[Music] hi scholars Mrs mask here michigan has so many wonderful places to visit have you heard of the Porcupine Mountains or the Porkis as they're sometimes called well today we're going to learn about this wonderful destination while we are reading together about the Porcupine Mountains we'll answer the following questions where are the Porcupine Mountains what activities do people enjoy doing at the Porkies when is the best time of year to visit the Porcupine Mountains answering these questions will give us a purpose for reading we will also practice thinking aloud about what we are reading these ways of interacting with the text help us to better understand it let's get started porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park also known as the Porkies is a big wild area in Michigan it's in the Upper Peninsula and has over 60,000 acres of land with lots of old trees rivers waterfalls and really old mountains that's the answer to the where question they're in the upper peninsula of Michigan near and along Lake Superior the Porkis were formed over a billion years ago even though they're not super tall the views are amazing the mountains were formed from volcanic activity and they rise sharply from Lake Superior to provide some of the most beautiful views in Michigan a long time ago the Ojiway people live near the mountains they thought the mountains were special and that spirits live there today people still respect the land hikers campers and others visit to get away from the city life and enjoy nature i think it's great that people still take care of the land and they visit to experience the joys of nature it's so important to take care of the earth since it supplies us with what we need to live one of the coolest places in the park is Lake of the Clouds it's a lake high in the mountains and the most famous attraction the lake is surrounded by thick forest and rugged hills the view is breathtaking especially in the fall when they are ablaze with color when you look at it it feels so peaceful and quiet like time slows down hiking to the overlook is easy and is one of the most photographed spots in the park i bet just looking at that great view will help anyone to relax and forget about their troubles so hiking was named here as an activity but earlier campers were mentioned so camping is another activity I can add there are also waterfalls to see some near the Presowl River some other popular ones are Manito Falls N Waterfalls and Manabiso Falls in addition to waterfalls the Porcupine Mountains have streams rivers and smaller lakes that add to the landscape for winter visitors the Porcupine Mountains offer great places for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing there's even a ski area for downhill skiing and snowboarding with a variety of runs for different skill levels wow more activities to add cross-country skiing snowshoeing downhill skiing and snowboarding too one of the most unique features of the Porcupine Mountains is their old growth forest h I wonder what an old growth forest is those forest are made up of trees that have been growing for hundreds of years undisturbed by human activity the old growth trees include species like sugar maple hemlock and yellow birch some trees here are believed to be over 400 years old those towering giants not only provide beauty and shade but also serve as habitats for many species and wildlife old growth forests are rare in the Midwest making the Porcupine Mountains an important area for conservation which means protecting the natural world and the resources it provides such as water air plants and animals oh now I know what an old growth forest is the park is big and wild the trees are huge and old and sometimes you might even see a black bear winters here are cold and there's lots of snow so only brave people go hiking and skiing in the winter i don't like cold weather so visiting the Porcupine Mountains in the winter months would not be a good idea for me a lot of people come to the Porkies to turn off their phones and relax there's no phone service and that's what makes it special it's a place to enjoy nature and feel like you're part of something really big well as we were reading together we were able to answer two of our three questions the one that I wasn't sure about answering was "When is the best time of the year to visit the Porcupine Mountains?"

Well we didn't answer this question directly but it looks like you can visit and find fun things to do all year long at the Porcupine Mountains so the answer to that one is anytime asking questions and thinking aloud while we read are strategies to help us remember and understand the next time you're reading try these strategies out on your own thank you for joining us if you want more fun ways to practice literacy skills don't forget to subscribe to the Michigan Learning channel and be sure to check the description below for links to activity guides resources and more [Music] [Applause]