!presentable.!

Phil:! ! I!mean!it!this!time.!!I’ve!been!doing!this!since!1887.!!Maybe!it’s!time!for!the!good!folks!!! ! of!Gobbler’s!Knob!to!get!a!new!groundhog.!

! 4!

Greta:& ! They’ll!stop!giving!us!the!punch!you!know.!

Phil:& ! That!punch!is!just!a!legend.!

Greta:! ! I!read!it!on!groundhog.org!so!it!has!to!be!true.!

Phil:& ! Don’t!believe!everything!you!read!on!the!Internet!dear.!

Greta:! ! There!has!to!be!some!reason!that!the!second!oldest!groundhog!ever!was!only!seven!!! ! years!old!and!we’re!pushing!126.!

Phil:! ! Good!breeding!!!!

Greta:! ! Nonsense.!

Phil:! ! Just!once!I’d!like!to!sleep!until!April,!like!all!of!our!friends.!

Greta:! ! Now,!we!can!talk!about!this!later.!Let’s!get!you!presentable.!

Narrator:! As!the!groundhogs!get!ready!for!their!five1seconds!of!fame,!the!mayor!mounts!the!!! ! podium.!

Mayor:&! Good!citizens!of!Punxsutawney,!welcome!to!the!126th!celebration!of!Groundhog’s!Day.!!!! ! As!you!know,!today!is!the!day!our!famous!Phil,!named!after!King!Phillip!of!English!of!!! ! course,!pops!out!of!his!barrow!to!determine!the!fate!of!the!seasons.!

Reporter&1:! Do!you!see!anything!yet?!

Reporter&2:! Nothing.!!Now!shhhh…I!can’t!hear!the!mayor.!

Mayor:&! Our!tradition!dates!back!to!the!early!German!settlers.!These!settlers!brought!with!them!!! ! the!tradition!of!Candlemas!Day.!!The!Candlemas!legend!states!“For!as!the!sun!shines!on!!! ! Candlemas!Day,!so!far!will!the!snow!swirl!in!May.”!

Reporter&2:! There!he!is!!

Phil:! ! Hi!Folks!!!Well!I’ll!be…!

Mayor:&! Well!this!is!a!first!!!Two!shadows!!!A!cloudy!day!and!two!shadows.!

Reporter&1:! You!heard!it!here!America!!!For!the!first!time!in!history,!not!a!ray!of!sun!in!the!sky,!yet!!! ! two!shadows.!

Reporter&2:! Not!sure!what!this!means.!

Mayor:&! Luck!indeed!!!I!say!this!is!good!fortune!–!for!two!is!better!than!one!!Has!to!be.!!Good!!! ! fortune!to!all,!I!say,!and!six!more!weeks!of!winter!to!boot!!

Woodchuck:! Can!I!put!the!flashlight!down!now!Greta!and!come!out!of!my!tree?!

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Greta:& ! Sure!Chet!!!Thanks!for!the!laugh.!

Woodchuck:! What!did!we!ever!do!before!cell!phone!communication?!!Happy!Groundhog’s!Day!!! ! everyone!!!That’ll!teach!you!for!not!calling!it!Woodchuck!Day!!!

Greta:& ! Hahahaha!!!Come!on!back!down!Phil.!!Chet’s!having!a!party!and!I’m!starving.!!I!haven’t!!! ! eaten!since!October!!

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! 6!

Groundhog’s&Day&Poem&–&Readers’&Theater&

By&Elizabeth&ChapinBPinotti&

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Student&1:! On!February!2,!legend!told,!

! ! A!groundhog!determines!if!there’ll!be!more!cold.!

! ! At!a!gathering!in!Gobbler’s!Knob,!

! ! Punxsutawney!Phil’s!body!will!bob.!

!

Student&2:! If!the!day!has!clouds!and!no!shadow!shows!

! ! Spring!is!early!that!we!know.!

! ! If,!however,!the!sun!does!shine!

! ! There’s!six!more!weeks!of!wintertime.!

!

Student&3:! Why!the!groundhog!you!may!ask?!

! ! A!small!woodchuck!with!a!shady!past.!

!

Student&4:! His!species!in!marmot,!his!fur!is!brown!

! ! He!famously!lives!under!the!ground.!

! ! After!the!first!frost!of!late!fall!

! ! He!burrows!beneath!and!hibernates!all.!

!

Student&1:! Here!is!something!you!don’t!realize!

Student&2:! A!groundhog’s!a!squirrel!who!takes!the!big!prize.!

Student&3:! The!largest!squirrel,!he!climbs!and!swims,!

Student&4:! He!forecasts!spring,!when!his!shadow’s!dim.!

!

Student&1:! Why!is!it!he!who!gets!the!task!

! ! Of!predicting!with!a!unique!forecast?!

!

Student&2:! The!first!tell!tale!from!the!U.S.!

! ! Was!a!man!named!Morris!–!you!know!the!rest.!

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! 7!

Student&3:! But!perhaps!the!beginning!you!do!not!know,!

! ! How!in!1841!his!diary!does!show!

Student&2:! The!tradition!is!German!from!Candlemas!Day!

! ! It’s!Germany!where!the!first!groundhog!did!play.!

!

Student&4:! But!poor!groundhog!Phil!he’s!wrong!more!than!right!

! ! Still!on!his!day!we!look!for!the!sight!

! ! Of!Punxsutawney!Phil’s!shadow!in!Penn!

! ! We!watch!it!each!year!–!all!over!again.!

!! !

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Name:&____________________________________________&Date:&__________&

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Fascinating&Facts&about&the&Groundhog&–&Science&Literacy&

!The!groundhog!is!a!mammal.!!Mammals!are!warm!blooded!and!one!of!the!six!classes!of!animals.!!!!Name:!Scientists!call!groundhogs!Marmota!Monax.!!We!call!them!groundhogs!or!woodchucks.!!That’s!right,!a!groundhog!and!a!woodchuck!is!the!same!animal.!Punxsutawney!Phil!is!the!most!famous!groundhog!in!the!United!States.!!Every!year,!on!February!2,!people!flock!to!Punxsutawney,!Pennsylvania!to!see!if!his!shadow!will!appear.!!If!his!shadow!does!appear!–!there!will!be!six!more!weeks!of!winter.!!If!it!does!not!appear,!spring!will!be!early.!!

'Classification:!!Groundhogs!are!members!of!the!Rodentia!order.!This!means!they!are!rodents,!like!mice!and!rats.!!!Their!family!name!is!Sciuridae.!!Squirrels!are!also!from!the!Sciuridae!family.!!This!family!belongs!to!the!genus!Marmota.!!This!classifies!them!as!marmots.!!!Anatomy:!!The!average!groundhog!is!13!inches!long;!however!they!can!grow!as!long!as!17!inches.!!The!groundhog!has!a!short!tale,!a!chubby!body!and!short!limbs.!!Their!fur!is!grayish1brown!and!their!eyes!are!black.!!They!have!tiny,!strong,!sharp!claws!on!their!hands!and!feet,!which!are!also!black.!!The!groundhog!has!sensory!whiskers.!!

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Diet:&!Groundhogs!are!herbivores,!which!means!they!eat!plants.!!Their!diet!mainly!consists!of!grass,!leaves,!fruit!and!flowers;!however,!sometimes!they!eat!insects.!

Kingdom:& Animalia!

Phylum:& Chordata!

Class:& Mammalia!

Order:& Rodentia!

Family:& Sciuridae!

Genus:& Marmota!

Species:& M.!monax!

1.''How'many'weeks'of'winter'will'there'be'if'Phil'sees'his'shadow?''

___________________________________________________________________________'

2.''The'average'groundhog'is'______________'inches'long.'''

3.''The'groundhog'has'a'short'tale,'a'______________'body'and'_______________'limbs.'

4.''Stop'and'think:'If'you'were'a'groundhog,'what'would'be'your'favorite'thing'to'eat?'___________'

___________________________________________________________________________________'

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Behavior:&!Groundhogs!hibernated!from!October!to!April!in!cold!climates.!!Groundhogs!who!live!in!warmer!climates!hibernate!for!three!months.!!They!are!diurnal.!This!means!they!sleep!during!the!day.!!To!survive!the!winter!they!fatten!up.!!They!eat!so!much!they!even!have!some!body!fat!left!when!they!wake!up.!!Groundhogs!would!rather!stay!in!their!homes,!or!burrows,!rather!than!fight!when!threatened.!!But!they!are!territorial!with!their!own!species.!This!means,!when!another!groundhog!tries!to!take!its!space,!it!attacks!with!its!incisor!teeth!and!front!claws.!!Groundhogs!live!an!average!of!7!years.!!Classification&of&Living&Things:&Kingdom,!Phylum,!Class,!Order,!Family,!Genus,!Species&&

To!help!you!remember!the!order!of!classification,!think:&&&Kind&People&Come&Out&For&Great&

Savings!&

Kingdoms:!!There!are!six!kingdoms:!!animals,!plants,!protists,!fungi,!bacteria!and!archaebacteria.!

Phylum:&&There!are!more!than!30!phyla!in!the!Animal!Kingdom!and!10!in!the!Plant!Kingdom.!

Class:!!The!phyla!are!divided!into!classes.!The!Phylum&Chordata!is!divided!into!amphibians,!birds,!mammals,!reptiles!and!fish.!

Order:&Classes!are!divided!into!many!orders.!!Forty!percent!of!mammals!are!divided!into!the!Rodentia!order.!!There!are!over!2,200!species!of!rodents.!

Family:!The!family!Sciuridae!is!the!squirrel!family.!!There!are!278!species!of!squirrels,!including!the!groundhog.!

Genus:!There!are!15!species!within!the!Genus!Marmota.!!All!of!them!are!large!ground!squirrels.!

Species:!Marmota!Manax!is!the!groundhog.!!

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5.& Groundhogs&below&to:&

Kingdom:&_______________________________&

Order:&_________________________________&

Genus:&_________________________________&

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Sum

mar

ize t

he S

cien

ce L

itera

cy R

eadi

ng

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Label the Groundhog

Sensory _____________

Hands: ____________

_________ ears!

__________ fur.

!

__________ tail

________ eyes.!

! 12!

Name: _______________________________________ Date: _____________

Groundhog Vocabulary

Write a complete sentence for each of the groundhog words from the readings.

1.! burrows!!

2.! claws!!

3.! February!!

4.! furry!!

5.! groundhog!!

6.! herbivore!!

7.! hibernate!!

8.! legend!!

9.! mammal!!

10.!Marmota!Monax!

!11.! shadow!

!12.! spring!

!13.! tail!

!14.! whiskers!

!15.! winter!

!16.! woodchuck!

! !

! 13!

Once!Upon!a!Time…!!

Once!Upon!a!Time!is!an!engaging,!storytelling!game!designed!to!help!students!develop!essential!critical!thinking!skills.!!Students!cut!and!assemble!the!paper!dice.!!There!are!three!dice!

• Character!• Setting!• Event!

!Divide!students!into!teams!of!three!to!five.!!

• One!player!is!the!Conductor.!• The!three!remaining!players!are!the!“Story!Tellers”.!• You!may!let!students!choose!who!is!the!Conductor!and!rotate!through!all!students!or!you!

can!preCchoose!the!Conductor.!!To!play:!!!

• Three!students!roll!all!three!dice!simultaneously.!• The!fourth!person!is!the!Conductor.!• After!all!three!dice!are!rolled,!the!Conductor!points!to!one!student.!!The!student!must!

immediately!begin!a!story!using!the!character,!setting!and!event!facing!up!on!the!dice.!• The!student!pointed!to!by!the!Conductor!must!to!begin!the!story!and!continue!until!the!

Conductor!makes!the!“cut!off”!sign!(the!hand!across!the!throat)!or!some!other!preCdetermined!signal.!

• The!Conductor!immediately!points!to!another!student.!• The!next!student!must!begin!at!the!exact!spot!the!previous!student!stopped…to!the!

word.!(More!advanced!students!you!may!have!them!play!to!the!syllable).!o Example:!The!Dice!Read!“Phil”,!“Borrow”!and!“Birthday!Party”!!

Student!1:!Phil!woke!up!early!in!his!groundhog!borrow.!He!looked!at!the!calendar!and!saw!that!it!was!only…!

Cut! Student!2:!!!…January!4.!That!was!way!too!early!to!wake!up,!but!he!

wanted!to!go!to!the!birthday!party!of!his!best!friend!Chippy!Chipmunk.! Cut! Student!1:!Chippy!sent!out!invitations!in!early!fall!and!Phil!was!too!

excited!to!miss!the!party.!The!invitations!said!there!was!going!to!be!chocolate…!

Cut! Student!3:!…swimming!pools!to!swim!in!and!beetle!cake!to!eat.!!Being!a!

groundhog,!Phil!didn’t!really!like!beetles,!but!he!was!excited!for!the!swimming!and!the!bouncing!in!the!bounce!house.!!The!invitation!also!said!there!would!be!firefly!tag.!!Firefly!tag!was!like!laser!tag,!but!they!used!fireflies!in!the!forest.!

!The!conductor!continues!to!conduct!students!through!the!story!until!they!are,!oneCbyCone,!eliminated.!!

! 14!

Character Cube

Cut on the solid line. Fold on the dotted line and attach tabs with a glue stick or tape.

Groundhog!Phil!

News!!Reporter!

Groundhog!Phil’s!Mom!Carlita!Su

perm

an!

Minnie!

Mouse!

Gary!Groundhog!

! 15!

Location Cube

Cut on the solid line. Fold on the dotted line and attach tabs with a glue stick or tape.

Punxsutawney!

Your!School!

The!Desert!A!

Mall! The!W

hite!House!

Canada!

! 16!

Event Cube

Cut on the solid line. Fold on the dotted line and attach tabs with a glue stick or tape.

Band!!Concert!

February!2!

First!Day!of!

School!Baseball!

Gam

e! Tornado!

Groundhog’s!Day!Party!

! 17!

Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: _____________

Under Groundhog Math

Help Punxsutawney Phil predict the weather by solving the word problems below.

1. Phil has been popping out of the ground since 1887. On this February2, 2013, how many years has Phil popped up on Gobbler’s Knob?

2. Phil sleeps from November to February 2 each year. If November has 30days, December has 31 days and January has 31 days, how many daysdoes Phil sleep in all?

3. Every year thousands of people go to Gobbler’s Knob to see ifPunxsutawney Phil sees his shadow. If 32,123 visited in 2011 and41,521 visited in 2012, how many people visited in Gobbler’s Knob inall?

4. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania has been celebrating Groundhog’s Day for126 years. If Phil saw his shadow 72 times, how many times did he notsee his shadow?

5. Phil has three brothers and two sisters. If each brother has four childrenand each sister has two children, how many nieces and nephews doesPhil have in all?

6. Every summer Phil takes a trip to the seashore. He travels a total of 124miles. If the trip costs him .55 cents per mile for gas, how much will thetrip cost him total?

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! 18!

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Reader’s&Theater&Presentation&Rubric&

&!Name!_________________________________________________________!!!!!Date!________________!!!!&&& Proficient& Basic& Needs&improvement&

Oral&Delivery&

Volume'Consistently!speaks!loudly!enough!for!audience!to!hear.!!!5&pts.!

Usually!speaks!loudly!enough!for!audience!to!hear.!!!253&pts.!

Does!not!speak!loud!enough!to!hear.!!!!!051&pts.!

Oral&Deliver&

Diction'Words!are!pronounced!correctly.!!Words!can!be!easily!understood.!!!5&pts.!

Most!words!are!pronounced!correctly.!!Most!words!are!easily!understood.!!!253&pts.!

Most!words!are!pronounced!incorrectly!or!to!fast!or!slow.!!!051&pts.!

Oral&Delivery&

Voice'inflection,'facial'expression''&

Consistently!reads!with!appropriate!inflection!and!expression.!!!5&pts.!

Usually!reads!with!appropriate!inflection!and!expression.!!!253&pts.!

Voice!inflection!and!facial!expression!needs!improvement.!!051&pts.!

Oral&Delivery&

Reads'in'turn'&&

Takes!turns!accurately.!Hits!all!cues.!!!!5&pts.!

Takes!turns!accurately!and!is!somewhat!consistent!on!hitting!cues.!&253&pts.!

Delivery!inconsistent!and!cues!often!missed.!!!!!051&pts.!

Cooperates&with&

group&

Works!well!with!peer!readers.!!!5&pts.!

Sometimes!works!well!with!peer!readers.!!!253&pts.!

Is!usually!uncooperative!!!&051&pts!

!!!!!Total!points!possible:!25!!!Points!earned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!________!! ! Percentage!!!_______%

! 19!

Under Groundhog Math

Help Punxsutawney Phil predict the weather by solving the word problems below.

1. Phil has been popping out of the ground since 1887. On this February2, 2013, how many years has Phil popped up on Gobbler’s Knob?

2013 - 1887 = 126 years

2. Phil sleeps from November to February each year. If November has 30days, December has 31 days and January has 31 days, how many daysdoes Phil sleep in all?

30 + 31 + 31 = 92 days

3. Every year thousands of people go to Gobbler’s Knob to see ifPunxsutawney Phil sees his shadow. If 32,123 visited in 2011 and41,521 visited in 2012, how many people visited in Gobbler’s Knob inall?

32,123 + 41,521 = 73,644 people

4. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania has been celebrating Groundhog’s Day for126 years. If Phil saw his shadow 72 times, how many times did he notsee his shadow?

126 – 72 = 54 times

5. Phil has three brothers and two sisters. If each brother has four childrenand each sister has two children, how many nieces and nephews doesPhil have in all?

(3 x 4) + (2 x 2) = 16 nieces and nephews

6. Every summer Phil takes a trip to the seashore. He travels a total of 124miles. If the trip costs him .55 cents per mile for gas, how much will thetrip cost him total?

124 x .55 = $62.20