Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

5 minutes – Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge
15 minutes – Part B: Animal Teeth
20 minutes – Part C: Brushing Technique
5 minutes – Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Ask students to turn to the person beside them and give them a big smile! What can students see? Teeth, obviously! But is there anything different about each tooth?

Step 2.

Ask students to run their tongue slowly along the top and bottom of their two rows of teeth. What can they feel? Is it straight all the way along?

I wonder what are teeth made of?
I wonder how many teeth we have? Some students might make a connection with primary (baby) teeth and adult teeth.
I wonder if all our teeth are different, or the same?
I wonder if our teeth have different names?
Do we have the same teeth as sharks? Why/why not?
I wonder what our teeth are for? Why do they have that job?

Part B: Animal Teeth

Explain to students that children have three types – incisors, canines and molars.

Adults have four types – incisors, canines, premolars and molars. Premolars are essentially smaller molars with same function.

Incisors

Adults have eight of these at the front. They have a straight edge for cutting our food. Snakes kind of have only incisors (though they are called fangs). Ask students to make a long sssssssss sound like a snake. Then tell students to cover their teeth with their lips and do it again. What happened the second time? It turns out our teeth are not just important for chewing up food, but they also help us talk.

Canines

Adults have four canine teeth bracketing the incisors. They have a sharp, pointy tip for grabbing and tearing food. Do students recognise the word canine? What kinds of animals would have lots of canine and incisor type teeth? Carnivores, as they need to rip and slice up meat. What are some carnivores students know? As students make suggestions, ask them to move around the room like that kind of animal. For example, stomp around like a T-Rex, or prowl around like a lion.

Molars

These are the flat teeth at the rear of the mouth. They are flat and wide, and are used for crushing and grinding our food. What kinds of animals would have lots of molar type teeth? Herbivores, as they need to smush up plants. As students make suggestions, ask them to move around the room like that kind of animal. For example, waddle around like a wombat, or take long steps like a giraffe.

Part C: Brushing Technique

Step 1.

Read the story Guardians of the Gums.

[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://www.coolaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GOTG_V2.mp4"][/video]

Step 2.

Remind students of the bacteria that make up plaque in the Guardians of the Gums story. Explain to students that plaque is like a sticky layer of glue made from bacteria, food particles, and saliva that mix in your mouth.

Explain that plaque contains little germs called bacteria.

Bacteria love to feed on the sugar that is left on your teeth after you have eaten some delicious food. The bacteria turn the sugar into acid, which dissolves the tooth enamel (the protective part of your tooth) and potentially leads to tooth decay and/or cavities.

Step 3.

This is why we need to brush our teeth; to clean off all this bacteria and sugar! Remind students that the Incredible Brush recommends brushing at least twice a day.

Step 4.

Independently, have students use white paint with a toothbrush to 'clean the teeth' of a row of egg carton cups. Make sure students focus on getting right in between the gaps, as this is where sneaky food likes to get stuck. Also encourage them to carefully brush all of the front, back, top and sides. The paint will reveal which areas students are missing in their brushing technique.

The purpose of this activity is to illustrate the importance of brushing all parts of our teeth carefully.

Reflection

Review the different types of teeth.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

SugarByHalf - Guardians of the Gums - Teeth and Plaque

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