Healthy Teeth, Healthy Smile

KINDERGARTEN LESSON PLAN!

30 MINUTES

Danielle Teachout | Dental Education | November 13 2019 | 30 Minute Session (1)

Assessment: The students are in kindergarten. The class is made of 25 students ranging
in age from 5 to 6-years-old. Students do not have prior knowledge of dental hygiene or
healthy food options. Student have some experience with reading and writing. Simple
sentence usage by students. The students are arranged in small groups of 3 and 4 desk.
Located in the center of the room is a large open area in front of a whiteboard. To the
right of the board is an electronic tabletop projector. The use of the white board ledge will
be the only equipment used. This lesson plan will teach the importance of healthy teeth.
This plan will cover the functions of the teeth, common dental terms, and healthy snack
choices the help their teeth.

Statement of Purpose: According to a 2016 article the CDC “Although dental caries are
largely preventable, they remain the most common chronic disease of children aged 6 to 11
years and adolescents aged 12 to 19 years.” Teaching the students about healthy teeth and
healthy food choices may help prevent the onset of tooth decay. Healthy Teeth, Healthy
Smiles will teach the children importance of their teeth by understanding what their teeth
do, germs that may harm their teeth, and healthy food options that can benefit or harm
their teeth.
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/disease/dental_caries.html

Goals:
1) Understand the different roles the teeth have
2) Understand the term Plaque
3) Understand the term Decay
4) Understand the term Restoration
5) Know the differences between eating unhealthy food occasionally and eating
healthy foods more often to keep teeth strong and healthy

Goal 1: The kindergarten students will be understand the different roles their teeth have
Objective 1: The kindergarteners will be able to understand and act out the four main
jobs our teeth have. (chew, talk, smile, space for permanent teeth); Cognitive
A: Class of __ Kindergarten Students
B: Will understand the different roles the teeth have
C: Playing the game “Pretend you’re a tooth”
D: The class will follow the actions of tooth (chew, talk, smile, space for permanent teeth)
E: 90% of the class will be able to identify at least 3 of 4 roles the teeth have when asked
after the lesson.

Goal 2: The kindergarteners will be able to understand the term Plaque

Objective 2: The students will understand that Plaque is a term used to describe the
germs in the mouth along with the importance to wash the “germs” away twice a day.;
Cognitive
A: Class of __ Kindergarten Students
B: Will understand the term plaque

PAGE 1
C: after using a poster to show the plaque germs that grown on the teeth
D: the students will be able to recite and sound out the word plaque
E: 95% of the class will be able to recite and sound out the word plaque with the
presenter.

Goal 3: The kindergarteners will be able to understand the term Decay

Objective 3: The students will understand that when plaque stays on your teeth for a
long time it can cause decay; Cognitive
A: Class of __ Kindergarten Students
B: Will understand the term decay
C: After using a poster to show plaque damaging the tooth
D: The students will be able to recite and sound out the word decay
E: 95% of the class will be able to recite and sound out the word decay with the presenter.

Goal 4: The kindergarteners will be able to understand the term Restoration

Objective 4: The students will understand that if there is decay on a tooth a restoration
must be done by the dentist.; Cognitive
A: Class of __ Kindergarten Students
B: Will understand the term restoration
C: After using the poster of a tooth changing from decay to restoration
D: The students will be able to recite and sound out the parts of restoration
E: 50% of the class will be able to recite and sound out the word restoration with the
presenter.

Goal 5: The kindergarten class will understand that healthy snacks between meals will
keep your teeth strong vs having unhealthy snack foods.
Objective 5: The kindergartens will be able to identify the difference between healthy vs.
unhealthy snack foods to eat between meals; Cognitive
A: Class of __ Kindergarten Students
B: Will be able to identify the difference between healthy snacks and non-healthy snacks
to eat between meals
C: Use posters to healthy snacks and poster of unhealthy snacks, point off different
unhealthy snacks and healthy snacks on poster
D: Each student will place a food item on the board under healthy and unhealthy
E: 90% of the students will be able to identify which category their food item should be
placed under healthy snack or unhealthy snack.

Introduction/ Lesson Body & Methods:

1) Introduction to the class
a) Have the students start the lesson in the front of the classroom
b) I will sit in the front of the class to introduce myself and that I am a dental hygiene
student

PAGE 2
 c) Give a brief overview that we will be talking about their teeth and why it is
important to take care of them.

2) Let’s pretend to be teeth!

a) Inform the children that we will play a game to start off lesson
i) Include that we must use “our listening ears” to follow the directions
b) Have the students stand in the large circle
c) Start the game- steps of the game listed below
i) Alright kindergarteners lets close our eyes, Were not kindergartens anymore,
Were teeth!- lets open are eye and look at fellow teeth friends
ii) Say Hi to our teeth friends!
iii) Teeth help us chew food
iv) Here comes a nice bright red apple! We need to chew that apple, lets jump up
and chew that yummy apple!
(1) JUMP 3 TIMES
v) Teeth help us talk- We need teeth to say teeth- Say “TEETH”
vi) REPEAT- Teeth help us chew (jump 3 times), Teeth help us say “Teeth”
vii) Teeth help us smile on picture day- Smile
viii) REPEAT- Teeth help us chew (jump 3 times), Teeth help us say “Teeth”,
Teeth help us Smile
ix) Our baby teeth help save a place for our big adult tooth- “Say high to our adult
tooth underneath us – Bend over and wave at the ground.
x) REPEAT- Teeth help us chew (jump 3 times), Teeth help us say teeth, say
“Teeth”, Teeth help us Smile (smile), Teeth save a spot for our big adult tooth
(wave at the ground)
xi) Lets review with what our teeth do!
(1) Teeth help us chew (jump 3 times)
(2) Teeth help us say teeth, say “Teeth”
(3) Teeth help us Smile (smile)
(4) Teeth save a spot for our big adult tooth (wave at the ground)
xii) Teeth you were great but I think Mrs. Russel needs her students back . Let’s
Close our eyes- Now ere back to being a kindergartner
xiii) Lets have a seat students. Thank you for being great teeth

3) Learn Dental terms Plaque, Decay, Restoration

a) “Plaque” poster
i) Talk to the students about that our teeth have germs that grow on them called
Plaque. Plaque grows on top of out teeth and between our teeth. (pointing all
this out the poster).
ii) Have the students study and spell the word, plaque
iii) Read and Repeat “Plaque”
iv) What rhymes with Plaque?
b) Plaque hanging on mouth poster

PAGE 3
 i) Germs grow on teeth all the time
ii) Important to wash these germs away
c) “Decay” Poster
i) Show the picture of the sad tooth the plaque, then show the plaque eating
away of the teeth. Show the picture of the “sick tooth” that has tooth decay
ii) Have the students study and spell out Decay
iii) Read and Repeat “Decay”
d) “Restoration” poster
i) When a sick tooth needs fixed it is called a restoration
ii) This is done by the dentist
iii) Lets study and spell out this LONG word
iv) Read and Repeat- “Restoration”
4) Unhealthy Snack Foods
a) Pull 5 Names from the jar- Have each person say out one food on the poster
b) Explain to the students that these foods should only be eaten some of the time.
Plaque loves these unhealthy foods that cause more damage to the teeth
5) Healthy Snack Foods
a) Pull 5 Names from the jar- Have each person say out one food on the poster
b) Explain that these foods can be eaten all the time. These foods are good for a
healthy teeth and healthy smile.
6) Matching the foods to the column of foods that should be eaten sometimes and
all the time
a) Give each student a food from the basket
b) One by one have the student stand up show the class what food they have and
have them come place that food under the proper column

Classroom control: At any point the students get out of hand I will stop my speech, Ask
the students to “criss cross applesauce” and ask to “see their eyes”. For students that are in
good behavior I will praise their good behavior with “thank you for being a good student”.

Instructional Aids:

PAGE 4
Plaque w/ tooth- Used to show the word plaque and teach them about the germs on their
teeth
Plaque w/ mouth- Used to show that plaque grows on everything in the mouth
Plaque turning to tooth decay- Used to show that plaque causes tooth decay or a “sick
tooth”
Tooth w/ restoration- Used to show the sick tooth being fixed to make “happy tooth”
Unhealthy food- Used to show the foods we should only see some of the time. I had 5
students tell me a food they saw on the board
Healthy Food- Used to show the foods we can eat all the time. I had 5 students tell me a
food they saw on the board

PAGE 5
Food Choices Board- This was used to have each student pick out a piece of food from the
basket and ask their class mates what side their food goes on.

Closure:
1) Key Points- Review with the student/Thank You
a) Review with the children that our teeth do a lot of many things for us
b) Germs are in our mouth that can cause damage to our teeth
c) The foods we eat can affect our smiles
d) “Thank you for letting me come teach you about your teeth and sometimes/all the
time snack foods”
2) Questions/Answers (Q= Questions, A= Anticipated Answer, SA= Students
Answer)
Q: Can someone tell me 1 important function our teeth have? (repeat this question till
all choices are given)
A: Chew, Talk, Smile, Save Space
SA: Chew food, Talk, Smile, Loose teeth

Q: Can someone tell me what grows on our teeth?

A: Plaque!!!
SA: Germs

Q: What happens when plaque sits on our teeth for a long time?
A: Our tooth gets sick
SA: Get a Cavity!

Q: What the word we studied that makes a tooth sick?

PAGE 6
 A: Decay!
SA: Cavity!

Q: Does anyone know what it called to fix a sick tooth?

A: Restoration!
SA: (No answer was given)

Q: Who fixes sick teeth?

A: A Dentist
SA: (Did not ask)

Q: How often should we eat sugar such as pop and candy?

A: Only sometimes
SA: Sometimes!

Q: How often should we snack of fruits and vegetables?

A: All the time!
SA: All the times!

Q: Does anyone remember what I do?

A: You Clean teeth and keep teeth healthy
SA: (Did not ask)

3) Handouts
a) Attached is a copy of the handout that will be sent home with the students along
with a half sheet explaining all that we talked about that day.

Evaluation:
The overall prestation went as expected. We started off about 5 minutes later than
planned due to some students having a hard time following direction from the teacher to
put up their white boards. We first started with the tooth game. The kids seemed to really
enjoy that. Some had a hard time following the directions for the game but followed along
nicely. When we sat down next to look at the posters I made. The students already had
prior knowledge of cavities and “dental surgery”. The questions section of the presentation
is where we got off track. I asked the students if they had any questions and more students
wanted to share their dental experience. One student started to tell me about the splinter
he had in his big toe. I left the room knowing the students comprehended the food
choices the most. I plan in the spring to go back and talk about decay again while talking
about home care habits.

PAGE 7