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- Hi readers, welcome to read, write, roar.

Today, we're going to be reading a book about things living in our back yard.

We'll learn about the difference between living and non-living.

We'll learn some new vocabulary words and at the end, we'll answer a question by writing a sentence and drawing a picture.

You're going to need something to write on like a piece of paper or a notebook and something to write with like a pencil or a marker.

So go gather your tools and then we'll start learning.

- [Narrator] This program is made possible in part by Michigan Department of Education, The State of Michigan and The Kresge Foundation.

Additional support for educational programming provided by and by viewers like you.

(soft music) - Hi, I'm Mrs. Pung.

ú Have you ever wondered what might be living in your back yard?

Look out the window, what do you see?

Are there plants or animals?

Today, we're going to be reading a non-fiction book all about things living in our back yard.

Remember non-fiction tells us information that's true.

The title of our story today is "Living Things in My Back Yard."

And the author is Bobbie Kalman, authors write the words.

The illustrations in this book are mostly photographs.

Let's get started, things living in my back yard.

Here's the table of contents.

Remember the table of contents tells us what information can be found in the book and also tells us what page number those things can be found on.

Our first heading is Back yards, do you have a back yard?

A back yard is full of a living things, plants are living things, animals are living things, you are a living thing too.

If you do not have a back yard, visit a park near your home, make a list of the living things you saw there.

Did you see trees?

Were there butterflies?

Were there people and dogs?

[Pung] Our next heading says, Living or non-living?

Let's find out, living things need air, living things need water, living things need sunshine.

Air, water and sunshine are non living things.

Living things need non-living things.

Let's look at the picture, at the bottom of the picture is a caption that tells us what the picture is about.

Rocks and water are non-living things.

Why did the raccoons meet them?

What do you think?

Living things also need food, many animals look for food in back yards.

There are trees, grasses, fruits, and flowers in back yards.

Some back yard animals eat these plant foods.

Some animals eat other animals.

What is the chipmunk eating?

What do you think?

It's red, could it be berries?

Our next heading is, Squirrels and...

If you have trees in your back yard, you also have squirrels, squirrels live in the trees.

They run up and down the tree trunks looking for nuts and acorns to eat.

They take food from bird feeders too.

Squirrels are on the move all day long, they sleep at night.

Let's read the caption under this picture.

Where did this squirrel find some food?

What do you think?

He's taking it from the bird feeders.

Here's a label under this picture, the label is telling us acorns.

That's a picture of acorns.

The next heading is, Chipmunks.

Chipmunks are small squirrels with stripes on their fur.

They are not fussy eaters, they eat fruits, nuts, bird eggs, worms, and insects.

Chipmunks can find these foods in back yards.

This chipmunk found a strawberry.

Raccoons around us.

Raccoons can live and find food anywhere, they live in the forest and fields.

They live in the cities and find food to eat there.

Raccoons find food in people's back yards too.

These raccoons are hiding on a shed roof, do you see them?

The next heading is Smelly skunks.

Skunks come into people's back yards and dig up the grass.

they eat bugs and worms they find under the grass.

People stay away from skunks.

Skunks make a bad-smelling spray inside their bodies.

When a skunk stomps its feet and lifts up its tail, stay away, it's ready to spray.

Have you ever smelled a skunk?

They do not smell good.

Our next heading is Pets or pests?

A pest is something that bothers someone.

Do you have a pet?

Many children have pet mice, rats, or rabbits.

These animals may live in your back yard too, but they are not pets, they can cause problems.

Let's see what the caption says, rats and mice can be good pets, but the ones in your back yard are not safe to touch.

Mice, rats, squirrels, and chipmunks are animals called rodents.

Rodents have four sharp front teeth that never stop growing.

Two teeth are on the top of their mouth and too teeth are on the bottom.

Rabbits are not rodents, but they can be pests.

The rabbit above is eating someone's flower.

That probably bothers them, here's another caption, rodents chew on wood and wires so their teeth will not grow too long.

Our next heading is Backyard birds.

Birds are animals with two legs and two wings, birds also have beaks.

Many kinds of birds live in back yards.

Some birds fly away to warmer places when winter comes.

Let's find out more by reading the caption.

These birds are Cardinals, the red bird is a male and the brown bird is a female.

Cardinals do not fly away during the winter.

Some people hang bird feeders in their back yards, bird feeders are filled with nuts and seeds, bird feeders help birds get enough to eat in winter when it's hard to find food.

These birds are eating at a bird feeder.

We have a bird feeder in our yard too.

The next section is called, Spiders in yards.

Have you ever seen a spider web in your back yard?

Many kinds of spiders, spin silk webs, a spider's web is clear and sticky.

Insects get caught in the web and cannot escape.

This garden spider has caught an insect in it's web.

The spider will eat the insect.

Our next heading is, Snails, snails visit back yards too.

Snails have four tentacles or feelers on their head.

Their eyes are at the ends of two tentacles, Snails smell when the other two tentacles.

Snail eat plants, snails also eat dead bugs and leaves.

They help clean back yards when they eat.

Do you see the label?

It's pointing at the tentacles?

Our next heading is, Frogs and toads.

Do you have a pond in your back yard?

If you do, frogs probably live there.

Frogs start their lives in the water.

When they are fully grown, frogs can live on land or in water.

Toads are like frogs but toads mainly live on land.

Toads and frogs eat insects.

This is a toad and this is a frog.

Our next heading says, Backyard reptiles.

Sometimes garter snakes and turtles visit back yards too.

Garter snakes do not have venom or poison inside their bodies, they will not hurt you.

Have you ever seen a turtle crawling in your grass?

Snakes and turtles are animals called reptiles.

This is a painted turtle and this is a garter snake.

That was a great book telling us lots of information about what might be living in our backyards.

(soft music) Readers, we learned many new and interesting words today.

Now it's time to learn about three of those words.

Let's get started, the first word is the word pest.

Can you say pest?

Great, a pest is something that annoys or bothers someone.

Pest, lets see what our book said about the word pest.

In the book it says, rabbits are not rodents, but they can be pests.

They were annoying to the person that owned that flower.

Pests, now let's clap the syllables in the word pest.

Ready?

Pest, how many syllables did you hear?

One, one syllable in the word pest.

Now let's use pest in a sentence.

This buzzing bee is being a pest, pest.

Can you think of anything else that might be a pest?

Great, our next word is the word tentacles.

Can you say tentacles?

Great, tentacles are one of the long flexible arms on an animal like an octopus.

They're used for grabbing or moving, tentacles.

Let's see what our book said about the word tentacles.

In the book it says, snails have four tentacles or feelers on their heads.

Their eyes are at the end of two tentacles, tentacles.

Now let's clap the syllables in the word tentacles.

Get ready, tent-ac-les, how many syllables did you hear?

Three, three syllables in the word tentacles.

Now let's use tentacles in a sentence.

The octopus uses its tentacles to grab for food, tentacles.

Can you think of any other animals that might have tentacles?

That's right, there was a snail in the book that had tentacles.

Our last word today is the word reptile.

Can you say reptile?

Great, a reptile is an animal that has dry scaly skin, they also lay eggs on the land like turtles, snakes or alligators are all reptiles.

Let's see what our book said about the word reptile In the book it says, snakes and turtles are animals called reptiles, back yard reptiles.

Now let's clap the syllables in the word reptile.

Are you ready?

Rep-tile.

How many syllables did you hear in the word reptile?

Two, great, there are two syllables in the word reptile.

Now let's use reptile in a sentence.

The turtle is my favorite reptile, reptile.

What's your favorite reptile?

Great, Lets say our words one more time.

Pest, tentacles, reptile.

Try to use your new vocabulary words with someone in your home today.

(soft music) Hi friends, it's time for our brain break.

Today we're gonna roll my dice, read the word and then move like that animal.

Are you ready?

Let's try it.

Our first word is, sloth.

How would a sloth move?

Very slowly.

Let's move slow like a sloth, sloth climb trees.

Let's see what's next.

Our next word is, fish, how does a fish move?

Fish swim, that's right, let's swim like fish.

Great job swimming, let's try it again.

This time our word is, snake.

Can you slither like a snake?

Let's try it.

Great job slithering, one more.

This time our word is, bunny.

How does a bunny move?

Bunnies hop.

That's right, show me how you bounce like a bunny.

Great job bouncing, that was fun, moving our bodies like animals.

(soft music) Readers, we read about many things that might be living in your back yard.

Remember, every back yard is different so you might have some of these living things in your back yard and you might not.

Next, what we're going to do is we're going to blend some words and sort those words into living or non-living.

Remember, living things need air, food and water to grow.

Let's get started, I'm going to need your help to blend these words.

Here's our first word, the first sound is B, then IR, and D. Let's blend the sounds B-IR-D, bird.

Do you think it's a bird?

Let's see, you're right, it is a bird is a bird.

Is a living or non-living thing, does it need air, food and water to grow?

Yes, it does, a bird is a living thing so we'll place the bird right over here, bird.

Our next word has three sounds, can you help me blend the sounds?

The first sound is ShH, then E and the last sound is D. Help me blend SH-E-D, shed.

Do you remember the shed from the book?

The raccoons were hiding on top, this is the shed.

Is a shed living or a non-living thing, does it grow, does it need food?

No, a shed is non-living, let's place the shed on the living side, shed.

Our next word also has three sounds, can you help me blend the sounds T-R-EE, let's blend T-R-EE, tree.

Let's see if it's a tree, it is, it's a tree.

What do you think living or non-living.

Do trees grow, do they need water?

That's right they do, trees are living things.

Do you have a tree in your back yard?

I do too, there's our tree.

We have one last word and it has three sounds.

Help me blend the sounds, R-O-CK, let's blend R-O-CK, rock.

Let's see if it's a rock, it is, there's a rock.

What do you think is a rock living or non-living.

That's right, of course rocks are non-living.

They do not grow or need air or food or water, rocks are not living.

Let's place the rock on the non-living side.

Can you help me read the words one more time?

On the living side, we have bird and tree and our non living words were shed and rock.

Great job today readers helping me sort words into living and non-living.

(soft music) Wow readers, that was fun learning about living and non-living things.

Now it's time to write a sentence and draw a picture.

Are you ready?

Do you have something to write on and something to write with?

Great, our question today was what is in your back yard?

You can write about anything that's in your back yard.

Today I'm going to write , in my back yard I see a snake.

We saw a snake in my back yard last week so that will be my sentence.

Can you help me count the words in my sentences?

Ready?

In my back yard, I see a snake.

I have seven lines because there are seven words in my sentence.

You can draw a line for each one of your words in your sentence, just remember, leave a space between your words.

Let's get started, my first word is, in.

Can you help me sound out the word in?

What sounds do you hear, I-N, two sounds in the word in.

The first sound is I, that is the letter I.

Whenever I start a sentence, I always start with a capital letter.

There's my capital I, the next sound is N, do you know what letter makes that sound?

You're right it is, it's N, there's the word in.

In my, my next word is the word my.

Let's stretch out the sounds, M-Y, two sounds in the word my.

The first sound is M, what letter makes that sound, M great.

There's my M, now the next sound is I in the word my but we use a lowercase Y to make that sound.

There's the word my, in my back yard, the next word is back yard.

That's a long word, it has two syllables.

Let's break it in half, the first part is back.

Let's say the sounds in the word back, B-A-CK, three sounds.

The first sound is B, what make that sound, B, you're right.

There is my B, the next sound is A, do you know that sound?

You're right, it's lowercase A, there's my A.

The next sound is CK, two letters in this word are making the CK sound.

Do you know which two letters to use, your right C and K. That's the word back, now we need the word yard.

Let's start out those sounds Y-AR-D, three sounds.

The first sound is Y, that is the letter Y, there's my Y.

The next sound in this word is R, to make the R sound, it's AR, we need one last letter in the word yard.

What sound do you hear at the end of yard, D?

That's right, it's D, in my back yard.

I, the next word I, whenever we write the word I, it's always capital.

When I is by itself, we use capital I.

There's my capital I, in my back yard I see.

The next word is see, let's stretch out the sounds S-EE.

Two sounds in the word see, the first sound is S, what letter makes that sound, S great.

Now the next sound is E to make the long E sound we use two E's in this word, that's the word see.

In my back yard I see a, it's just the lowercase A to write that word, that's easy, I see a snake.

You can put anything that you see in your back yard, just stretch out your sounds.

I'll stretch out the sounds in the word snake, S-N-A-KE.

How many sounds, S-N-A-KE, four sounds.

The first sound is S, we know that letter, it's the letter S, the next sound is N, do you know what letter makes that sound?

You're right, it is N, the next sound is A, what do you think it could be?

You're right, it's the letter A, then what's the last sound you hear, K, K, snake, K. That's the letter K, Hmm I'm missing something.

What do I need at the end of the snake to help the A to say its name?

Do you remember what that's called?

You're right, it is magic E, we need a magic E at the end of snake, it helps the A to say its name.

There's my E, snake, now there's something we always put at the end of our sentence, do you know what it is?

You're right, it's punctuation.

Should this be a period or a question, Mark, am I asking or am I telling.

I'm telling you what I see in my back yard so I need a period, make sure you put a period at the end of your sentence too, there's my period.

Now, friends, it's trying to draw our picture.

I need to make sure my picture matches my words so I think I'll draw a snake and I'm going to use green because the snake I saw in my yard was green.

To make this snake, I start with the ten.

There is my snake, does it match my words.

Let's see, in my back yard, I see a snake, there's my snake.

Great job today readers and writers, thanks for helping me to answer our question about what's living in our back yard.

Don't forget to show your picture and your sentence to someone in your home today.

Friends, that was fun learning about things that live in our back yard, remember there could be living or non-living things, living things need air, food and water to grow, have fun exploring in your back yard and I'll see you next time on read, write, roar.

- [Narrator] This program is made possible in part by Michigan Department of Education, the state of Michigan and The Kresge Foundation.

Additional support for educational programming provided by and by viewers like you.

(soft music)

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