Let's Learn About Teeth!

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Students count how many teeth they have and learn that there are different kinds of teeth. Students also learn that a tooth has different parts.

OBJECTIVE

Students Will:

1. Count their teeth.
2. Graph how many teeth they have lost.
3. Write about losing their teeth.
4. Recognize different parts of a tooth.

MATERIALS

1. Large paper tooth for brainstorming words
2. Small tooth-shaped paper (1/4th of 8-1/2 X 11 sheet) for writing
3. The Graph Club™ software
4. Computer
5. Large screen TV or projector
6. Printer
7. Model of Teeth
8. The Real Tooth Fairy by Marilyn Kaye, illustrated by Helen Cogancherry
9. A Look at Teeth by Allan Fowler

SET UP AND PREPARE

1. Cut out a large paper tooth.
2. Run copies of small blank tooth-shaped paper for writing.
3. Have The Graph Club™ software ready to use on the computer.

DIRECTIONS
Day 1
Step 1: Read The Real Tooth Fairy.
Step 2: Brainstorm words students may want to use when writing about losing teeth.
These could be written on a large paper tooth.
Step 3: Students write about their experiences with losing teeth on tooth-shaped paper. If some students have not lost a tooth yet, they could write about what they think it will be like when they loose their first tooth.

Day 2
Step 1: Read A Look at Teeth by Allan Fowler.
Step 2: Discuss the types of teeth and parts of a tooth.
Step 3: Demonstrate with the Model of Teeth how to count the teeth in your mouth.
Step 4: Demonstrate how to use The Graph Club™ software.
Step 5: Either in a lab setting or on a classroom computer in a center setting, individuals or teams of students create a graph about how many teeth they have and how many they have lost.
Step 6: Print the graphs created. Bind these to create a book. Students enjoy viewing these graphs throughout the year as the number of teeth they have change.

LESSON EXTENSION
Learn more about teeth and play dental health games with these fun Web sites.

1. http://scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/colgate/print.htm
2. http://healthyteeth.org/index.html
3. http://kids-world.colgate.com/

ASSESS STUDENTS

1. Teacher Observation :
1. Were students able to make a graph using The Graph Club software?
2. Were they able to count how many teeth they had?
3. How many students were also able to identify the parts of a tooth?
2. Copies of student writing about tooth loss will be saved for their assessment portfolios.

ASSIGNMENTS

1. Tell three facts about teeth.
2. Make a graph showing how many teeth have been lost.

EVALUATE THE LESSON

1. Was there enough time?
2. Were the students successful or frustrated creating a graph?
3. Could the students tell me about teeth?

Gayle has been a teacher for 35 years. She has helped teachers throughout the nation learn about technology, the Internet, and creative ways to use both in the classroom.

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