(Describer) Teachers appear.

[upbeat music]

Hello, everyone and welcome to "Teaching in Room 9," the region... Shapes are everywhere we look, but... Good job. Now I want to touch your throat right here and see how they feel. And say to ourselves to be positive. Lemurs are found on the island of Madagascar. For one, when the numbers get bigger as we go across to the right. Reset. That means taking a deep breath. It may mean counting to ten. Today, we're going to start with the freestyle stroke. So I'm going to put my arms up and I'm going to...

(teacher) All righty, are you ready to learn? Let's go!

[upbeat music]

(Describer) A title appears. ‘Teaching in Room Nine.’ Words on a chalkboard read, ‘Today’s objective. Let’s dive in and learn how the author and illustrator work together to tell a story. We’ll also practice skip counting by the number ten.’ In a colorful classroom, a teacher wears an orange t-shirt and purple cap. He holds a stuffed toy lion.

[playful music]

Hello, everyone. You see my friend?

[deep voice] Hey, everybody.

Welcome back to "Teaching In Room 9," the region's largest classroom. I am Dr. Sanders, and in our new classroom, we can go anywhere and be anything while engaging and learning about the community around us. But remember, what do I always say? It doesn't matter if you're 2 or 102, you'll have some fun. -F-U-N. -[texts popping] Fun! You'll have some fun while learning. I work at Adams Elementary in the Saint Louis Public Schools, and let's get this day started. As I remove my hat... Do you like my hat? It fits perfectly, doesn't it? But are going to get started by giving some shout outs to some of my friends? My first friend's name is Bella. Everybody say, "Hey, Bella." Good job, good job. Let's spell Bella. Capital B-e-l-l-a. B-e-l-l-a. Hi, Bella. My next friend's name is Gina. Everybody say, "Hey, hey, hey, Miss Gina." Let's spell Gina. Capital G-i-n-a. G-i-n-a. My next name is Kristina. Hi, hi, hi, Kristina. Let's spell Kristina. Capital K-r-i-s-t-i-n-a. -Hi, Kristina. And my last name for today is Ms. Fatama. Hi, Ms. Fatama. Are you having a good day? Good. Let's spell Fatama Capital F-a-t-a-m-a. All righty, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to go? Let's get to learning. -[kids laughing] -[bell dinging]

(Describer) Chalkboard words read, ‘School Readiness.’ An old black and white chart turns into words. ‘Washing our hands!’ In a bathroom, three kids wash their hands at the sink.

-[static crackling] -[lively music]

[upbeat music]

(speaker) It's important to wash your hands at school and at home. You get to follow the same steps. Step one, apply soap and rub your hands together.

[upbeat music]

(Describer) The kids follow the directions.

Step two, rinse thoroughly with water.

(Describer) They rub their hands under the sink’s running water.

Step three, dry your hands completely.

(Describer) They wipe paper towel over their hands.

Step four, throw your paper towel in the trash. Let's review. It's important to wash your hands. Step one, always use soap and wash your hands together. Step two, rinse off your hands with water. Step three, make sure your hands are dried completely. Step four, throw your paper towel away. Fantastic job. Keep up the good work and keep those hands clean.

[lively music]

(Describer) Words on a chalkboard read, ‘Read Aloud.’ A teacher sits in an armchair in a cozy corner.

Hi, friends. Welcome back to "Teaching In Room 9." It's Mrs. Forth from the Rockwood School District. I'm excited to bring another book to share with you today. And what makes this book so special is it's actually a poem, a poem written by Aja La'Starr and illustrated by Gloria Day, and it's called "Rock What You Got." I always want to thank the author when we read. So let's go ahead and say thank you to Aja La'Starr. Thank you, Aja La'Starr. And while I'm at it, I really want to think about the fact that she wrote the words. She's called the author. Can you say author? Authors are the people who write the words in the books that we read. There's also an important person called the illustrator. This is Gloria Day. The illustrator draws the pictures, but they both tell the story or the poem. So as we're reading today, we're going to pay attention to both the words and the pictures and talk about how they're both helping us understand the story. "Rock What You Got."

(Describer) She opens the book to six illustrated kids with different hair, clothes, and heights.

"Perfectly crafted, everyone is unique." Unique. Unique is another way of saying special; different in a special kind of way. The author used the word unique. What did the illustrator do to help us show that they're all special in their own different ways? Yeah, they have different clothes on. Some have glasses. Some are tall. Yeah.

(Describer) She turns the page.

"From the top of your head to the soles of your feet." From the top of your head. Did you notice how the illustrator is telling that part of the poem by showing just the head? What about over here? Yeah, you see just the feet. Bare feet and grass. The soles of your feet.

(Describer) Two kids smile.

"From the dimple in your cheek to the gap in your teeth." Check the pictures. What are you noticing? Can you see the dimple in the cheek? Do you have dimples? Oh yes, some of you do. And then the "gap in your teeth." Can you see the space? That's another word for gap. Some of you have spaces between the teeth where you lost a tooth.

(Describer) A frame surrounds a picture of a kid in a wheelchair.

"You are just like beautiful art. A stunning masterpiece." That's right, you can see the illustrator added a picture of artwork to help us better understand the words of the poem.

(Describer) A kid frowns with their arms crossed and then smiles.

"Maybe you are in doubt." Doubt. Can you say that word? That's a new word, isn't it? Doubt-- that means unsure. Maybe you're not so sure. Do you know what help me figure out what that word means? That's right, the picture the illustrator showed this girl kind of with her arms crossed like she wasn't so sure. She's in doubt. "Maybe you are in doubt, but you should never be." Now she's smiling. Don't be unsure. Be sure of who you are, right? 'Cause you are rocking what you got.

(Describer) One kid stands in front of a clock and another waves.

"When precious time was taken out to create who you would be." Are you noticing anything in the pictures that the illustrator did to match the words that the author wrote? Yeah, I see the clock. Precious time. There's a clock 'cause clocks tell time. "To create who you would be."

(Describer) Two kids smile.

"From your eyes to your size, from your lips to your hips." You can see eyes and her hands are on her hips.

(Describer) Two kids wearing glasses spread their hands wide.

"From your nose to your ears, right down to your fingertips." How are the illustrator and author working together on these pages? I agree. I can see the fingers fingertips. That's what I was thinking.

(Describer) Stars surround a bald kid who wears earrings.

"You-- yes, you-- are a star in your own right." I see the star too. You can see stars all around.

(Describer) A kid’s curly hair hangs in ponytails.

"But you must see your image with your own sight." Hmm, "you must see your image with your own sight." See, image, and sight. Do you know what an image is? Yeah, an image is what you can see. You see things with your eyes and that thing is the image. You can see an image in a mirror and see how amazing you are.

(Describer) The kid with ponytails smiles in a mirror.

There's a mirror! We guessed it, didn't we? "When you look in the mirror, "always love what you see.

(Describer) The kid sitting in a wheelchair flexes their arms.

"Celebrate how great you are and how great you will be." You can tell this kid's feeling great, right? Like, "Yeah, that's right."

(Describer) Four kids appear in colorful squares.

"Appreciate all of your quirks for they are a part of you too." Quirks-- that's a fun word to say. Can you say "quirks"? Quirks are little things that make us who we are.

(Describer) ‘A peculiar, special behavioral trait.’

"You are beyond special. You-- yes, you." I kind of feel like this-- Yeah, I feel like in this picture. He's pointing at me. "You-- yes, you." You are special.

(Describer) An image of the earth.

"So honor who you are because to the world you mean a lot." Do you notice anything that the illustrator added to match the words? Yeah, the earth, the world. That picture matches the words right here 'cause the author and the illustrator are working together.

(Describer) A short and a tall kid stand together.

"You are perfect in every way "so always...

(Describer) All the kids wave together.

rock what you got." Didn't you just love that poem in book form, "Rock What You Got" by Aja La'Starr? Did you notice how those pictures matched the words? Because the illustrator and the author were working together to make this poem come to life. So when you're reading books, notice how the pictures and the words go together to help us tell the story. Thank you so much for joining me again to read "Rock What You Got." I can't wait to see you next time. Bye, everybody. Hello, everyone. Did you like that book?

(Describer) Dr. Sanders.

"Rock What You Got." Were you rocking what you got as she was reading it?

(Describer) He dances.

Oh, yes. Do you know this book is a poem? And a poem sometimes just has a little rhythm. You can catch a beat. Oh, you just catch a little beat, and it makes the book so much more. You move with it. So next time you read this book, rock with it a little bit, okay? I hope you enjoyed the book, but guess what? I'll see you in a bit.

[upbeat music]

(Describer) ‘Movement.’ A teacher’s shirt reads, ‘It’s a beautiful day to love your neighbor.’

Hi everyone, and welcome to "Room 9." My name is Mrs. St. Louis and I'm a teacher at Rogers Elementary School in the Mehlville School District, and we are located in South St. Louis County. Today, I'm here to teach a movement lesson for children of all ages. So let's get ready to get moving. We're going to start today by warming up our bodies, starting with our head. Let's shake it, yes

(Describer) She nods forward.

and no,

(Describer) Side to side.

and maybe so.

(Describer) Shoulder to shoulder.

Let's stretch up nice and tall and reach down to our toes holding for five seconds. One, two, three, four, and five. Come up slowly. Today, we are going to be working on building all kinds of strength in our muscles. So we're going to start with our legs, some of our strongest muscles in our body. We're going to begin with some squats. Now a squat is when my legs are out just below my shoulders and I sit back like I'm sitting in an imaginary chair. So I'm going to sit and stand up. We're going to do five of those. Are you ready? Let's go. One, two, three, four, last one, and five. Now to continue working on those leg muscles, we're going to do some lunges. I'm going to bring one leg behind me, the other in front, and I'm going to bend down for five. One,

(Describer) Her back knee lowers toward the floor. Her back stays straight.

two, three, four, and five. Let's switch. Put the other leg in front. The other one comes behind bending down. One, two, three, four, and five. Now let's take to the floor. We're going to be working on our abdominal muscles next. Those are the muscles in our stomach. They help to make sure that we can sit and stand up straight. So it's really important that we practice using them. We're going to begin with some sit-ups. I'm going to put my feet right up in front of me, bend my knees, and lay on my back. Now I'm going to lean up and lift just my shoulders off the ground, crunching up. If you're really advanced, you could go all the way for that sit-up. Let's do five. One,

(Describer) She lifts her shoulders off the floor. Her legs stay bent.

two, three, four, and five. Let's sit up at the end. Now we don't just have to move our muscles to strengthen them. We can practice holding. So now we're going to hold them up. I'm going to lift my feet up off the ground and hold my hands up. Holding for five seconds. Ready? One,

(Describer) She sits in a V-shape with bent knees.

two, three, four, and five. Did you feel 'em working? I know I felt mine. Now let's flip over. We're going to do some strength with our arms next. So the next thing that we're going to do is practice holding our plank pose. I'm going to put my arms straight up in front, lift up off my knees with my legs behind me, and I'm going to hold it for five seconds. If you need to, put your knees down, come right back up and join us. Ready? Let's go. One, two,

(Describer) She balances on her hands and feet in a push up pose.

three, four, five, and come on down. Now to build on that pose, we can practice some push-ups. There are a few ways to do this. I can keep my knees bent and put my arms down. I can walk my arms out a little bit to get more or lift my knees up to practice those push-ups. I'm going to keep my knees down and we're going to do five. Ready? Go. One,

(Describer) On her hands and knees, she bends her arms.

two, three, almost done, four and five.

[exhales] We built up a lot of strength.

So let's make sure we cool down with some breathing. Deep breath in [inhales]

(Describer) Her arms raise.

and out [exhales]

(Describer) Her arms lower.

and in [inhales] and out. [exhales] Remember, 60 minutes of exercise is the goal every single day. So get out there and get moving. Don't forget to hydrate with some water, and we'll see you back here next time in "Room 9." Bye, everyone.

(Describer) ‘Nature in Room Nine.’ Dr Sanders sits with a man who wears a cap and shirt covered in patches.

-[rooster crowing] -[birds chirping] Welcome back to our amazing classroom. You already see him. Yes, Mr. Bare Hands Beran, our favorite wildlife expert. And, Mr. Beran, I like... Hold on. I like Bare Hands first. -Everybody calls me Bare Hands. -Bare Hands. Call him Bare Bands. Say "Hi, Mr. Bare Hands." Hey, kids, how are ya? What do you have for us today? Well, today I brought in Sunshine.

(Describer) A bumpy, yellow critter.

(Dr. Sanders) Ooh.

(Bare Hands) And Sunshine is a leopard gecko. A leopard gecko. Why is it a leopard gecko?

(Bare Hands) Well, two reasons. One, they have these really interesting spots like a leopard does.

(Dr. Sanders) Okay. And two, they hunt very cat-like. -Oh. -Yeah, like they crouch and they pounce and the little tail twitches. And then when they find their prey,

[ whooshing] they jump on it like a cat.

-Oh. -Just like a leopard would. Okay, and what is their prey?

(Bare Hands) So they eat a lot of insects. However, they're not opposed to eating small lizards or anything they can get their mouth on. Okay, so we talked about omnivore and hardcore carnivore? So they are considered a carnivore. -Okay. -Or an insectivore. Okay, because they do eat protein. Okay, and where do you find leopard geckos? These guys are from the Middle East. You'll find them in Iran and in Pakistan and some of those Middle Eastern countries around that region. And why are they in those countries and not on an island or-- Well, leopard geckos prefer a very arid type of environment to live in. Arid, arid. That's a big word. Everybody say "arid." Arid. All right, and what does arid mean? So that means that it would be a very dry environment. You know, it may be a desert. Very rocky, sandy, very little vegetation. Mostly rocky, arid. All right, and I've been to a couple places and I've seen these not in Iran or Egypt. I've been to a pet store. Do these make good pets? So amazingly, they do make very good pets. They're very easy to take care of. The husbandry is very simple. It's pretty straightforward. They don't need a lot of water and they eat insects very readily. You can get mealworms, you can get dubia roaches, or you can get crickets. I wonder, is it okay if I have it pet? Yeah, you can pet Sunshine and you can hold her too. So just hold your hands out like this. There you go. There you go, and we'll just put her right there.

(Describer) Sunshine crawls over Dr. Sanders’ hand.

Oh. Isn't that as rough as I thought it would be. -Yeah. -Kind of soft.

(Bare Hands) A lot of people love leopard geckos because when you look at them right in the face, they look like they're smiling.

(Dr. Sanders) Oh. And she likes to crawl, I see. Oh yeah. In fact, when you have one for a pet, you can supervise, you can let them out to crawl around and explore the area.

(Dr. Sanders) As long as you don't have any cats around. Yes, do not have cats. I think most cats would love to grab that.

(Dr. Sanders) All right, and I see one more thing. I see on the side of Sunshine's head, I see some openings. What are those?

(Bare Hands) Yes, so they have open ears. And so they actually absorb sound through those ears, and they can hear their surroundings, but they can also the vibrations through their toes. Oh, okay. Well, thank you very much for bringing Sunshine in. And, boys and girls, I'll see you in a bit.

(children) One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...

(Describer) ‘Math.’

Hi, friends. Welcome back to "Teaching In Room 9," our region's largest classroom. My name is Julia. I'm a first-grade teacher at The Soulard School and here for "Teaching In Room 9," this is our song time. Songs are a fun way for us to practice counting and numbers. Today, we're going to be focusing on skip counting by 10s. See if you can sing or count along with me.

♪ We are skip counting by 10s ♪

♪ We can do it, my friends ♪

♪ We'll go from 10 until 100 ♪

♪ Then we can start again ♪

♪ 10 then 20 ♪

♪ 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 ♪

♪ Then comes 80, 90, 100 ♪

♪ We are so smart, don't you see ♪

♪ We are skip counting by 10s ♪

♪ We can do it, my friends ♪

♪ We'll go from 10 until 100 ♪

♪ Then we can start again ♪

♪ 10 then 20 ♪

♪ 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 ♪

♪ Then comes 80, 90, 100 ♪

♪ We are so smart, don't you see ♪

Nice job, friends. You did such a good job skip counting by 10s. I am so proud of you.

Kiss your brains. [lips smocking]

We'll see you next time. Bye. -[rooster crowing] -[birds chirping]

(Describer) ‘Nature in Room Nine. Quick Facts.’ Sunshine, the leopard gecko, crawls on the table in front of Dr. Sanders and Bare Hands.

[upbeat music]

Now we have some quick facts about our leopard gecko. Yes, leopard geckos are fascinating creatures. One interesting thing about leopard geckos is you see how fat his tail is? That's because he stores all the extra nutrients and fat in that tail. So if his tail is thicker than his hips, that means he's extremely good health. Another fun fact about leopard geckos is they have over 100 teeth in the mouth, and every three to four months, they regenerate those teeth. So he is always got a nice new set of chompers. Whenever they shed, they're just like most reptiles when they start growing, they get too big for their skin. They shed their skin. Well, leopard geckos shed it in one piece and then they eat the whole shed. They also have eyelids that blink this way and then they have a nictitating membrane that goes this way. Their tongues are long enough that they can lick the sand out of their own eyeball.

[Dr. Sanders laughs]

What a great thing, huh? -That would be nice. -[Bare Hands laughs] They do have ear openings and so they can hear, but they have very sensitive toes and they can feel sound through the ground. All righty, thank you, Mr. Bare Hands for those amazing facts. And, boys and girls, I'll see you in a bit. Bye-bye. -[graphics warbling] -[graphics chiming] Great day! This is Candace with Chaos, and I want to introduce you to my friend Jen. Jen is short for Jennifer, and here's Jen right here. Jen is absolutely amazing. Jen speaks three languages, and Jen knows how to ice skate, and Jen also knows how to build amazing things with Legos. Jen wants to be an architect when they grow up. And so something about Jen is Jen is sad a lot, and nobody really knows that that's what's happening with Jen. And Jen often has tummy aches, and Jen often falls asleep in class. And Jen sometimes gets into trouble because Jen doesn't turn in their work like they're supposed to. And so Jen really wants people to be patient with 'em. Can you say "patient"? Patient stands for: Pause And Think, Inhale, Exhale, Now Talk, or "Now Tap Out." And so sometimes Jen deals with bullying. And so when Jen deals with bullying, Jen is learning how to talk if they can, but tap out if they need to. And so we only talk when we can be respectful and not hurt anybody, including ourselves. But when we can't do that, we tap out and we find something else to do. And sometimes Jen has to tap out and walk away or Jen has to tap out and talk to a trusted adult. If you are ever feeling really sad or if you are ever feeling like you don't feel good or you're feeling like people are bullying you, please talk to a trusted adult and use the patient skill. Talk if you can or tap out if you need to. I want you to try that. Let an adult know how it works out, and then I'll see you soon. You have an amazing day. Ear hugs and cyber kisses. All right, everybody, we're back in "Room 9." Whoo, whoo. Did you have some fun today? Good, good, good. But now unfortunately, our time has come to an end. But before we go, we have to spell our favorite word and what is our favorite word? Nine. Let's spell nine. N-I-N-E. Nine. Thank you for being in "Room 9." Bye-bye.

[upbeat music]

(Describer) ‘Teaching in Room Nine.’ Credits appear. Concept developed by Michael D. Francis. Subject matter experts: Michael “Bare Hands” Beran, Candice E. Cox, LCSW. Educators: Dr. Albert Sanders, Kristen Forth, Julia Knarr, Julia St. Louis , Lauren Williams, Shamika Williams.

♪ Hey ♪

Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

♪ Hey ♪

(Describer) Book read , Rock What You Got. Book Author, Aja La’Starr . Thank you to Field Trip Locations: Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri Historical Society, Healthworks Kids’ Museum St. Louis, Saint Louis Science Center. Affinia Healthcare. Curriculum Partner, STEMPact.

[upbeat music continues]

(Describer) Vice president and chief impact officer, Angie Carr. Vice president and chief content officer, Aja Williams. President and CEO, Amy Shaw.

(narrator) "Teaching In Room 9" is supported in part by...

(Describer) Logos appear. ‘If you would like to reach any member of Teaching in Room 9, please visit, Nine PBS dot Org forward slash T I R 9 Feedback’

♪ Hey ♪

Know who to reach out to when you need help. There is hope. Call or text 988.

(Describer) Suicide and crisis lifeline. Nine PBS. Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.