Heather Turner

Title: Plaque Busters

Subject Area: Science

Grade Level: First

Description or Outcome Statement: Just what is plaque and what can happen to your teeth if you don't remove it? Students will use the scientific method and observe the effects of decay if teeth are not properly brushed.

QCC Objectives:

Topic: Dental Care

Standard: Recognizes practices for proper dental hygiene.

Topic: Science Inquiry, Process Skills and Problem Solving

Standard: Asks questions, makes and keeps simple records of observations, sorts and classifies objects, communicates with others, makes predictions, uses estimation and measurement, and makes sketches and diagrams to explain ideas.

Specific Lesson Objectives:

The students will:

• learn the scientific method, including the concepts of observation, hypothesis and experimentation.
• observe the effects of decay and the need for good oral hygiene will be reinforced.

Materials:

• Apple
• Toothpick
• Science journals
• Paper bag

Procedures:

MOTIVATION: Tell students that you are starting a science lesson that will run for several days about teeth and plaque. Ask them to make their best guess at what would happen if they didn't brush their teeth and instead let plaque accumulate. Explain that when a scientist makes his or her best guess it is called a hypothesis. In order to test if a hypothesis is correct, scientists conduct an experiment.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: The purpose of this lesson if for the students to observe the effects of tooth decay and to learn the scientific method, including the concepts of observation, hypothesis and experimentation.

TEACHER MODELING: Before class, cut a hole into the apple the diameter of a quarter (or one-inch) and about one-inch deep. Tell the students that the experiment begins by making observations, and hold up the apple and allow them to see it. (You may want to prepare several apples and have the class break into smaller groups, each group with their own apple).

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING: Give the students time to record their observations in their science journals or on paper by drawing a picture or writing a sentence. What do you initially see on the apple?

GUIDED PRACTICE: Explain that you will put the apple in a paper bag for a few days and then they will reexamine it. Have the students now record their hypotheses about what the apple will look like the next time they observe it. A few days later, ask students to recall the first day observations and share. Now have them share their hypotheses about the condition of the apple now.

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE: Remove the apple from the paper bag and allow the students time to observe it and record their observation in their journals and with each other. Next cut the apple in half through the original hole and let the students observe the cross-section and have them record and share their findings. Explain that this is an example of decay, which happens to teeth when they are not properly brushed and flossed. Plaque is a layer of sticky bacteria that can build up on tooth surfaces. The bacteria release acids, which weaken the teeth and cause decay, or cavities.

Closure: Brushing and flossing will remove the plaque and help prevent tooth decay. You also need to eat healthy foods like cheese, milk and vegetables and visit the dentist twice a year for a check-up. Avoid candy and sticky food with sugar. If you eat sweets, make sure that you brush afterwards to keep your teeth health and not looking like the apple!

Adaptations:

• For an ESL student I would do the following:
• Keep questions brief and to the point.
• Allow for extra time to complete assessments.
• Break down activities into small steps and provide a lot of verbal reinforcement.
• For a student with a mild intellectual disability I would do the following:
• Provide a sample of the finished product before beginning the activity.
• Have in place a clear roadmap for the child to follow. Sequence of steps precisely given to him.
• Change steps, eliminating multi-level tasks when needed.
• Place self-checking and self-rewarding activities after each step to motivate the student.

Assessments: Students will be assessed on participation and observation of the apple over the course of one week.

Extensions: Have students begin a brushing and flossing journal to record their "homework." They should record the number of times they brushed and flossed. Everyday the students bring their brushing and flossing journal in and are instructed to color 1" squares of graph paper for each time they brushed their teeth the day before and write their names on the pieces. Then they cut them out and glue them to a class graph showing the total number of times the children in the room brushed their teeth on that day. They do the same thing for flossing. At the end of the week, they can see all the great work they did to promote their dental health.

Remediation: For students not understanding that without good oral hygiene your teeth will decay, I would have these students use the following website to help them:

http://www.mtnbrook.k12.al.us/academy/kind/activity.html