- Hello readers.

Welcome to second grade on Read, Write, Roar.

Today we are going to focus on two big questions.

How do people's actions affect their environments, and what choices can people make to reduce their impact on the environment.

Today we are going to practice dividing words into syllables to make them easier to read.

We will also listen to an Ojibwe story about how to protect our precious resource, water.

So scholars go ahead and get your paper.

Get something to write with, and let's get ready to Read, Write, Roar.

- [Announcer] This program is made possible in part by, the Michigan Department of Education.

The state of Michigan.

And the WK Kellogg foundation.

Additional support by- And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat electronic music) (lion roars) - Hello scholars.

I'm Mrs. Z-K, and today we are going to practice dividing words into syllables to make them easier to read.

We are going to talk about the two types of syllables that we can have in a word.

But first we need to review our vowel letters, and the sounds that they can make.

Over here I have our vowel letters.

Let's review them.

What letter is this?

A.

And short sound, a.

Long sound, ey.

Nice job.

What letter?

E. Short sound, e. Long sound, ee.

What letter?

I.

Short sound, I.

Long sound, ahy.

What letter?

O.

Short sound, o.

Long sound, oh.

And what letter?

U.

Short sound, uh.

Long sound, u or ou.

Knowing the vowels and their sounds help us when we are trying to decode a word.

We have two types of syllables on the board.

Over here is one type, and over here is another type.

A syllable can end in either a vowel or consonant.

Do you remember what a consonant is?

What is it?

A consonant is all the other letters in the alphabet that are not vowels.

Nice work.

So a syllable can either end in a vowel or consonant.

Let's look up here.

These two syllables end in vowels.

Nice job.

That makes these syllables open.

Say open syllable.

Nice.

Now these two syllables end with consonants.

I'm talking about the last letter in the syllable.

It is a consonant, which makes it a closed syllable.

In open syllables the vowel has a long sound.

In close syllable the vowel will have a short sound.

Do you see why we reviewed her sounds?

Nice.

All right so if you know that this vowel is going to make a long I sound, think about it.

What word is it?

Hi.

(laughs) All right, here we go another syllable.

We know that this vowel is going to have a long sound because it's an open syllable.

And our word is, go.

Nice work.

All right go over to our closed syllables.

End with a consonant so we know that our vowels have short sounds.

So think about that.

Short I sound.

And the word is, hit.

Nice.

All right over here.

Short O sound.

And the word is, got.

Nice work.

(upbeat electronic music) (lion roars) Nice work scholars.

Now you know the difference between an open syllable and a closed syllable.

I have a word here.

This word is going to have two syllables.

We're going to decide what kind of syllables they are, so we know what sound the vowel will make.

We're going to use this anchor chart to help us through the way.

This says dividing syllables.

It reminds us that every syllable has one vowel sound.

So in a word, there could be more than one vowel sound.

If there is more than one vowel sound, that means there's more than one syllable.

Okay.

We're going to start with this.

We're going to place a dot under each vowel.

Remember those vowels are a E I O U sometimes Y.

Let's look at the word that I have here.

What do you notice?

Do you see some vowels?

You better (laughs) right?

Or it can't be a word.

A word has to be made of syllables.

All right.

I see a vowel here, and here.

A and I.

All right.

So we got that part done.

Now our chart says that we can divide between two consonants.

Remember consonants are all the other letters that are not vowels.

Well what it means by that is that when you have two vowels, so I'm going to use V for vowel, right?

When you have two vowels.

And if, if the word has two consonants in between or in the middle of those vowels, then that's where we will divide it.

We will divide it in between the two consonants.

We will split that word up where the two consonants are, if they are between the two vowels.

So let's look at it in action.

Here's my two vowels, let's look.

Are there two consonants?

Yes there are.

So we can divide between the two consonants.

Which means I can separate this word between the double consonants.

And now I can see my two syllables.

Remember knowing what kind of syllable the word is, tells us how to read the word.

So this syllable ends with the consonant.

Short vowel sound.

This syllable ends with the consonant.

Short vowel sound.

Are you ready?

Let's figure out what this word is.

We got rr ab, rab.

B it, bit.

The word is rabbit.

Nice work scholars.

Go ahead and get your paper and pencil.

And we're going to go ahead and do some together.

Are you ready?

All right scholars.

Let's go ahead and write our first word.

Are you ready?

It's P O T L U C K. Nice work.

Now we are going to go ahead and follow the steps on our anchor chart to see if this word fits our pattern.

Vowel, consonant, consonant, vowel.

So that we know that we can divide the word between the two consonants.

If we're able to do that, we will find our syllables.

And then that will help us read the word more easily.

All right scholars.

So first step, place on dot under each vowel.

All right so find those vowels.

Put your dot.

I see a O, and a U.

Nice work scholars.

All right.

And then we need to divide the word.

If it matches our pattern.

Is there two consonants in between the two vowels?

Remember consonants are all the other letters, except for vowels.

So are these two letters consonants?

They are, right?

So we can divide between them.

So I am going to divide this word between, or in the middle of the two consonants.

And that divides our word up and gives us syllables.

All right.

So let's figure out what this word is.

I see this syllable ends with the consonant, short vowel.

And I see this syllable also ends with the consonant, short vowel.

Both of them are closed.

So this syllable is pot.

And this one is luck.

Nice job.

Our word is potluck.

Great.

A potluck is when everybody brings a dish to the party.

Right?

Everyone brings the dish and they have a potluck.

It's pretty nice.

All right scholars.

Next word.

Go ahead and write it down.

N A P K I N. Nice.

Yeah, remember our first step, we're going to identify those vowels.

So place a dot under each vowel.

I see a A, and an I.

Nice.

I see that I have two separate vowel sounds, which means I have two syllables.

We are going to have to divide this word up.

So remember we can divide between two consonants.

That's one way we could divide a word.

Only if our two consonants are in the middle of the two vowels.

So let's look.

Do we have two consonants in between the two vowels?

Yes we do.

All right.

So let's go ahead and divide our word between the two consonants.

Nice.

What do you notice about these syllables?

Do these syllables ends with vowels or consonants?

They both end with consonants.

Nice.

That means they are closed syllables.

Which means the vowel sound is, short.

Nice.

All right.

So let's figure out our word.

Our first syllable is, nap.

Second syllable, kin.

Nice job.

Our word is, napkin.

Yeah cause at the potluck, you're gonna need a napkin.

To wipe your hands and face.

Amazing work today scholars.

We practiced dividing a word into syllables based on its pattern.

If there were two vowels and two consonants in between them, we knew we could divide the word between the consonants.

That is one way to divide a word when you don't know what it is.

So go ahead, get a good book.

Try reading.

And if you get stuck on a word.

See if you can divide the syllables to make it a word easier to read.

(calm steady music) - Hi scholars.

I'm Mrs. Fuller.

Today we're going to be reading a book called The Water Walker written by Joanne Robertson.

I read with permission from the Second Story Press.

As we read today, I would like us to listen for information that'll help us answer our two big questions.

First, how do people's actions affect the environment?

And our second big question, what choices can people make to reduce their impact on the environment?

Let's get started.

In the book today, you'll hear words from the Ojibwe language.

Ojibwe is an indigenous language spoken by the Ojibwe people.

Ojibwe communities are found mainly in North America, in Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

So in the Northern part of North America.

Before we get started, there are a couple of Ojibwe words that I want you to know.

The first word is Nibi, which is the Ojibwe word for water.

And the second word is Nokomis, which is the Ojibwe word for grandmother.

Nibi and Nokomis are the two main characters in our story today.

Some other important words that you're gonna hear in the story today are the word Kwe, which means woman.

Kwewok, means women.

Semaa means sacred tobacco.

Niichiis means friend.

Ogimaa is the leader or the chief.

Nokomis Giizis means the moon.

A bawaajgan is a dream.

Migizi is bald eagle.

Gichi miigwech means thank you very much.

Jiimaan means canoe or boat.

And you'll also hear an important phrase, nga-zhichige nibi onji, which stands for, I will do it for the water.

Nokomis loved Nibi, and Nibi loved Nokomis.

Rain or shine, hot or cold, calm or wild.

Every morning, like the women in her family before her, Nokomis hopped out of bed and before doing anything else she sang, Gichi miigwech Nibi.

Thank you for everything.

For the life you give to every living thing on earth.

I love you.

I respect you.

But one day a wise ogimaa, that's a chief or a leader, told her in my lifetime the day will come when an ounce of water costs more than an ounce of gold.

What are you going to do about it?

So the ogimaa said, an ounce of water will cost as much as an ounce of gold.

What do you think he meant by that?

Those are some great answers.

Let's keep reading and find out.

Like an arrow his words pierced Nokomis's his heart.

She looked around, she saw how people were disrespecting the water, wasting it, making it unfit for life.

Day turned to night, nights turned to weeks and Nokomis remembered the ogimaa's words.

A few moons went by.

How long is that?

That's right, a few days.

A few moons went by and then one night Nokomis had a bawaajgan.

That means a dream.

Early next morning, Nokomis called her sister and kwewok niichiis, that means woman friends, over for tea to talk about their responsibility to protect Nibi.

Four days later, Nokomis and the Mother Earth Water Walkers, as they came to be known, found themselves standing on the side of the road wearing sneakers.

Nokomis carried a copper pail full of Nibi in one hand and a Migizi Staff in the other.

That means a bald eagle staff.

If no one noticed Nibi, maybe they would notice the Water Walkers.

Maybe someone would ask why they carried Nibi in their copper pail.

Maybe someone would be moved to protect Nibi too.

Nokomis and the Mother Earth Water Walkers walked around all the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

You can see on the map, the names of the Great Lakes.

Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

They walked every spring for seven years.

They prayed and sang to Nibi.

They left semaa, that means sacred tobacco, in every lake, river, stream, and puddle they met.

They got up before the birds and went to bed with Nokomis Giizis, that means the moon.

Nokomis was interviewed on television, in newspapers and on radio.

She was even in movies.

But big companies, politicians, and even her next door neighbors still did not feel the urgency to protect Nibi.

What more can I do wondered Nokomis.

A year later over by the Atlantic ocean, a niichii-kwe, that means a friend who's a woman, had a bawaajgan which she shared with Nokomis as she woke up.

Nokomis shared the bawaajgan with all the people she had met during her previous walks.

Word spread fast across Turtle Island.

Everyone began to prepare.

And in the Ojibwe language, Turtle Island refers to North America.

Next thing you know, there were kwewok, women, standing at each salt Nibi surrounding Turtle Island with a copper pail in one hand and a Migizi Staff in the other wearing sneakers.

In the west, Nokomis and the Mother Earth Water Walkers set off from the Pacific ocean saying, Nga-zhichige Nibi onji.

I will do it for the water.

One year after a devastating oil spill, Nokomis and the Water Walkers set off from the Gulf of Mexico, singing to Nibi and praying for healing for Nibi.

Water we love you.

We thank you.

We respect you.

Next, Nokomis and the Water Walkers set off from the Atlantic ocean in the east.

At the sendoff, they walked barefoot on the rocks and the beautiful petroglyphs and sang to Nibi.

Putting on their sneakers, they started out on the migration trail their ancestors travel hundreds of years before.

In the frigid north, the ice was five feet thick.

Nokomis and the Mother Earth Water Walkers put semaa on the frozen Nibi singing their thanks, respect and love.

Nga-zhichige nibi onji.

I will do it for the water.

Salt water tears fill the Mother Earth Water Walkers eyes as the four salt Nibi met Lake Superior.

One day the four salt Nibi will be reborn as clouds and be carried home on the wind, said Nokomis.

Nokomis went through three knees and 11 pairs of sneakers walking for Nibi.

She got her knees replaced and is at home resting, taking the time to surf online for new sneakers.

Every morning, she puts down her semaa for Nibi and sings her gratitude.

She prays people wake up and realize that without Nibi, there is no life.

And she continues to wonder, what are you going to do about it?

Earlier in the story, Ogimaa was talking to Nokomis and he said, in my lifetime an ounce of water will cost more than an ounce of gold.

What does this mean?

We learned from reading the story that water is precious.

All living things need water to survive.

The water is being polluted.

We need to take care of and protect the water.

If we don't take care of and protect the water, it'll become hard to get and things that become hard to get become expensive.

So we all need the water to survive.

So Ogimaa is saying that we must take care of the water so that we have it in the future.

I'd like your help picking out the story elements from our story today.

The story elements are the setting.

The setting is where the story takes place.

The characters that's the who, or the what is involved in the story.

The problem is something that's wrong in the story.

And the language.

In this story, there were two languages that we want to talk about.

So let's get started with the setting.

In our book, The Water Walker, what would you say is the setting?

Or where did the story take place?

Great.

We can put both of those answers.

We can put North America.

Which in Ojibwe was Turtle Island.

And we can also put Michigan, because it talks about Nokomis walking around the Great Lakes.

Let's write that.

So I wrote North America, Turtle Island.

And I'm going to write Michigan.

All right.

Characters.

What were the characters in the story?

Or who or what is involved in the story?

That's right.

I heard both answers.

We have two main characters today.

We had Nibi, which is the water, and Nokomis, who is the grandmother.

The Water Walker.

What is the problem in the story?

Something's wrong in the story.

That's right.

People are disrespecting the water.

They're not taking care of it.

And they're not noticing that there's a problem with the water.

Let's write that.

The water is being polluted and people are not protecting.

The water is being polluted and people are not protecting it.

And then in our book, we had two languages.

What languages did we hear and see in our book?

That's right.

The first one's English.

That's the language that we're used to hearing and seeing.

And the second language?

Great.

Ojibwe.

And that's pretty great that a story had two different languages for us to see and hear.

(upbeat happy music) (lion roars) Our book today is based on a true story.

Nokomis walks to protect our water and to protect all of us.

Nokomis Josephine Mandamin, an Ojibwe grandmother, walks to raise awareness of our need to protect Nibi for future generations, and for all life on the planet.

Nokomis, along with other women, men, and young people has walked around all the Great Lakes from the four salt waters or oceans, all the way to Lake Superior.

During one walk alone, Josephine put almost 4,500,000 footsteps on her sneakers.

Nokomis hopes that some of you reading this book will be inspired to help protect Nibi too.

Thank you so much for learning with us today.

And maybe you could take the time and tell the story of Nokomis and Nibi to other people.

And help them realize the importance of taking care of our water.

I'll see you next time on Read, Write, Roar.

- [Announcer] This program is made possible in part by the Michigan Department of Education.

The state of Michigan.

And the WK Kellogg Foundation.

Additional support by- And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat guitar music) (upbeat music continues)